Hi, everybody! Welcome to my new fanfic: a genderbent version of "Hundred"!

Okay, a few things before we begin:

1. Unlike "Freezing", "Rosario + Vampire", and "Heaven's Lost Property", this is an adaptation of a light novel...one that has NOT been licensed or released in English speaking territories.
2. This series has been completely translated by Taekan, so please go to his website and make sure you read ALL light novel volumes before reading this fanfic.
3. Since this has been unofficially translated, I was able to copy the first light novel into this simple document; therefore, you'll notice that it's pratically the same as Taekan's translation. The only thing I had to do was change the gender words (for example: "she is changed to "he").
4. Like my other genderbent fanfics, this is going to be filled with male fanservice.

Thank you and...

Enjoy


Volume 1
Variant Awakening

Prologue

"Why? Why is this happening?! This is too much―"

In this town, old-fashioned buildings like churches and temples stood alongside modern skyscrapers. The sight of happy tourists sightseeing, churchgoers attending morning worship, and people joyfully going about their daily activities gave off the most peaceful feeling.

And yet…

The blinding flash of a brilliant beam coupled with a jarring, concussive blast transformed this idyllic scene into a bloody, nightmarish hell.

Nor was it over. The beam heedlessly, ceaselessly raked the area over, and explosive sounds continued without interruption.

The innards of the buildings in the area were exposed. They hardly had a chance to serve their intended purpose; construction had only just recently finished. Now that work was wasted; they were practically unrecognizable in their current state, all hint of their original forms was but a memory.

Those were the lucky ones. The majority of buildings had been reduced to a state worse than rubble—swirling whirlwinds of dust which collected on the fallen ruins of their brethren.

Explosion followed explosion, never pausing.

"Wh-What?! Wh-What's going on?! What the hell is going on?!" a boy screamed, crouching slightly.

What's happening to this town?! I don't understand!

Nor was he alone in his ignorance and incomprehension; all around people pondered the same questions. 'Is it terrorists? An accident? Or maybe―' their terrified imaginations filling in the blanks. Screaming, panicking, and running to and fro, the townspeople sought salvation.

An explosion rocked the area the boy was in.

"Uwaaa?!"

A gust of air, displaced by the impact of the blast, struck the boy, sending him flying.

Why?! Why is this…?!

But seconds later, the boy, struggling to rise to his feet amidst the fallen rubble, caught sight of huge monsters covered in shining, yellow patterns.

"No way, are they―"

A memory rose; unbidden in his mind. Three years ago, along with a number of tiny meteorites from some distant corner of the universe, a mysterious, heterogeneous life-form had made their way to Earth—the 'Savage'.

Utterly unlike humanity in that their skin was tough as steel and covered in shining, yellow patterns, they nevertheless possessed the ability to communicate with one another. They boasted long antennae, sharp, glaring eyes, blade-like talons on their feet, and enormous, pincered limbs in place of hands—bearing overall, a strange resemblance to insects. The monsters before his eyes were none other than these selfsame Savage.

Because of the Savage, humanity had finally reconciled, and the UN had formed an alliance. In cooperation with the PMCs of the world, they had 'annihilated' the Savage in the Antarctic.

――So, how could they possibly be here?

His body trembled in fear.

He'd heard many times from many people—his teachers, his parents, everyone, really—of the terror and dread of the Savage.

It was truly terrifying. Fear was the only possible response. His legs threatened to give way at any moment.

Nevertheless, he shook off his fear, and began to run.

He had, after all, made a most important promise.

He needed to go there.

He finally arrived at the park located at the heart of the town.

It had always been a lively and crowded place; today, it was empty. More than likely, everyone had fled to safety in the wake of the Savage attack. Silence now reigned here.

The park's sole occupant was a beautiful girl, with long raven black hair, a black t-shirt, and a brown skirt. There she waited on the promised bench as if nothing had happened.

She was fast asleep, breathing lightly.

The locale was more than suitable for an afternoon nap; perhaps she had dozed off?

Her sleeping visage was both serene and charming. He wanted nothing more than to sit down beside her and watch her sleep, but now was not the time for such things.

"Get up!"

The boy raced to the girl's side, shook her body, and called out to her.

"Ah, you finally made it…"

The girl stirred, smiling gently. She quickly sensed something awry in the boy's expression.

"…What's wrong?"

"We've got a huge problem! The Savage have appeared!"

Suddenly, they were enveloped in darkness: shadows. The Savage!

"We need to move!"

The boy took the perplexed girl's hand in his own and began to run.

One airborne Savage suddenly landed immediately in front of them.

The ground quaked and water overflowed from the park's pond.

"…Damn it!"

Enemies both in front and behind.

Furthermore, these Savage were enormous—their size comparable to that of a house. Some measured three, even four meters in height.

The oppressive feeling threatened to overwhelm them.

As the boy and the girl picked themselves back up, the creature before them glared at the sight. Raising its pincers high above its head, it prepared to attack.

――We need to get out of here, now!

"This way!"

The boy pulled the girl's hand, drawing her to him and kicking up dirt.

The Savage missed.

Its attack pierced through the ground instead, throwing up a violent cloud of dust. Suddenly the boy's arm was jerked from behind.

"Gaa―?!"

As the grip on his hand was released, a scream filled his ears. He turned to see the girl collapsed on the ground.

Her leg had gotten caught on the rubble, and she'd tripped.

"Are you alright―?"

"Y-Yeah… I'm okay…" she answered, trying to pull herself up.

The boy noticed the head of a Savage popping up over the tops of the foliage behind them. White light began to gather there.

This is bad!

The boy knew that the Savage could fire some kind of beam from their head. The explosions ringing out until now had all been caused by this, after all.

"Get down―!"

He threw himself to the ground alongside the girl. Seconds later, the beam fired, dyeing the world in white.

"Uaaah…!"

A roar sounded, and the resulting shockwave kicked up fragments of rubble, clouds of dust, and other things into a vicious swirl.

The girl was blown away.

Her body crashed into a piece of rubble and came to a hard stop.

The boy had also been blown away. His body rolled and rolled until it came to rest at the feet of another Savage.

The Savage became aware of the boy's existence, and targeted its new prey. Its pincered claws extended in length. The girl realized it was reaching out to grab the boy.

"STOOOOOOOP!"

A heart-rending scream tore itself free of the girl's throat.

She knew that humans were but prey before the Savage.

Caught in the Savage's grip, the boy's feet were lifted clean off the ground as his body was lifted into the air.

The boy's body hung suspended in the air as the Savage's mouth gaped wide.

What do I do?!

――BAAM―!

Suddenly, the sound of artillery fire could be heard. An explosion rocked the approaching Savage's head. The line of fire could be traced to a tank belonging to the Good Morning Army. The military had come!

The boy fell out of the hands of the targeted Savage.

Oh…

She raced to the side of the boy, who'd fallen atop a pile of rubble. Blood drained from her face as she caught sight of him.

He gasped painfully for air. His skirt and black shirt were torn where the Savage's pincers had cut him. The opening allowed her to see a single line of red running down his skin. The pincered hands of his attacker had scarred his white skin.

"Hey, are you alright?!"

Calling out to him in vain, she received no reply. The boy continued to cry out in pain, the hazy sounds of his voice leaked from his throat.

Dark, polluted blood seeped fresh from his wound.

Shit, I've gotta stop the bleeding, or else…

Her first priority, however, was to escape the current situation. Now that the Savage's attention was on the army, they had forgotten about the boy and the girl. If there was a time to escape, it was now.

The girl wrapped the boy's arm around the back of her neck and ran from the scene with all her might.

"Things should be alright now that we're this far…"

The girl's legs had given out about five minutes after leaving the Savage behind. The surrounding buildings had been left in ruin and there was nary a soul in sight.

"Sorry, this might hurt a little…"

With those words, she sat down on a large slab of concrete. She carefully laid the boy down on as smooth and flat a spot as she could find.

"Uuuh, ha… nnnaaah…"

A pained voice leaked from his mouth.

His breathing was shallow and his forehead drenched in sweat.

"…What… What is this…?"

The girl had noticed something strange. Her gaze froze on the area where the shirt and shorts had torn and revealed the wound on his chest. With the wound as a focal point, the surrounding skin had darkened noticeably. It felt to her as if the darkness was even now spreading, encroaching upon his body.

Is it… some kind of poison…?

She recalled a time when she had been stung by a bee. Her mother had given him the following treatment: tying off the circulation to her arm, she'd proceeded to suck the poison out with her mouth.

This time, however, the wound was on his chest; she couldn't exactly follow the same process. She nevertheless decided that the poison, at least, must be drawn from the wound.

From the wound, she'd…

From someone else's―― More importantly, how could she touch her lips to a boy's body? Such a thing was well beyond her experience.

The mere thought had thrown off her breathing, sped up her heart rate, and dried out her mouth.

This was the girl's first time experiencing such feelings. Was it really okay to do this of her own volition? She briefly entertained such thoughts before she concluded that circumstances did not allow her the luxury of inaction.

Sorry―!

Apologizing in her mind, the girl lowered her lips to the boy's wounded chest and began to suck.

"Nnn… fuuaa… nnn…"

Desperately, she drew the poison out with her pursed lips.

The taste of iron ran strongly in her mouth, but it was coupled with a strange, lighter taste.

"Nn――haaa!"

*spit*.

She spat the darkened blood out of her mouth. It stuck firmly to the concrete.

Having cast aside her anxiety with the first go, she determined there was no need for fear. Once more she drew the blood from the boy's body, and once more she spat it out. Twice, thrice she repeated this simple action.

"Kaha, keho… Nnn, keho…"

On the third try, the girl choked as she spat out the tainted blood she held in her mouth.

But――

"Thank… you…"

The boy in her arms smiled at her, and she smiled at him in turn, showing her relief.

Suddenly, things changed.

What's going on? What's…

What had been clear to her eyes mere moments prior suddenly faded into a hazy blur as her head began to spin.

Squinting didn't fix it.

Damn it; what's going on?!

Her head grew heavy, and her body was unwillingly drawn to the ground.

Her consciousness slipped for a brief moment. As with her vision, her thoughts began to cloud over.

Is this… the poison…?

Despite her failing consciousness, the girl's face yet expressed her frustration.

The Savage's poison had been far more potent than she'd expected.

There was a silver lining in this cloud, however; the boy's symptoms seemed to have ceased.

At least he'd make it, or so she desperately hoped.

But as for herself? The girl readied herself for death. A distant voice echoed in her ears. A hallucination, this was not.

No, it was unmistakably a man's voice. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Someone… came to help…?

In that case, not just the boy, but possibly she herself might yet be saved.

That'd be great. Just as she dared to hope for salvation――

"Eh…?"

She felt a dull sense of pain on the back of her head; her brain rattled in her skull.

She staggered.

A forceful impact ran throughout her body shortly thereafter.

What… was… that… just… now…?

It seemed as if she'd been struck from behind with some kind of blunt weapon.

That said, she had no way of knowing what it truly was.

…But, no… Why…?

A voice screamed her name—the voice of the boy, which slowly faded into oblivion.

The girl's consciousness had long since faded.

End of Prologue


Chapter 1
Little Graden/Bugeika/School Entrance

Mh, mmhh…

Bathed in sunlight, Kisaragi Haname opened her eyes.

The sounds of a reciprocating engine and rotating propellers reached her ears.

"We'll be arriving shortly," reported the pilot.

The transport had already begun landing preparations.

I dreamt of that boy again, huh…

It was a dream of herself and another having suffered in a Savage attack while in the Gudenburg Empire of the Britannia Commonwealth. She'd often seen this dream since she had been a child.

I wonder if that really happened…Hayato thought.

She had, after all, indeed been the victim of a Savage attack in the Gudenburg Empire in the past. There, among other things, she had lost her parents, injured her head, and fallen into a coma.

In her weakened state, she had lost most of her memories of his time in Gudenburg, though she wasn't sure if the attack was the direct cause. Had the full events of the dream been revealed, or was there more to see? Was the incident even real? Even now, she had no way of knowing.

Either way, that sure looked like a close call…

Originally, she'd planned to arrive at the massive aircraft carrier 'Little Garden' yesterday evening, but weather problems and other things had come up. Exiting the country had thus taken longer than expected, and her arrival had now been delayed to the very day of the school entrance ceremony.

Given her lateness, she wondered whether she would have the time to visit her little brother, Kaoru, who was hospitalized, upon her arrival.

She glanced outside the window, seeing only ocean.

Nonetheless, the aforementioned destination, Little Garden, was out there somewhere.

Its training facility housed a crystal which would alter its form when touched by a human. This so-called 'Variable Stone' would then reveal the creation of a weapon worn on the arms―― Hyaku Busou, also colloquially referred to as a 'Hundred'. There, Haname would be armed with this Hundred and receive training to become a Slayer dedicated to fighting the Savage.

She would fight for her brother, whose body had been weakened by illness from the time he was young, to receive better medical treatment.

At the facility, now her new home, she would also fight to protect her fellow comrades from the fate she'd experienced: losing parents to the Savage and a life of poverty.

At that moment――

She looked through the window a second time, finally catching a glimpse of the elusive Little Garden.

If we can arrive without further trouble, there'll be still some time left until the school entrance ceremony. I'll be able to visit my brother, even if just for a bit!

So this is it, huh? Little Garden…

With the exception of the harbor section which held its runway, Little Garden was encased in airtight, mirrored glass, giving it the appearance of a long, narrow trapezoid. The design made it impossible to peer inside. Despite how it looked, however, an ordinary town could be found within with residence openings so scarce, they had to be assigned.

I wonder if I'll find it here…

The answer to his question――

The true identity of the boy in his dream.

Now that I think about it, ever since my brother and I came into contact with the Hundred, my memories have been gradually returning, so I guess it's just a matter of time.

If she touched a Hundred again, those memories from long ago just might be restored. This hope she secretly held in her heart.

The transport began to lower its altitude, and started to circle the skies above Little Garden.

Only ten minutes later, Kisaragi Haname set foot upon Little Garden.


"Nee-san, you haven't tied your necktie properly, you know…"

The boy, whose spiky raven black hair stood in stark contrast to the hospital's white walls, pointed this out as he raised his upper body from the bed.

Her name was Kisaragi Kaoru.

Though he had a good complexion and otherwise seemed quite hale, his life in the hospital hadn't given his skin much exposure to the sunlight, leaving it snow-white and clear.

"It can't be helped, right? I've never had to tie one of these before," Haname sulked as her brother reached out his arms.

"Please, come a bit closer. I'll fix the knot for you."

"It's fine; it's good enough already."

"That's no good. Knowing that Nee-san is a slob is already unpleasant enough, but you must at least do it properly for the school entrance ceremony. So, please come a bit closer."

His tone was gentle, but his eyebrows were raised. Haname knew that when Kaoru was like this, he could be quite stubborn.

"…Yeah, got it."

Deciding it couldn't be helped, Haname brought himself closer. He unfastened her necktie and began to retie it.

"There, problem solved…" he said, his face beaming in satisfaction.

She checked in the mirror and it had been tied exceptionally well. It hadn't even taken a minute, yet the knot had taken its proper shape.

"You're quite good at this. I'm a bit surprised, you know?"

"It's because I researched how to tie a knot before Nee-san came. I was thinking, 'I guess it won't be tied neatly, anyway,' so…"

"'Anyway', huh? You…"

"I was right, wasn't I? When it comes to Nee-san, there's nothing I don't know."

Kaoru bared his feelings with a smile and presented his forehead.

Whenever Kaoru wanted praise, demanded an apology, or other things of that nature, he would demand a kiss in this manner. If she refused, he'd sulk—not something she wanted. Though, he would eventually cheer up, that'd take time she didn't have right now. In other words, refusal wasn't an option.

"Seriously, this boy's a hopeless case…"

Even while sighing in exaggerated astonishment, she nevertheless placed a hand on his spiky, black hair, and lightly touched his forehead for a brief moment with her lips.

"…Will that do?"

"Ehehe. This was the first kiss in a month, right?"

Kaoru smiled, satisfied. He'd likely be in good spirits for some time to come.

"Oh, that's right; how is everyone at the institution doing?"

"I think you know the answer to that already, right?"

Haname turned her gaze toward the computer tablet that was placed near Kaoru's bedside. He accessed the cybernet with it and used it to communicate with everyone at the institution. Of course, Haname was also aware of the fact that he played games on it as well.

"Looks like Nee-san found out…"

"Everyone happily reported how they're playing games with Kaoru."

"Uuh… Even though I told them not to tell Nee-san…"

"I know you feel isolated and lonely, but it's no good if you don't study, you know? If you keep this up, and the time comes when you can attend school, you'll be in quite a bit of trouble."

"I know that, but…"

"Your reply?"

"Yeees…" Kaoru answered energetically.

At the same time a knocking sound echoed throughout the room followed by a man's voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Kaoru-kun, is it okay if I come in?"

"Yes, it's fine," was Kaoru's friendly reply.

The door groaned and opened.

"Ara, could you perhaps be Kaoru's Onee-san?"

A man dressed in blue scrubs with a small mole under her eye came into the room, pushing a medical cart before him.

He had short, black hair and, unlike Kaoru, a bulky figure. His appearance resembled Haname and her brother, as if he, too, was from Yamato.

"This is the nurse I'm indebted so much to. Nee-san, please greet him properly and introduce yourself."

"I'm Kisaragi Haname. I'm in your debt for caring for my brother."

Haname bowed her head, greeting him in accordance with Kaoru's urging. The nurse smiled in response.

"Kaoru-kun speaks about you quite often. Always saying about what a cute Onee-san you are."

"Ah, not at all…"

Her mind went blank. What should he say to such a handsome young man…

"Nee-san, looking at Miharu's crotch and turning all 'deredere'… Ecchi…"

"I didn't!"

She instantly objected, but the crotch of the nurse in front of her eyes wsa in fact considerably large. As a woman, she couldn't help it if her gaze was unwillingly captivated by such a sight. On that point, when it came to Kaoru, however… 'too bad' was all that came to mind.

"Ufufu, just as Kaoru-kun said, I'm a nurse of this hospital. Kashiwagi Minato. I was also born in Yamato, the same empire Haname-chan and Kaoru-kun come from, and so I was asked to watch over Kaoru-kun."

"…How's he doing?"

Him being in charge of Kaoru mattered much more to Haname than him being from Yamato. She'd often heard about her little brother's condition from the person in question, but she had no way of knowing how much of it was true.

"Well, he's here now, so he'll definitely get better. It might seem just like a small step, but he's able to walk now. If progress keeps up during rehab, before you know it, he'll be attending school."

His words filled him with a sense of relief.

"I see. That's great…"

Kaoru's illness caused abnormalities in his muscle function.

The Savage had appeared alongside a huge meteorite which had struck the South Pole. The spread of this illness began shortly after this incident, which later came to be known as the 'First Attack'. The current methods of treatment hadn't yet been created at that time, and stricken by illness, Kaoru had thus never before attended school. It was only recently that he'd escaped the confines of his wheelchair.

If he were able to walk again—something that no longer seemed all that far off—he could finally attend school. One could say that this was all thanks to having come to Little Garden.

"…Interrupting siblings that surely want to be alone after they haven't seen each other for so long isn't preferable, but we haven't had a meeting today, right? We just need to do a few, small examinations."

"Actually, I have to get going anyway. The school entrance ceremony will be starting soon."

"That would make today the Bugeika's school entrance ceremony, right?"

"Yet, I can barely get there in time…"

With a wry smile, she lifted her travel bag from the bed. Suddenly, Kaoru's mood turned serious.

"Nee-san, I'm really grateful for everything."

"What's this all of a sudden…"

"But― You see, because of me, Nee-san had to come here. Even if you're bound to catch some ferocious glares because of it…"

"You're worrying about those kinds of things? Just focus on getting better. Also, that's not my only reason for coming here, okay? It's also because of the facility."

Chuckling, Haname petted Kaoru's head.

"Nee-san will stay safe, no matter what. I'm diligently praying for you every day."

"'Praying', is it? Could you please stop with strange stuff like black-magic?"

"It's white-magic, so it's fine."

"That's close enough, isn't it? That kind of thing…"

Kaoru had gone through a phase where he'd obsessed over the occult while searching for a cure for his illness. He had acquired considerable knowledge of black magic, fortune telling, and other things of that nature.

…When it came to results, however, that was a different matter. On that point, even when it came to fortune telling, there hadn't been any success stories. No, when it came to black magic and other such experiments, they were an annoyance better left alone.

"Ehehe, I'm just joking. I just pray for Nee-san to be safe, nothing else."

"Alright then, I better go."

"…Nee-san, if nothing gets in the way after my tests are over and the school entrance ceremony finishes, please come back. You see, there are still so many things I want to tell you…"

"Gotcha, I'll do just that."

Saying that, Haname put her hand on the door. Once more, Kaoru's voice could be heard from behind.

"Nee-san, have a safe trip."


"All this atop an aircraft carrier; it's pretty hard to believe…" Haname murmured as she left the hospital.

Looking up toward the sky, she saw mirrored glass, something she hadn't even known existed.

In fact, were it not for the strong, salty smell of ocean water in the air, she might very well have forgotten she was now at sea.

The university battleship, Little Garden――

Boasting a surface area of more than four square kilometers, a town atop an aircraft carrier.

Simply by scale alone, one could scour the entire world and not find its equal.

In order to preserve its freedom, Little Garden never stopped sailing. For something of this scale, this was undoubtedly a world's first.

This ship wasn't attached to any nation.

Little Garden had its headquarters in the federal state of Liberia, where the production company responsible for developing fighters, military ships, and so on, was located. Even though the Warslan company was a PMC, they had built Little Garden themselves to serve as a base both for battling the Savage and for the research and development of the Hundred weapon. For the sake of training Slayers—those who wielded the Hundred—no expense was spared when it came to this huge aircraft carrier. That rationale had manifested itself in every aspect of its design.

"So that's the dorm, huh…?"

The scene reflected in his eyes was of a refined, white, two-storied Western building. There were no other structures in the vicinity, so its appearance was somewhat reminiscent of an airport. Haname stepped forward, onto the grounds.

All became clear at the entrance to the dorm.

A decorated plate, proudly emblazoned with the emblem of Little Garden Bugeika, was displayed on the wall in front of her eyes.

There was no mistaking it.

"Excuse my intrusion…" she called out as she opened the door, a spacious foyer entered her vision.

She saw a spacious lobby with a sofa, a large table, and other such things within. The students could well socialize here. It also seemed to be a good place to eat.

It was, however, currently empty.

"…Errr, is anyone here?" Haname asked, when suddenly―

"HANAME―!"

"…Eh?"

A loud voice resounded through the lobby as the sounds of footsteps drew near.

"I've wanted to meet you, Haname―!"

"Uwaaa?!"

Someone from inside the corridor suddenly leapt at her.

Haname attempted to dodge, but with her travel bag in his hands, she couldn't make it in time…

*CRASH!*

Hit with great force, she fell onto the carpet.

"Ouch! Shit! What's wrong with you?! That hurts…!"

Complaining, she looked up at the figure now lying on top of her.

Crystal-clear, white skin and green eyes.

Well-endowed, captivating features and charming, long silver hair that reached up to the her back eyes. A surprisingly slender and soft physique.

…Is this person a boy?

Countering her impression, the uniform of the person in question rejected that thought. This person appeared to belong to the same Bugeika as Haname.

It's a girl after all, isn't it? Haname corrected herself. And quite a strange one to boot. That hurt; just what was she thinking?!

Just as she was about to comment, "You, that really――"

"I'm Ellie Crossford from the Gudenburg Empire of the Britannia Commonwealth, like Haname. I'm a freshman of the Bugeika. It's nice to meet you, okay?"

The newcomer leaned in and introduced herself with a smile, and caused Haname's heart rate to shoot up.

That girl's smile; she remembered it from somewhere.

"…"

Motionless, Haname continued to stare.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Because you were so forceful, I… she silently thought to herself. "Errr, I――"

Still stunned, she tried to gather her thoughts and offer her own greeting in turn when she was struck by a sudden realization.

"Now that I think about it, you, how do you know my name?"

"'bout that, Kisaragi Haname's a famous girl."

"Famous, you say…?"

"Ermm, that is, you see――"

"Before we get to that, mind getting off of me first?"

Haname, who'd cut in, still had Ellie lying on top of her. Even if this was for the purpose of something like female bonding―— Actually, strike that, keeping a posture like this for that reason was pretty bad itself. It invited needless misunderstandings.

"Aah, sorry!"

Flustered, Ellie attempted to rise.

Suddenly, a cheerful voice mixed with laughter interrupted them.

"Hey, you girls. Flirting and getting all intimate here, are we?"

Turning her gaze to the owner of the voice, she saw a tall, young woman with long, blonde hair standing there with a scandalized smile on her face.

"No, this so called flirting… It's nothing like that, alright? This girl suddenly came clinging onto me!"

"Yeah, that's because this person 'really, really' wanted to meet you, you see."

The young woman who spoke was wearing an obviously new female Bugeika uniform like Ellie.

"Are you a freshman too?" Haname asked.

The blonde youth answered with a nod.

"That's right, I'm Fiona Glanz. I was the first to arrive at this women's dormitory, so, even if just temporarily, I am the leader of the freshmen. With that said, I'll be in your care from now on, rumored freshman."

"R-Right… Same here…"

Taking Fiona's outstretched hand, Haname rose with her help.

"That's nice, isn't it? The two of you, shaking hands like that. I want to shake Haname's hand too!"

"I'm already up so there's no need for anything like that…"

This was neither the time nor the place for such trivialities. Rather than that, there was something else she should worry about.

"Moments ago, this girl mentioned this as well; what's this rumor about me?" Haname asked, turning her head to indicate to Ellie.

Fiona nodded with an audible "Ah".

"I got here the day before yesterday, so I heard the whole thing. The expectations for the new student shot through the roof the moment she placed first in the successive generation's reaction reading during the Hundred aptitude test."

"So, the rumors are about that…"

With that, Haname understood.

Something had been measured at the time Haname had taken the aptitude test which Fiona had just mentioned. The reading had been astonishingly high; a fact Haname was more aware of than anyone else.

It had been thanks to that reading that Haname had received such a warm welcome from Little Garden's Bugeika.

And a warm welcome it was, for not only was her tuition waived, but she'd even been provided additional scholarship support. Her brother, who was frequently hospitalized as a result of his weakened condition, was now being treated by the world's foremost medical team under the direction of the Warslan group; this benefit, was similarly free of charge.

Even if I haven't the slightest idea why they would be so generous…

Throughout the world, those who had the aim of becoming a Slayer would study the Hundred and other related matters. In order to deepen their knowledge on these topics, a training school had been created.

However, unlike someone who had studied at that training school, Haname had touched the Hundred during the school enrollment test not more than twice―― While she had been studying about the Savage on her own long before arriving at Little Garden, when compared to those who had attended the training school, she was severely lacking when it came to technique and knowledge.

This alone made the rumor seem like much ado about nothing, and having such a degree of expectation placed upon her shoulders worried her.

"…Well, that's how it is. Now I'll lead you girls to your assigned room! That's the duty of the freshmen leader! You two are the only ones left who haven't been shown to their rooms yet!"

Saying that, Fiona walked off.

"Haname, let's go."

"R-Right."

Haname took the travel bag that was lying on the floor, and trailing Ellie and Fiona, started up the stairs.

Only the women of the Bugeika lived in this dorm and so it wasn't all that spacious.

To begin with, only one third of the students were middle and high schoolers of the Bugeika, and even the male and female counts combined did not amount to more than 30 freshmen.

As Haname had come to learn, while the Bugeika was technically part of the Little Garden High School, they were heavily influenced by public authorities. It was a fact that Slayers belonged to the Warslan Company as apprentices―― beginning their service as preparatory-department students. It went without saying that entrance required graduation from middle school. Even though the school curriculum was special, it used the same three year system as the Futsuuka, and the majority of people that graduated then belonged to a private military company managed by the Warslan Company as mercenaries. Guarding VIP personnel and facilities, disaster relief, and other such things; those were the kinds of duties expected of them.

Of all of those, their most important duty by far would be to fight the 'Savage'.

It's said that the Savage first came to Earth via a huge meteorite.

At that time, people had incorrectly assumed it would simply burn up in the atmosphere. Contrary to expectations, however, it had, instead, splintered into tiny meteorites to which the Savage had clung. These had subsequently then showered the surface. The Savage carried by them then fled to the ocean to prolong their survival. After incubating for several years, they emerged once more and began to rampage.

It's further been said that they had reached their considerable numbers by breeding, and moreover, it appeared that a new batch of them had also been discovered, flying toward the Earth via meteorite, once again.

In the beginning, there hadn't been any attempts made as to calculate their numbers during the first attack when they first dropped onto the Earth aboard their fragments of the once enormous meteorite. The appearance of the Savage themselves could best be described as 'insect-like', though to be truthful, they were rather large and somewhat dissimilar in appearance. Their skin was as hard as steel, to the extent of being impervious to gunfire.

Accordingly, early resistance efforts had resorted to the use of gigantic landmines and air strikes. Though humanity had succeeded in forcing them to retreat time and again, they had never once managed to deal the finishing blow.

It was then that the 'Hyaku Busou', or 'Hundred', had been developed.

These were anti-Savage weapons.

While the first attack was ongoing, that is to say, when the splinters of the meteorite had first hit the Earth, scientists had become aware of a new material which transformed upon coming into contact with humans. The essential raw ingredient in its development was a red crystal harvested from those selfsame meteorites. This, they called 'Variable Stone'.

The Hundred, the fruits of those labors, were then utilized to fight the Savage. The children enrolled in this school were devoted to this endeavor.

The school was currently limited to those who had not yet reached puberty at the time the meteorite had fallen; the Hundred would respond for no other.

"And that's your room."

Fiona had pulled to a stop in front of the first corner room on the second floor.

"It's surprisingly spacious…" Haname muttered, passing through the door Fiona had just opened.

It was bigger than any room Haname had lived in since she had left her homeland, Yamato. The facility room she had shared with her brother had only been a scant, six tatamiin size; in other words, not even half the size of this room.

"…Wait. Wait a sec, you said our room――"

Ellie's gaze pointed toward the two installations in the room, single beds with a wide gap between them.

"As you can see, this is a double room."

"Which means that Haname and I are in the same room?!"

"Bugeika's students are meant to fight the Savage in the near future; you know that much, right? You aren't alone at such times—you're organized into teams to fight. Cohabitation is meant to strengthen communication, or at least that's what I've heard. I was taught that by the Senpai who led me to my room."

Fiona cheerfully patted Haname's shoulder.

"Well, be good friends from here on, you magnificent two! When you're done unpacking, come to the lobby. I'll take you to the Bugeika school building."

"It can't be… Could Char have done something unnecessary and put us in the same room…" Ellie, leaning on the wall, muttered after Fiona had left them alone.

"So that 'Char' you're talking about deliberately put us in the same room?"

"No, that's… Err, I wonder, huh? Might be a coincidence after all. Ahaha…" she said, forcing a smile.

"Anyway, please take care of me from today onward, Haname."

"Y-Yeah…"

What a weirdo, Hanyame thought, but it wasn't like she could deal with the situation by simply rejecting the roommate she was going to live with from today on.

Elllie held out a hand which Haname caught in a firm grasp.

"Ehehe…"

She positively glowed in response as if her heart's desire had finally come true.

Make that a super weirdo…

Thus, the curtain was drawn on Haname's new life.


"So that's the Bugeika school building, huh?"

After leaving their luggage in the room and walking a little more than ten minutes under Fiona's partial guidance, they finally arrived at the entrance.

"Rather than calling it a school, this looks almost more like some sort of research facility, I'd say. Or a hideout maybe?"

"I know what you mean…"

They were presented with a most formidable scene. It almost seemed to be a security checkpoint, with two guards keeping watch at the gate. The nondescript design, which featured hardly any windows, only served to further strengthen this impression.

"Haname, do you have your PDA?"

"PDA, huh? That's this thing, right?"

In response to Ellie's question, Haname pulled a flat, card-like portable device, roughly the size of a standard business card, out of her pocket.

She'd been given it upon her arrival.

It not only served as both her student ID and general identification document, it also doubled as a communication device, including features such as mailing, calling, and etc. Moreover, it apparently could even double as a replacement for her wallet.

"It seems it also functions as a gate pass."

Ellie placed her PDA against the sensor, whereupon the gate opened. Quite intuitive. Yamato's train ticket barriers had a similar system.

"Haname, you too!"

From across the gate, Ellie waved energetically. As prompted, Haname and Fiona entered the premises as well.

After walking a short distance more, they finally arrived at their destination: the auditorium.

"You finally made it, huh? I was getting tired of waiting!"

Amid the vast throng of both new and old students and the teaching staff, a cheerful boy, his hair wrapped into a pony-tail, called out to them.

He was quite short with rather childish features, but a closer inspection revealed that he was wearing a proper Bugeika boys uniform. His eyes burned with an unyielding spirit which made you forcefully aware of his strength of will.

"My bad, these girls took longer than expected to get ready," Fiona replied with the ease of familiarity, casually pointing at Haname and Ellie with her thumb.

"Oooh, are you two freshmen too?!"

Looking at Haname and Ellie with sparkling eyes, the boy thumped his chest and introduced herself.

"I'm Laetitia Saint-Émillion, from the same federal state of Liberia as Fiona. This girl and I are acquaintances of sorts."

"If you're going to say that much, then just tell them we're childhood friends already," Fiona said in mock astonishment, ruffling Laetitia's hair with her hand.

"I'm always telling you not to touch my hair! Isn't that right, Fionatard?!"

Laetitia bared his teeth in a growl at Fiona, who was stirring him up by ruffling his hair.

"It's not my fault your head happens to be at the perfect height."

"Gununu…"

Laetitia's face wrinkled in frustration at Fiona's unconcerned response.

Watching the two closely, Ellie remarked, smiling, "You two are very close, right?"

"We've always been together since we were young. Unlike me, however, he doesn't look like he's grown at all. His is as small as before as well," Fritz answered, without a moment's hesitation.

Without skipping a beat, Laetitia protested in turn, "That. Is. Why. I. Said. Don't treat me like a child! And don't talk about my crotch! Anyway, now it's your girls' turn to introduce yourselves. I still haven't heard your names."

"I'll introduce them then, I guess. The cute one here is Ellie Crossford and the other is the rumored freshman, Kisaragi Haname."

"Oooh, so you're the one who broke Clark-sama's record, Kisaragi Haname!"

"…Clark-sama?"

A question marked seemed to appear over Haname's head; she had no idea who that was.

"Could it be that you don't know who Clark-sama is?" Laetitia asked in surprise.

Haname nodded, "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind telling――"

"Oi, you guys. Hurry up and come into the auditorium," a teacher called out, interrupting Haname.

"Looks like the ceremony's about to start."

Just as Ellie finished speaking, noise began to fill the auditorium.

"Looks like we'll have to finish this conversation later; let's head in."

Laetitia rushed in first, followed by Haname and the others.

Following instructions, they lined up, whereupon the ceremony promptly began.

From the wings of the stage, two boys appeared: a tall, pony-tailed boy with imposing eyes and a boy with red-rimmed glasses and a short, studious-looking haircut.

Both were approximately the same age as Haname and the others and were also dressed in Bugeika uniforms. The green of the uniforms which Haname and friends wore, however, differed from the blue of the upperclassmen now appearing onstage.

"Dear freshmen, welcome to Little Garden!"

Standing center stage with a mic in front of him, and cutting off all conversation with his words, was the boy with a brown ponytail. As he spoke, noise in the auditorium ceased.

"I am the vice president of Little Garden Bugeika High School's student council, Lloyd Steinberg. I am also the person in charge of the freshmen's training; please, bear that in mind," Bowing his head briefly, he continued, "Now, let me introduce you all to the student standing beside me. He, like I, is both a second-year student as well as another vice president of the student council: Eric Candle. Together, we will conduct this ceremony."

"I am Eric Candle. My fellow students, first and foremost, I'd like to congratulate you on your entrance to Little Garden Bugeika High School."

The bespectacled boy gave this introduction before bowing politely and placing a small chest on top of the podium. Undoing its cover, she removed a triangular badge from within and presented it for the freshmen to see.

"From this point forward, you are all entitled to wear this badge. This proclaims your status as a student of Little Garden."

This badge was already attached to the uniforms of the vice president pair and the others standing onstage. Theirs bore the number 'two' on their surfaces, likely indicating their status as second-years.

"Each student will now be called by name. Please step forward and claim your badge. First――"

One by one, as called by Lloyd, the students proceeded to the front and accepted their badges from Eric.

"It seems like they're calling those with the lowest rankings on the aptitude exam first," Laetitia muttered, as the ceremony approached the halfway mark.

"How would you know that?" Haname enquired.

"The rankings have been posted, it seems. On the way over, some people spread the info, so if it's true, I should be next."

He was indeed.

"See? Just like I said, right?" Laetitia boasted proudly, taking off toward the stage.

Since some 20 or so of the 30 total had already been called, his reaction reading must have been relatively high among the freshmen.

"We're pretty much the only ones left now," Fiona remarked.

"I know that Haname was the best, but are we really the only ones after her?" Ellie asked as Lloyd called Fiona's name.

"Looks like you're better than me. I'll go first then."

Parting with these words, Fiona headed to the stage.

As she stepped onto the stage, high-pitched cheers broke out among the girls in the audience.

Tall, with radical blonde hair, and a smart appearance. Even as another female, Haname well understood her popularity with the opposite gender; that was how much she stood out.

"Speaking of which, given such a testosterone-filled name as 'Bugeika', there are surprisingly more men than women…" Haname murmured, glancing around the room.

The number of females, Haname included, amounted to less than a fifth of the total.

"Each year, the percentage of women that enroll grows, but it seems the Hundred just react more strongly to men. We're something of a rare species here, you know?"

"In other words, since this school gathers those that the Hundred react to, there are more men…"

"Do you prefer it this way, Haname?"

"That's, well, it's certainly better than being surrounded by a bunch of lazy, slutty women, that's for sure."

"Hmph, Haname's just another girl after all."

"'Girl', is it… Doesn't that apply to you as well?"

"Well, that might be true, but…" Ellie responded, smiling vaguely.

"Muu…"

Laetitia returned, a look of dissatisfaction evident on his face.

"…Something wrong?"

"That's obvious, isn't it? Laetitia's upset about how popular Fiona is with the boys, right?"

"Oi, you! Don't say unnecessary things!"

"Ehehe, sorry, sorry. Wait―― I'm up next, right?"

Just as predicted, Lloyd called out Ellie's name.

"That's incredible…" Haname mumbled unwittingly as Ellie walked toward the stage, drawing just about the same number of cheers Fiona had.

"What are you talking about? The cheering for you is bound to be far more amazing."

Fiona hadn't been back for but a second before blurting out something outrageous.

"Like that'll happen…" Haname denied immediately.

Moments ago, the host of voices screaming that Fiona was 'so hot' could be easily heard. These same voices could now be heard crying out 'so cute'.

Haname was neither as endowed as Fiona nor as hot as Ellie; for better or worse, she felt her own appearance was rather ordinary. Undoubtedly, that, too, was how others saw her. There was no way someone like her would generate any cheers――

"C'mon, it's your turn. Get going already."

Urged on by a slap on Haname's ass from Fritz, the auditorium broke out in a clamor far more intense than it had for either Fiona or Ellie.

Indeed, the scale was entirely different. Rather than simply echoing through the auditorium, it resounded throughout the building.

I guess I really am getting some attention here…

That said, the gazes focused on her person weren't unilaterally welcoming. Some glared at her with hostility, viewing her as a rival, or with a deep, ugly jealousy. Others peered at her as if she were an exotic animal on exhibit. This was all highly troubling.

"Haname, do your best, okay?"

Passing through the audience on the way to the stage, she crossed paths with Ellie, who wished her well.

Wouldn't 'hang in there' be more appropriate here? he thought.

"…So, you are Kisaragi Haname?" Eric queried upon her arrival onstage.
The eyes behind the glasses stared at Haname as if measuring her.

She felt a little taken aback, given that he hadn't looked at any of the other freshmen in this way, but nothing else happened that could be described as out of the ordinary.

"Welcome to Little Garden. We look forward to the day when you can serve as a Slayer."

Haname received the same badge the other students had before joining Ellie and the others once more. With that, the award ceremony seemed to have drawn to a close. As Eric put the chest away, the program switched over to an introduction of the teaching staff.

"Everyone's quite young, huh…" Haname muttered as the teaching staff approached the stage.

The majority seemed to be in their twenties. There were only a small handful who looked at least thirty.

She'd heard the staff was relatively young for having been pioneers in Savage research and Hundred development, but she had honestly never expected it to be to this extent.

After the staff finished introducing themselves, Lloyd took the stand once more.

"Next, a word of greeting from the captain of the Academy Battleship, Little Garden; the supervisor of the elementary, middle, and high school section of the Bugeika infantry; our student council president; and he, who holds the position of King, Clark-sama."

A nervous energy filled the auditorium.

A handsome boy with all the noble air of a young man with blonde hair stepped out of the wings and onto the stage.

Despite having been called a 'King', he was of an age comparable to Haname and his friends. That said, he had a strong, keen gaze and an aura of majestic dignity which made it clear the title was well deserved.

This feeling was further reinforced by the fact that his uniform was uniquely a bright red. This likely signaled his status as president of the student council. By the same reasoning, the blue of the others' probably indicated their status as vice presidents of the same. With the exception of these three, all other upperclassmen wore the same green uniforms as Haname and the other freshmen.

King Clark Harvey finally reached the podium. Silence immediately filled the room as the audience awaited his words.

"Excuse me―!"

"I'm sorry for being late!"

The sound of a door opening could be heard, followed by two voices echoing throughout the silent room. In a flash, everyone's gaze spun from Claire, on the stage, to the entrance, where the voices had originated.

There stood two boys of Oriental lineage. They wore Bugeika uniforms, the collars of which had a noticeable absence: badges.

"Arriving late on your very first day; you guys sure are brave."

From his spot on the stage, Claire cast the two a withering glare, leaving them trembling in fear.

"Um… we went out earlier this morning to pick up a few things at the shopping center, but it took more time than expected――"

"I didn't ask for your excuses. You were warned in advance of the need to be punctual," Clark said flatly, drowning out the boy's words. Sternly, he continued, "Little Garden has no need for those who can't keep their word. Promptly pack your belongings and leave."

The boys looked about ready to break into tears on the spot. The only person to approach them was the vice president, Eric Candle.

"You've received an order from Clark-sama. Please return your PDAs at once, and leave this place. Make all necessary preparations for your departure from Little Garden on the morrow, including cleaning out your rooms later this evening," Eric ordered coldly.

The freshmen in the room were stunned silent, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

"Hey, just a sec, okay?"

Slicing apart the deafening silence with her words, Ellie continued, "I don't care if you're the captain, King, or student council president; punishing someone so harshly for being late just once—isn't that too much? They're crying already; why don't you show a little compassion?"

"Oi, hold up―!"

"Nguu― What do you think you're doing, Haname―?!"

Haname had frantically covered Ellie's mouth with her hand.

"I'm too much? Those should be my words! What do you think you're doing, butting in so belligerently? By all rights, I should expel you right along with them!"

"I can't stand it when people abuse their authority, particularly when the only reason you're captain or student council president or whatever is because of your family."

"Leveraging family authority for something like that? How could anyone…"

"Clark-sama is a son of the family which runs the Warslan Company, and by extension, Little Garden! That means he wields an amazing degree of authority here, you know―?!" Laetitia suddenly interrupted, attempting to forestall further argument from both Haname and Ellie.

"A member of the family which runs the Warslan Company, huh? That certainly does make him someone important… if this keeps up, Ellie just might really get expelled here…"

Though she'd only just met Ellie, and despite finding her somewhat odd, watching her roommate—one who had wished her the best for the duration of her stay in Little Garden—get expelled was, of course, something that did not sit well with her.

"If it's come to this, I guess it can't be helped…"

She had to do something about the current situation. Haname turned to face the president, and offered up her opinion.

"Putting aside the manner in which the argument was made for a moment; to face expulsion for being late just once—don't you think that's a little extreme? That's probably what Ellie's so upset about…"

"You are Kisaragi Haname, correct?"

Due to her unfamiliarity with polite forms of speech, she faltered and was cut off.

Clark narrowed his eyes, glaring at her in response.

"Err, yeah… That's… right, but…" Haname replied, pressured by the force of his gaze.

It seemed even the president had recognized Haname's existence.

"Kisaragi Haname—no, all students here: engrave the words I'm about to speak in your hearts," Clark declared. He continued on in a sober tone, "While the Little Garden Bugeika might appear similar, it is ultimately altogether different from a normal school. Each and every one of you will gamble your lives in a war against the Savage; this is why you are Slayer apprentices of the Warslan Company. After graduation, you will be sent to the battlefield, where a single mistake can cause the annihilation of your entire unit. What's important here isn't the number of errors, but rather a lack of obedience to the direct orders of a superior officer. Having said that, there's one more point I would address――"

Shifting his gaze to Ellie, Clark went on.

"Ellie Crossford, just now, you said that I am student council president and captain because of who my parents are. That is a mistake. I do not stand here now because my father manages the Warslan Company. No, I am the student council president who oversees all students of Little Garden—primary, middle, high, and Bugeika—and captain because I am the King who holds the top rank among the Bugeika student body. More precisely, I am the one who has attained the throne of King."

"And what ranking is that? If we're going by Hundred reaction readings, then Haname should be on top, no?"

"She has yet to participate in a contest. At present, she holds the top rank among the freshmen and no more."

The one who had responded to Ellie's question was not Clark, but the vice-president, Eric.

"From this moment forward, once every three months a ranking contest will be held. By participating in duels sanctioned by the student council, students may thus contest one another for rank. The reaction readings are but one factor in evaluating the students of this school."

"So if he defeats the president in such a duel, and claims the King's throne, the punishment can be withdrawn, correct?"

"You will hold your tongue, Ellie Crossford! How dare you suggest that a mere freshman could surpass Clark-sama, the king of this school!" roared Eric's counterpart, Lloyd Steinberg.

"This is the first time in history someone has had readings higher than the president's, no? Without actually trying it, there's no way we can say whether Haname could or couldn't."

Eric's face twisted in rage at those words.

"Ellie Crossford, if you insult Clark-sama any more than this, you, too, will――"

"Eric, please stop."

Clark restrained Eric, who had begun to charge toward Ellie.

"But Clark-sama―!"

"It's fine; please give ear to what I am about to say. I have an idea."

Clark cleared his throat and grinned. Extending his left index finger, he pointed at Haname, declaring firmly, "I, Clark Harvey, request a duel with the freshman, Kisaragi Haname!"

"…Eh? Me?"

Haname's eyes gaped wide in shock at this sudden proposal. Lloyd, Eric, Laetitia, Fiona, Ellie; they, and all others watching, were similarly stunned.

"On the off-chance you are indeed victorious, it will be as Ellie Crossford has said; we will withdraw the punishment imposed upon those two."

"Clark-sama, are you serious?"

"Of course I am. The two of you are also curious about the ability of the girl who broke my record, the current holder of the highest reaction reading, right? In any case, this is a chance for us of the student council to demonstrate our strength to these freshmen. We were planning on doing so anyway, so this is killing two birds with one stone, really," Pausing, he added, "Normally duels are reserved for ranking purposes, but this simplifies things a bit."

"Just hold on a sec! Why are you proposing a duel all of a sudden; I've never even used the Hundred in a fight before――"

"Both the first time you touched a Hundred, and the time your reaction reading was measured before you came here—I understand it took the shape of a sword. From what I've read of your history, you were taught swordsmanship from the time you were young. You should have more than enough preparation. I get the feeling you're not the kind who'd back down from a fight, so how about it?"

"That…"

That was certainly true. However, it was also true that she was a complete amateur in all matters regarding the Hundred. She had no way of gauging hers proficiency in Hundred combat without first giving it a try.

"Might I ask a question first?"

"Go ahead. What is it?"

"I understand that if I win, the expulsion of those two students will be withdrawn, but what happens if I lose?" Haname couldn't help but ask.

The question, however, was rather like stirring a hornet's nest.

"That's a good point. How about you sweep the student council room every day until graduation? Or, perhaps, I ought to make you my assistant?"

"Wait a sec, that's――"

"We are the ones compromising here," Clark crushed Ellie's objections with a single line. "If you find these conditions intolerable, then the deal is off."

Should she refuse, the two students would face immediate expulsion.

Left with no other choice, Haname responded in turn.

"I accept."

"Is that really alright, Haname?!"

"If I'd have to face expulsion as well for losing, then I don't know what I'd do, but if it's just something as small as that, then what else can I do? If I don't accept, those two can't be saved."

"If that's the case, then I'll be your substitute." Ellie turned towards the president and offered, "Hey, President. I'll bear the punishment in her place if she loses; it's my fault that things have come to this, after all."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Don't think I've overlooked your rebellious attitude; I'm already planning on punishing you as well. Should Kisaragi Haname miraculously prove victorious, I'll grant you clemency, but I will not allow you to interfere with our wager."

Ellie's frustration was plain to see.

Clark continued on with an air of innocence, "It would be rather harsh of me to hold the competition now, so I'll give you some time to prepare. The date for our duel will be set for tomorrow morning. I have given the order for your personal Hundred to be delivered to you immediately; please, retrieve it from the laboratory. Any further questions?"

Haname and the others didn't speak. There was nothing left to be said.

"Well then, Kisaragi Haname. I look forward to our fight."

With those words, Clark disappeared into the wings of the stage.

"That president is reeeeally hard to get along with…"

Bleeeeh! Ellie stuck his tongue out in annoyance.

"That certainly might be part of it, but that doesn't mean you should start fights like that. It's because you're like that that I have to fight him now."

Haname was also partially at fault; she had, after all, had the feeling she'd be dragged into some strange things for befriending Ellie.

"Silence!"

Eric, standing at the podium, raised his voice in response to the noise filling the auditorium once more.

"The school entrance ceremony has yet to conclude. I will now describe the school facilities as well as the schedule you will abide from today forward."

The following proceedings were quite straightforward. The school facilities were detailed in pamphlets found in their rooms. Since the following day was a Saturday, there were no lessons or training to be had, and so, with the exception of areas that were off-limits, they had free rein of the school. It was hoped that they would use the time to acquaint themselves with their fellow students and townspeople.

However, because Haname needed to prepare himself for the duel, she could not afford the time for such activities.

"Thank you so much for helping us―"

"It's because of us that you're in trouble; we're so sorry―"

After the ceremony had drawn to a close and Eric and Lloyd had departed, the two who had been threatened with expulsion had approached Haname and Ellie. Bowing, they expressed their gratitude.

"Save that for after the duel…"

The duel's outcome had yet to be decided, after all. Gratitude was premature. Just as Haname was about to express her feelings on the matter―

"Everything's going to be alright; Haname will definitely save you!" Ellie declared with confidence.

"Oi, Ellie… Could you cut it out with the unneeded commentary already…?"

Haname's first impression had been that she was just a girl with a cute face, but that cute appearance belied the recklessness with which she aggressively picked fights and fanned the flames with her words. Just what on earth is going on in that head of her? Well, not like I can bring myself to hate her, though… she lamented resignedly to herself with a sigh.

End of Chapter 1


Chapter 2
Laboratory/Hundred/Crash Course

The following events took place shortly after the conclusion of the school entrance ceremony.

Having parted with Fiona and Laetitia, who had expressed a desire to explore the school, Haname and Ellie walked the halls to the laboratory.

"Remind me, why are you coming along?"

"Wouldn't you just get lost if I left you alone?"

"That's certainly a possibility, but still…"

The interior design of the Bugeika school building – which coupled beige walls with cream-colored linoleum floors – was repetitive to the extent it was practically draining.

This, of course, did not exclude the first floor of the basement where the laboratory was housed.

The design made it rather simple for one to be easily lost, but, knowing that Ellie had a copy of the building map on her PDA should the need arise, the two were quite carefree as they made their way to the entrance of the laboratory in question.

"Is it really alright to just waltz on in like this?" Haname wondered aloud, having caught sight of a sign by the door proclaiming access for 'Authorized Personnel Only'.

"The president was the one who told us to get in touch with the lab, so it should be fine. Let me give something a try here…"

Having thus spoken, Ellie raised her PDA to the scanner placed alongside the door. An electronic beep echoed and the word 'OK' appeared on the intercom display.

"Looks fine to me."

Smiling as the door opened on its own, Ellie walked in.

Haname followed.

"Well, it certainly feels like a laboratory…" she said on impulse, referring to the lighting in the dimly lit room.

The lights on the ceiling which would normally light the room were all off. Instead, the room was illuminated with the ambient light of the dense crowd of machines and massive computers which filled its space, draping the scene in a truly eerie glow.

In a particularly brightly-lit corner of the room, seated before a great number of monitors, was a boy in a white labcoat, slouched over in his chair.

"Char, you're really here!"

Ellie raced over, gripping the boy in a tight embrace.

"What do you think you're doing all of a sudden?!" Haname shouted in shock.

The boy in the labcoat, however, didn't so much as bat an eye in response.

"Char?" Ellie called again, peeking at his face. "…H-He's dead?!"

"Say WHAT?!"

"Just kidding~ He's asleep, I think."

"Give me a break…"

"Ehehe," Ellie laughed, trying to smooth things over.

Upon closer inspection, her emo hair and honeybee-patterned hair tie, gently rose and fell with the rhythm of a sleeper's breathing.

"――From the looks of things, I'm guessing you know him?"

"Yep, Char's my patron."

"Patron, huh…?"

She did recall him having mentioned a 'Char' back in the dorms. It seemed the sleeping boy before her eyes was the aforementioned Char.

"Char here's something of a wunderkind. He earned his PhD at the most acclaimed university in the Weimar Kingdom when he was primary-school age. By middle school, he had already become the foremost expert on genome engineering, alchemy, and other such things. That was when I met him; he taught me about the Hundred and I received mine at that time."

As Ellie spoke, she continued to shake Char by the shoulders.

"Come on, Char. Wake up! It's me, Ellie."

Char stirred and – half-awake – offered up an, "Ooh, it's been a while, Ellio――" before cutting off mid-sentence.

"Guni―" hhe went instead, as Ellie pinched his cheeks.

"-ut aw oo zooing…"

With his small cheeks forced apart by a vice-like grip, Char couldn't talk normally.

"Char, you're still half asleep. I'm Ellie, Ellie Crossford!"

"Ooh, that's right. Ellie; you're Ellie, Ellie Crossford. Morning, Ellie. It's been a while; what's up?" Char responded, yawning as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

His height was comparable with – no, perhaps even shorter than Laetitia. The hem of his labcoat dragged along the ground.

Moreover, he had quite the baby face.

Given what she'd heard from Ellie a moment ago, he ought to be roughly the age of Haname and the others, if not slightly older. With him in front of her, however, it was difficult to reconcile this fact with his appearance; she simply could not see him as being anything but years younger than herself.

"As you see, I was able to safely arrive in Little Garden as of today. This is also thanks to you, Char. Thank you…" Ellie said, giving Char a tight hug.

"Oi, oi, greeting me with a hug is fine, but are you okay clinging to me like this? Won't that guy over there misunderstand something?"

"Hahaha, there's no need to worry about that. Char's seen as nothing but a child. Isn't that right, Haname…?"

"Certainly, it wouldn't feel out of place calling him an elementary schooler, but…"

"Oi, you guys, regardless of the circumstances, that's still impolite, alright! I'm of an age where I shouldn't be described as anything but a young lad; of an age where I can even give women children―― Er, actually, that was hardly a self-introduction, right? I am Charlie Dimandias, the main technologist of this lab."

"Uh, I'm…"

"Kisaragi Haname, right? I'm well aware."

Haname was interrupted just as she was about to introduce herself.

"I've already seen the data of all students enrolled in the Bugeika with [LaZER], the academy mainframe," Charlie said, indicating to an object in the center of the room shaped like a pillar, or perhaps a thick tree trunk, with a thump of his hand.

"Is that [LaZER]?"

As if prompted by Haname's question, the color of the monitor changed, radiating a blue glow throughout the room; it now read the word 'Exactly'.

"…What the heck?"

"Did Char do that just now?"

Haname and Ellie called out one after another.

"Nope; that was [LaZER] himself. He's an autonomous system so he can do something like that if he wants, you know?" Char replied.

The characters on the screen began to change.

[Kisaragi Haname. Welcome to Little Garden.]

"Looks like [LaZER]'s giving you quite the welcome."

"I don't quite understand, but it's pretty amazing, isn't it? [LaZER]…" Haname muttered.

"That's only natural; he's also Little Garden's brain, you see. It's thanks to him that, despite working in a tiny room like this, my research and development of the Hundred is made possible."

Haname glanced around the lab once more. The room certainly wasn't all that large; there were no more than three desks, after all.

"This lab produces the Hundred, so I figured there would be a bunch of scientists and technologists involved and that they'd need some rather large heavy-machinery, but I guess that's not the case?"

"While the Hundred use the ore known as Variable Stone for raw material, they are made through a process of computer-controlled genetic manipulation, coupled with a design process that has been evolving since the middle ages. Large equipment is uncalled for. Also, I may not look it, but I'm really smart, you know; I can do the work of about three scientists by myself," Char declared, laughing heartily.

"A moment ago, Ellie described you as a 'wunderkind'?"

"Well, I'm still often called that, but well, it kind of feels a bit derogatory, in my opinion. Putting that aside… How can I help you girls? If it's just for small talk, I'll have to take a rain check; I've been up all night organizing the data of you freshmen and I haven't had much rest. I'm quite exhausted."

"So that's why Char didn't come to the school entrance ceremony."

"You could say that. If you like, why don't you come back later? Give me an hour to rest; no, better make that two."

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we can't wait that long. Could you spare about an hour for us? I think you should have gotten notice from the president…"

"The president? From the King? Let me check."

Char popped the lollipop in his hand back into his mouth and began to run his fingers over the optical keyboard.

The large monitor switched to display email software, which reported a considerable number of newly arrived mail.

"Indeed, it seems I've received a mail from the King. Wait, huh?"

Spinning his seat around, Char turned to face Haname.

"…So why exactly is it that you're to duel Clark Harvey?" Charlie asked, popping his lollipop out of his mouth.

"I'll be explaining that to you," Ellie interrupted, before beginning to summarize what had occurred during the school entrance ceremony.

"Yare, yare. What a shock…"

Charlie heaved a deep sigh as Ellie finished her explanation.

"Uh, what a bold personality. Even that disrespect for those in positions of authority – that part of you hasn't changed either…"

"Ellie's always been like this?"

"For at least as long as I've known her. I can't even count the number of times I've had to apologize to her family because of her….. To begin with, the fact that she was able to leave her country and come here is thanks to me."

"Wait a sec, Charlie! Don't say anything unnecessary―!"

"Hahaha, my bad, my bad. Well then, shall we get to Kisaragi Haname-chan's final Hundred maintenance? If we don't, I can't hand over the Hundred, you know?" said Char as he lifted the receiver for the room phone.

"That was my assistant," he informed them.

A few minutes after he hung up, the lab door abruptly opened. A man, strangely dressed in a maid uniform, rushed in, gasping for air.

"Char-sama, thank you for your patience! …So, are these the guests―?!"

He had (attached?) both cat ears atop his head as well as a tail and boasted a masculine figure, and on the whole was attended by a rather unworldly atmosphere.

…Could this person possibly be the assistant in question?

"We talked about this before didn't we? This is my close friend, Ellie Crossford. And the girl over there is Kisaragi Haname."

"Oh―?! I see!"

The boy leapt to her feet, positioning himself before Haname and the others and bowed his head.

"I am Charlie-sama's assistant, Man Man―― So this is the rumored Kisaragi Haname-san?! Well, now that I think about it, I've already seen you in the school database. But this is my first time seeing you in person. Would you mind if I gave you a quick whiff?"

"A 'whiff'…?"

Without bothering to heed the response of the utterly bewildered Haname, the man who'd introduced herself as Charlie's assistant leaned in near her chest, and began to sniff her.

"I'd heard you'd come from Yamato originally, so I figured you'd smell like soy sauce. I guess that isn't the case, though."

"Um, even if someone's from Yamato, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't smell like soy sauce. Similarly, you wouldn't smell corn on people from Libia either, right?"

"Now that you mention it, that's indeed true. Man Man's learned something new."

Man Man nodded with an 'mhm mhm'.

"You're probably thinking about how strange he is, but I can vouch for the fact that he's definitely sharp. No matter what the rest of him may be like, he's basically a disciple of mine, so you can be sure he's more than on top of things when it comes to the Hundred."

"Yep, I'm on top of things!"

Man Man enthusiastically clenched his fists before him.

"Ha, haha…"

Despite what Charlie had said, he honestly couldn't see him as a competent and able individual, but that said, if it weren't for Charlie's white labcoat, she probably wouldn't be able to envision him as the exceptional technologist he was either. She had heard, after all, that occupations such as scientist and technologist happened to have a disproportionate number of eccentrics within their ranks. She decided to stop thinking about it too deeply.

"…So, Char-sama – what would you like me to do?"

"First things first, I could use some coffee. Don't skimp on the sugar; I want it sweet. Oh, and the donuts at the cafeteria are pretty popular, right? Why don't you grab me some? Get some for Ellie and Haname as well."

"In other words, you'd like to eat, right?"

"Well, it's lunchtime, isn't it? Forget going to war, you can't even get your brain to work with an empty stomach. We'll proceed with maintenance after we've had lunch."

"Roooger that!" Man Man answered animatedly as he skipped out the lab.

After their meal, Haname and Ellie read up on Clark Harvey to pass the time until the maintenance on her Hundred finished.

Char had informed them of their ability to access his data via [LaZER]'s terminal.

The data in question was hardly a secret, being accessible to the entire student body, but that didn't mean it wasn't useful for her upcoming duel.

Clark's Hundred boasted extreme mobility, and true to its nature as a Dragoon-type model, could freely employ heavy weaponry. Its name, carrying the meaning of 'Noble War Princess', was Alisterion. Counting from when Little Garden and the Bugeika had been founded two years prior, he had never once lost, and so he'd come to be known as the 'Perfect King'.

He was someone who had battled twelve Savage as a lone Slayer in the two years since his admission. The total number of sorties against the Savage to date numbered 17, and thus he'd not only participated in nearly every battle, but he'd dealt the killing blow in over half of the battles he'd taken part in. His merits in battle had earned him the nickname 'Rose Guardian'.

"…What chance do I have against someone with nicknames like that?"

"But Haname's amazing Hundred reaction reading is overwhelmingly higher – that surely has to count for something'…"

"You just keep going on and on about that aptitude test reading, don't you?"

It didn't matter how many naturally gifted athletes you assembled, if they'd never played football before, you still wouldn't have much of a game, right? Something like victory existed only in the realm of dreams. Haname was about to voice such complaints when Man Man bounced in from the workshop adjoined to the lab.

"All done―!" he exclaimed, extending a small box to Haname.

"This Hundred is exclusively for Haname-sama's use; please be careful with it, all right?"

Within lay a blood-red, octahedral crystal with a string: A portable, pendant-shaped Hundred.

"So this is my personal Hundred…"

Taking the crystal in hand, Haname lifted it above her head for a better look.

"Its appearance hasn't been customized, but it's been adjusted to be compatible with you. I think you'll be quite pleased with the results," Charlie added.

"Hey, Haname, hurry up and deploy it already!"

"…'Deploy' it you say…and how would I go about doing that?"

"Hold your horses for a moment, okay? If a beginner were to deploy a Hundred here, there's no telling what could happen. Spare me that, would you?"

"By that logic, what would count as an acceptable place to give it a try? The duel's tomorrow; I'd really like to practice――"

"I figured you'd say that, so I went ahead and booked the practice grounds already. Seeing as no one else was using it, it should be open for use."

"That's Char for you! Thanks!"

After receiving a hug of gratitude from Ellie, Charlie picked up a piece of candy atop the table and stashing it in his pocket, walked toward the exit.

"Since it's come to this, it can't be helped – I'll take you to the training grounds so please follow me."


The training grounds were located at the first level of the basement and situated a short distance from the main Bugeika building.

As Charlie opened the door, a large, rectangular space revealed itself before Haname's eyes.

Charlie explained that it was of an equal size to the auditorium the school entrance ceremony had been held in, but because of sheer amount of space that had been allocated to the battle arena in the room's center, it felt extremely spacious.

The field was surrounded by glass partitions; each partition housing a few seats of a kind that could be found in a movie theatre, baseball stadium, or concert hall.

"This is just like back in Gudenburg, huh?" Ellie muttered, glancing around.

"I'd planned on using this training ground. For starters, why don't we head down to the battle arena?" Charlie said as he descended the path to the arena, with Haname and company trailing after him.

"It seems kinda barren, doesn't it?" Haname mused.

Haname's thoughts mirrored the scene before her; the ground was paved with neither concrete nor linoleum as one might expect, but was instead simply dirt.

"Even if this is a training ground, the point is to simulate battle with the Savage. In real combat, you'd fight in an environment like this as opposed to one with clean, paved floors, you know?"

"Though the Colosseum has no roof and its spectator stands are several times larger than the ones here, when it comes to either the size of the arena or the atmosphere, you'll find things identical to the practice ground here. That's why it'll serve well to get yourself accustomed to the feel of things," Charlie chimed in, adding to Man Man's words. "Incidentally, since the activation of Hundred skills not only poses a risk to bystanders, but causes extensive collateral damage as well, Bugeika lessons are also held here."

"Yep, yep. The walls, glass, etc. of this practice ground were designed to take a beating, even from a Hundred or the Savage. Feel free to test their durability for yourself."

"A-Alright…"

Following Man Man's prompting, she gave the wall a hefty blow, but it simply rippled on contact, dispersing the impact.

"What is this…?"

"The surface is layered with a shock-absorbent material; it employs electrical engineering techniques to form a barrier of sorts."

"Little Garden sure is amazing…"

"Fruits of my labors, you know?" Charlie proclaimed, thumping his chest proudly.

"Now then, to start things off, shall we have you change into your combat suit, Haname-sama?"

"Change…? Why would I have to change clothes just to deploy the Hundred?"

"In order to draw out the full abilities of the Hundred, it's necessary to wear your personal Variable Suit."

As he spoke, Man Man turned to face a door opposite him and began walking toward it.

"In tomorrow's duel, you'll also be using this Variable Suit, and so it needs some adjustments, just like your Hundred. We'll explain things one at a time, so please go ahead and get changed, alright?"

After changing and having said adjustments made, Haname left the locker room and returned to the arena where Charlie, Ellie, and Man Man awaited him.

At any rate, this suit's pretty simplistic, isn't it?

Her thoughts were prompted by Ellie's outfit, the design of which differed from Haname's, and clung to her body almost like some kind of bodysuit.

"What are you staring at…?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I'm not really able to see my own suit that well, so…"

Because it was called a combat suit, she'd imagined it would be rather curvy; the true appearance of the Variable Suit was just the opposite, however.

By breaking down the ore that formed the core of the Hundred, the Variable Stone, and incorporating it into the suit's fibers, not only did it gain the ability to deploy the Hundred, but the suit's own shape changed as well.

Hence the adjustments Man Man had made in the locker room.

A multitude of factors – such as one's current condition, psyche, and aptitude with the Hundred – all played a role in determining the form a Variable Suit took, and thus each person's suit was as unique as was their Hundred.

Accordingly, both the color and form of Ellie's and Haname's suits differed.

"…So, seeing as you're also wearing a Variable Suit, I'm assuming you also have your Hundred?"

"I've had it with me this entire time."

"…Meaning even before you got here…?"

Naturally, Haname was astonished. The Hundred were powerful weapons.

In the hands of a skilled user, the single-handed destruction of an entire combat regiment was more than a possibility.

Accordingly, their use was tightly regulated by many countries and licenses to possess one were restricted to troops belonging to either the UN or PMCs.

At the time of his enrollment, she'd had to sign a mountain of paperwork and was subjected to many a psychological examination.

"Indeed, her situation is unusual," Charlie cut in. "But, well… Ellie's Hundred reading is fairly high and it seemed useful for my research, so I made the necessary arrangements, and she was given special dispensation."

In other words, an exception had been made.

"…In that case, wouldn't it be better for Ellie to fight instead? Having taken part in your research, I imagine her skill with the Hundred is considerable."

"The president challenged you directly, so that's not really an option, is it? My fate already hangs in the balance as it is. Anyway, first things first, deploy your Hundred; let's see it already."

"Deploy… It's the same process as when we were first tested, right…?"

Responding to her question, Charlie, and not Ellie, answered.

"First, touch your Hundred. The next part's all the same up until the part where you speak your desire for it to become a weapon; then, shout 'Hundred on'. That's the key phrase to initiate deployment."

"'Hundred on', is it…?"

"For now, just give it a try."

With a nod, Haname gripped his Hundred tightly. A blood-red light burst forth from between the fingers of his hand in response. This was the color of his Energy.

"HUNDRED ON!"

As he shouted with all his might, the Hundred suddenly burst into fragments and reformed itself around his right arm.

The form it took was that of a rugged arm protector in the design of traditional Yamato armor – multiple tiers of layered protection.

Extending downward from his shoulder to the base of his hand, his right arm was completely transformed.

Most eye-catching, however, was an enormous sword with a blade measuring over a meter in length, taking the place of the Hundred he'd taken in his hand. It could well have been described as a zanbatou.

"So how is it? Your personal Hundred – [Hien]."

Haname's gaze took in the weapon Charlie had developed, and she smiled in satisfaction.

"So this guy's called [Hien], huh…?" Haname muttered, looking at the sword in his hand.

"Yeah, Chevalier-types resemble the warriors of your country – Yamato – in both name and form. How does it feel?"

"It's huge and heavy, but other than that…the feel of it in my hand is just right."

Taking a stance with [Hien], she swung once, twice in practice.

"Of course. I was the one responsible for it, after all. In this way, your physical advantages – your agility and dexterity – can be leveraged; you should be more than maneuverable. If you're pleased with it, then that's the most important thing."

Brimming with self-confidence, he nodded his head at his craftsmanship.

Indeed, work of a quality expected from the one called 'wunderkind'.

During the examination when she had first laid hands on the Hundred, though it had more or less taken the form of a katana, it nonetheless had branches protruding from all angles, as if a mysterious object d'art. Now, however, it had properly taken form as a sword.

The improvements could more than likely be attributed to the adjustments that had been made, as Charlie had said.

This was a sword made for battling the Savage; a sword made for Haname.

"Now, it's my turn."

Ellie pulled a pendant out from around her neck. It had a red crystal attached to it.

"Is that your…?"

"This is my Hundred."

Tossing his pendant above her head, Ellie yelled, "HUNDRED ON!"

Unlike Haname's, Ellie's Hundred radiated a blue light before diffusing into particles and reforming, enveloping Ellie's body like a coat and eventually forming over a dozen floating objects.

"So that's your weapon…?"

Rather than a weapon, it looked more like a defensive armament of some sort.

A closer inspection revealed that it lacked a sturdy form, like that of Haname's [Hien].

Instead, the particles had formed into a handful of clusters.

"Its name is [Arms Shroud]. The manipulation of these particles is the form my Hundred takes – it's based on the 'Innocence' type."

"'Innocence' type…?"

After his transfer had been confirmed, she'd skimmed a book on the Hundred as preparation. Within its pages had been laid out the various kinds of Hundred.

These included Haname's Chevalier, the president's Dragoon, Long Shooter, which formed the core of their long distance artillery; Martial Arts, which specialized in hand-to-hand combat, and so on and so forth. In all, there were more than a hundred types.

But not once was there mention made of an 'Innocence' type. That alone demonstrated its unconventionality.

"Can I ask – how exactly do you plan to fight with that?"

Defense was one thing, but she really couldn't see how you'd attack with it.

"I simply have [Arms Shroud] change into a weapon," Ellie replied.

The solid mass of particles covering her body flashed a brilliant blue-white. Suddenly, in her hand was a short gun barrel, which quickly took the form of a rifle-like gun pod.

"It's said that the president's Dragoon-type employs weaponry of this design, so that makes me the perfect sparring partner."

That certainly seemed to be the case.

"Even if you say that… How can you suddenly change your Hundred's form like that…?"

The gun pod hovered above Ellie's right shoulder, floating in mid-air.

"Haha, well, my Hundred's a little 'special', but there are other Slayers who can change the form of their weapons in battle, so it's good that you're experiencing this early on. Putting that aside for the moment, let's get started with practice; there's no time to waste."

"That much is true."

It was indisputable that they were short on time.

She had, after all, been informed by Man Man while changing that they had only been able to reserve the training grounds for three hours.

"To begin, what do you know about Sense Energy, Haname?"

"If I recall correctly, it's released from a human's body, and is made up of minute particles… or something like that?"

It wasn't something she'd ever seen with her own eyes, but the Hundred both reacted to, and changed in accordance with it… What she'd just recited was her recollection of something she'd once read in a book.

"Just so. More generally, this energy is also referred to as 'ki' or 'magical power', but here in Little Garden, it's 'Sense Energy', or just 'Energy' for short."

"Incidentally, once your Energy reading hits zero, it becomes impossible for the Hundred to maintain its form, so do be careful," Charlie added. "When that occurs during a duel, you lose."

In other words, Sense Energy could well be construed as life itself to a Slayer.

"Our goal today is for you to learn to use this Energy; to imbue your weapon with Energy, to defend against an opponent's attack by forming a barrier, and then to employ Energy for both Accelerate and Jump. Moreover, we'd like to assess your ability with a sword as well as physical abilities – the bare minimums necessary to fight."

Ellie had hit upon a number of points in a row without pausing. There was a considerable number of things Haname needed to be mindful of, and yet that apparently constituted just the bare minimum.

I seem to be in a bit of a tight spot here…

She thought to herself that if the duel had been a week from now and not a day, then she might have had a chance. At this point, however, it was too late to worry about such things; she had no choice but to learn what she could in the next few hours.

"Haaaw~ I don't think I can stay up much longer. It's about time I got some rest. It was originally my intent to see you to this point, and if you were able to deploy your Hundred without any issues, then I'd like to go back home and sleep."

"In that case, I, too, shall take my leave. I wouldn't want to intrude upon you two."

"Intrude…"

Seeing Ellie's face blushing a deep red, Haname unintentionally cocked an eyebrow.

"What's up with that reaction…?"

"Hahaha, anyway, if you need anything, don't hesitate to give Man Man a call. If you dial extension 18 on the training grounds' phone, you'll be connected with him, alright?"

Charlie yawned airily as he exited the training grounds along with Man Man.

"Now then, first things first. Why don't we test your proficiency with Energy?"

"Test, huh? And how on Earth do you plan to do that?"

"Oh, kind of like this…"

"――Uwa―?!"

A beam suddenly fired from the gun pod floating above Ellie's right shoulder.

Drawing [Hien] in front of her body in guard, Haname blocked the assault of blue-white light that drew near.

*GAKIN*!

[Hien] made a shrill sound, and she felt a jarring impact run up her arm.

"What do you think you're doing all of a sudden?!"

She'd been somewhat able to defend against it, but had she been even a moment slower with [Hien], she'd likely have been hit directly by the beam.

"Hahaha, well, I'll be; I never would have guessed [Hien] could just stop the beam like that…"

"That's not something to laugh about! And you didn't answer my question…"

"I figured I'd test whether or not you could use an E-Barrier."

"E-Barrier… Uh, that's that Energy-Barrier thing, right?"

It'd been mentioned in the book she'd read.

"Right. Energy is released from the body which then expands into a Barrier which mitigates the opponent's attack – it's one of the most fundamental techniques in a Slayer's repertoire. The process for creating one is simple: just picture yourself deflecting an incoming bullet. In other words, it's just like deploying the Hundred… And with that, here I come again!"

"Oi, wait a sec!"

"Not a chance! Practice makes perfect, you know!"

Her tone suggesting she was enjoying herself tremendously, Ellie caused one of the [Arm Shroud] clusters to form another gun pod, and again fired a beam.

"Even if she said to just picture deflecting a bullet…"

Naturally, she didn't have the time to consider the matter too deeply – the beam was already before her. She simply stuck out her hand in response.

The sole thought which occupied her mind was that of wanting the beam to stop.

"Ah, I did it…"

The beam failed to contact Haname's body. Just before reaching her, it exploded and disappeared.

"That's great, isn't it, Haname? Let's try a few more."

Ellie proceeded to fire five beams one after another in rapid succession. Haname was able to stop all of them.

"Amazing, Haname. Perfection in an instant! With this, you've learned the basics. Throwing up an E-Barrier, bestowing Energy on the Hundred, and using Energy for Accelerate and Jump – they're all essentially the same, you know?"

"In other words, I've reached the barest minimum of what a master of martial arts can do…?"

With that thought, a tiny bit of self-confidence gushed up within her.

"From here on out, the rest depends on your endurance. We're going to engage in real combat training, alright? It's easier to coach during an actual match."

Ellie caused more of [Arm Shroud]'s fragments, floating around his body, to change form, creating yet more gun pods.

"Alright then, let's begin! Stop these with your E-Barrier, like you were doing earlier!"

Ellie manipulated the gun pods, firing one beam after another.

"…That's―!"

Haname expanded an E-Barrier, protecting herself from a pair of beams.

A light impact ran through her body, but only to the extent of having caught a thrown ball; there wasn't really any damage to speak of.

"You've already mastered the E-Barrier, looks like? But you can't win if you just stay on the defensive, you know!"

In other words, Ellie was telling her she needed to go on the offensive.

She decided to accelerate toward Ellie, and deal her an Energy-imbued blow.

Since it's come to this, there's nothing to do but try!

First, Accelerate――

Focusing her thoughts on closing the distance, she expelled Energy from her feet right as she kicked off from the ground, adding an explosive thrust to her leap. Closing the gap between Ellie and herself in an instant, she imbued [Hien] with his Energy, and slashed downward.

Filling her hands with power, she charged them with Energy. The various ornamentations which decorated [Hien]'s blade shone a brilliant crimson – the color of her Energy.

Filling [Hien] with her Energy was a success.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA―!"

Her timing was similarly perfect!

It was a magnificent attack. That, however, wasn't nearly enough to land a blow on Ellie.

"Whoopsie…"

Ellie casually manipulated the particles of [Arms Shroud] floating around her body, formed two shields and, crossing them, blocked [Hien]'s downward swing.

"…Amazing. Not just a perfect Accelerate on your first try, but to even succeed at imbuing your Hundred with Energy – it's beyond expectation. If that'd been a direct hit, I'd probably have gone down."

Laughing delightedly as she spoke, Ellie absentmindedly operated her two shields, sending Haname's [Hien] flying.

"Uwa―?!"

Haname, her balance having been thrown awry by Ellie's counter, was thrown on her back. Ellie stopped attacking.

"If you can do this much with what little I've taught you, then you just might manage against the president."

Ellie turned to Haname, who was dusting herself off, and held out her hand. Haname grasped it, and was lifted to her feet.

"Your words… do you mean to say that you don't think I can win…?"

"Hahaha, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm talking about devising a plan of attack; we'll need a strategy."

"…Strategy?"

"Yep. To win against the president, you'll need stra-te-gy."


The intense training continued on without a moment's rest, not letting up until the very moment their reservation time ended, the majority of their time was dedicated to practicing in accordance with the strategy Ellie had developed.

Though it was tough going in the beginning, she found she was still able to enjoy himself. From the halfway point on, however, the training had ceased to be anything other than grueling. She was utterly exhausted.

"…Yeesh, I'm completely worn-out…"

The sun had long since set, and Haname, having already changed and left the practice grounds, was walking the path back to the dorms with Ellie at her side.

Crossing the distance between the school and the dorms was normally a five-minute walk, but in his fatigued state, it felt infinitely longer.

"If that's the case, why not try out the public bath?" Ellie suggested, as they finally arrived at the dorm building.

"…The public bath?"

"It's in the dorm's basement, and the bathtub there is made from natural minerals. It supposedly has a beneficial effect on both stamina and Energy regeneration; it says here that it's intended for student use."

The referenced page was an info page for students, found in the PDA's browser. Haname hadn't yet given it a look.

"Sure, let's give it a try."

"N-No, I'm think I'm good. You can go alone, can't you…?"

"What's with that weak response? First, you tell me about it, and then now you say you're not planning on going? You exerted yourself every bit as much as I did; there's no way you're not tired."

"But… Wouldn't it be embarrassing to go in together with Haname; isn't it still too soon for that…?"

"There you go saying that kinda stuff again…"

When they had been changing into their Variable Suits, Ellie had commented that it was too embarrassing to do so at the same time, and had refused to change together.

"Well, yeah. Taking a bath together's definitely a step above just changing together. Being together the whole time, completely naked… And it's undoubtedly a large public bath, so you'd completely submerge yourself in it, right…"

"Come to think of it, Britannia doesn't have that custom, does it…"

"In Yamato, it should be pretty common, right? It was written that this bath is based on the hot springs of Yamato."

"Yeah, I guess that's true, isn't it? I've gone to the hot springs a few times, and it's a rather pleasant experience; I'm sure you'd like it."

"But…"

"You really hate the thought of going with me that much, huh?"

"Eeehm, that's, well…. It's not that I hate it, but isn't it too soon…?"

"In other words, you have no plans of going with me today."

"Yeah, it'll happen sooner or later. For today, though, I'm just gonna head back to the room. I'm fine with just a shower."

On this matter, it seemed Ellie wouldn't budge.

Even though he went through such pains to tell me about the public bath; it's really such a waste…

Ellie was really a strange person.

"In that case, I'll go by myself."

Haname gave up on trying to get Ellie to join her. She briefly returned to their dorm room to change before taking off for the bath.


"Ah― That was nice…"

Exiting the bath alone, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Haname returned to her room and pulled her PDA from his pocket.

As Ellie had described, the spacious, public bath had been done in the style of those found in Yamato. Just as advertised, it had the miraculous effect of dissipating her fatigue, and her body felt amazingly light. That being the case, it looked like she'd take part in tomorrow's duel in tip-top shape.

"Alright then…"

Given Ellie and Fiona's demonstrations for him earlier at the school gate and the entrance to the lab, she knew what the key for her room was.

Holding her PDA to the scanner, it gave a small 'beep'. The attached screen displayed the word 'OK' and the door slid open.

"…Hana… me…?"

A male voice could be heard alongside the sound of the opening door, and the atmosphere within the room turned to ice.

Even if her body, from the waist on down, had been frantically covered with a bath towel, Ellie was nearly nude. Owing perhaps to the fact that her hair had been tied up in a pony-tail, her presence now felt quite distinctly masculine. Moreover, his chest was shockingly ridged, more so than even Haname's brother who almost never ventured outside because of his illness. Ridged as the chunks of frozen snow. That was Westerners for you… as if! Actually, on that point, this was hardly the time for admiration. The other party was a Britannian lady who had even hesitated to visit the bath together; that was how easily embarrassed someone like Ellie was.

"S-SHIIIIT――――――――――!"

Ellie screamed in this masculine voice and ducked down. Gripping the bath towel tightly in her right hand, she took the still-packed Boston bag at her feet in her left. Given the scene playing out before him, the only possible action she foresaw in her near future involved said object flying toward her.

"Hey, wait a sec! That's my――"

The contents had yet to be unpacked; that, Haname herself knew best.

However, even as she raised her voice, she realized it was already too late.

Ellie threw the bag.

"Guha―?!"

*CRASH*, a massive force impacted the crown of her head as darkness filled his vision.

Haname collapsed unknowingly upon the carpet.

*DONK*!

Once more, an impact resounded through her brain.

The back of her head had struck the carpeted floor.

"That was close; I was almost found out―― Wait, Hayato, are you alright? Hayato!"

The voice frantically calling his name gradually turned feminine again before fading into――

A short while after, Haname's vision returned, and the scene of a familiar ceiling came into focus.

That's… the dorm ceiling?

It took a moment before her thoughts coalesced.

I wonder why…

Somehow, she felt strangely comfortable…

"Ah, I'm so relieved. You've finally come to."

"Eh?"

Alongside the interrupting voice, Ellie's face cut into the field of her vision.

With that, Haname finally understood.

It can't be, that…

It wasn't just soft.

That, both slightly supple and warm, was not a pillow – it was Ellie's lap…

"Uwaa?!"

There's no way; why would I fall asleep with my head on a woman's lap――

It was soft and comfortable, though… Wait, what the heck am I thinking?!

Cutting off that train of thought in a hurry, she leapt to her feet.

"Ouch!"

Pain ran through her forehead just as a scream leaked out from Ellie.

As she tried to rise, her head had collided with Ellie's, which had been lowered to peer at Haname.

"Ouchouchouch, what are you doing so suddenly…"

"That's my line, what on Earth do you think you're doing?"

"What's that; it's clearly Haname's fault, suddenly coming in like that…"

Gazing at the blushing Ellie, she realized she'd woken up after collapsing shortly after she returned to the room.

"After I collapsed, did you carry me to the bed…?"

"…Yeah…"

Ellie's downcast gaze lowered apologetically, and she bowed her head.

She'd been looking after Haname ever since.

"I'm really sorry. I suddenly lost my head 'cause of that…"

"That's why I told you not to throw it! It was my bag too…"

"Y-you were the one staring at my naked body, so it's your fault really!"

"No one was staring at anything. Besides, that was just an accident of unfortunate timing, right?!"

"Uuh~ Haname, you should just go hit your thumb on a table leg…"

Pouting, Ellie glared at her.

Shortly thereafter――

"Um, well…"

"What?"

"Do you remember how I looked naked?"

"…Eh?"

"How I look naked. Do. You. Remember. ―Is what I'm asking!"

"Uhm…"

She desperately tried to recall, but it seemed the memory had fled, probably from the shock of having hit her head twice in rapid succession.

"Thank God…" Emil sighed in relief when she explained.

"Anyway, Haname. You need to be more careful from now on, alright?"

"Even if you say that, we're both girls here, so there's no need for you to get so upset over something so trivial, is there? In the first place, you being that embarrassed about these things is weird."

"Geez, Haname just doesn't get it!"

"What's there to get…?"

A tense atmosphere filled the room.

A short electronic sound suddenly echoed from Haname's PDA, breaking the tension gripping the room.

"What now?"

Picking the PDA up, its screen revealed the arrival of a new message.

"An email? From whom?"

"Let's see."

Haname fiddled clumsily with her PDA.

…I knew it, I'm not very good at this.

"Your boyfriend…?"

"Oh, please. That's impossible."

"Impossible? Why?"

"My brother's been very sick for a long time now. Ever since our parents passed away during the 'Second Attack' in Britannia, I've had to care for him on my own. I've tried my best; I haven't had time to pay attention to anything else."

"So Haname was in Britannia during the 'Second Attack'…"

"My father's work put him in Gudenberg. That was really some horrible timing, wasn't it…"

"Sorry, I asked something I shouldn't have. But now that you're here in Little Garden, will your brother be okay?"

"He's here as well. When I was being scouted by the Warslan Company, they offered my brother world-class medical treatment – free of charge – if I entered the Bugeika. Now, let's take a look at that mail―― Er, it's from Kaoru."

"Is that your brother?"

"Yeah."

Haname nodded. As she read her brother's message, the blood drained from her face.

"…What's wrong?" Ellie asked, tilting her head.

"I promised him I'd visit after the entrance ceremony concluded, but, with all that happened, I totally blanked. He's pretty mad."

Figuring it'd be faster to show than to explain, she turned her PDA so that Ellie could see.

Ellie leaned in for a better look.

Uh― Ah…

A bittersweet fragrance drifted over, causing Haname's heart to skip a beat. When she'd been pushed down earlier, she felt similarly.

In her confounded state, Haname didn't react as Ellie reached for the PDA and went on reading the contents of Kaoru's message.

Nee-san,

Why didn't you come after your school entrance ceremony? (-_- メ )

I thought we could have dinner together, and I'd been waiting all this time…

But now visiting hours are over…

Your email address is registered in the school's database, so I had Minato get it for me so I could send this email.

I don't know your phone number; hurry up and let me know already.

If you don't respond right away, I'll put a curse on you!

Kaoru

"Hahaha, seems like you're in something of a bind, huh? You guys seem pretty close though?"

"Everyone thinks that. Kaoru can get way scary when he's mad, though; it's a little troublesome."

"Oh, right; the email just now reminded me – we haven't eaten yet."

"I'm too tired to feel hungry, so it completely slipped my mind… In any case, if I tried to eat after that brutal training, I'd just throw it back up anyway. I'm not really in the mood for food either, so I'm probably just gonna skip dinner tonight."

"If that's how it is, then why don't we call it a night? Tomorrow's the big day, after all."

"Let me just answer this email first. This wouldn't be the most opportune time to get cursed."

With help from Ellie, Haname crafted a response email which included an explanation of the situation, an apology toward her bother, and – of course – her phone number.

"Alright then. Let's head to bed."

Ellie returned to her own bed, and the slightly salty, flower-like aroma faded, leaving Haname feeling somewhat lonely.

Even for someone with rather masculine features, she inspires some pretty strange feelings in another guy…

Considering the matter, she was rather terrified of the implications of such thoughts.

I can't let that awake in me. This was simply because that girl came from Britannia; yeah, that was why she resembled the boy from her dreams. She assured herself that that was all that was going on here, stilling her troubled heart.

"'K, it's lights out."

Emil, having confirmed that Haname was in her futon, turned off the lights with her PDA.

"Hey, Haname. Are you still awake?"

Ten minutes had passed since they slipped into their futons and exchanged 'Good night'.

"I'm awake; what's up?"

She was still unaccustomed to sleeping next to a roommate she just met. Moreover, with the thought of tomorrow's duel on her mind, she hadn't been able to fall asleep.

"I asked you about some relationship stuff earlier, right?"

"Wait, don't tell me you still want to talk about that…?"

"We're sleeping side-by-side like this, and you still think this kind of talk is too private – we should try to get to know each other better."

"Now listen here, you…"

Unconsciously, Haname smiled wryly.

For a second, she almost wanted to ask if Emil thought this was a school field trip.

"And, when you say 'each other', I imagine you really mean you're the only one that's going to be asking questions here."

"Hehehe, you got me… But still, would you at least answer one question for me?"

"Hurry up and ask then."

"I've already asked if you're in a relationship, but is there someone you like? Maybe even someone you really like…"

"Nope."

"How about someone you once liked?"

"…"

This time, she was at a loss for words.

She thought of the boy.

"What about someone who's on my mind…?" Haname answered, after a moment's silence.

"Well, tell me about that person. What're they like?"

"Eeehm, well, let's see…"

As expected, Ellie was really getting into it.

Frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to answer.

"You won't laugh?" She asked, as if embarrassed.

"I won't laugh," Ellie declared firmly.

Reassured, Haname began to open up, if only a little.

"Well, it's something I've been dreaming about."

Admitting that was embarrassing enough already. Nevertheless, she mustered her courage and continued on.

"It's in your country – Gudenburg – that the boy in my dream appears: the boy who's on my mind."

As she talked, she tried to remember his dream, and as before, got the feeling that he somehow resembled Ellie.

"The boy and I were attacked by the Savage, and the boy was injured―― and then the dream suddenly ends. I can't remember anything beyond that."

"Are you sure that's just a dream?"

"…Hmm?"

"Haname, you were in Gudenburg at the time of the 'Second Attack', right? It seems like that could have been something that really happened…"

"I can't honestly say. I sustained a concussion when the Savage attacked us, and my memories of Gudenburg have all since drifted away…"

"If, by some chance, what you see when you sleep is not a dream, but a memory, then I definitely think that boy is alive."

"How can you just declare something like that all of a sudden?"

"Let's put it this way: if he's alive, then wouldn't he want to meet you? That's why he appears in your dream, you see."

"That sounds somewhat occult," Haname laughed.

"But, if that truly were the case, you'd be happy, right?"

"This wouldn't be the first time I've thought that. That's also one of the reasons I've made my way here."

"So what do you plan to do about it?"

"I don't really know; I'm hoping that maybe via some event, or the Savage, or just over time, the memories will return."

There was one other thing she left unsaid.

If, by some chance, that dream really was a memory, then when the moment came that she was reunited with him once more, she wanted to be sure she wielded the power necessary to protect her. This time, she'd ensure they'd never be separated again――

"If that's how things turn out – if you could remember something about him – that'd be great."

"You're really a good person, you know that?"

"Hehehe, don't tell me you just noticed?"

"So, is there someone that you like?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

"Even though I answered you, you're keeping things to yourself? That's pretty unfair of you."

"Alright then, I'll tell you this much. I'm the same as you, Haname."

"What's that supposed to…"

"At the time of the 'Second Attack', I, too, was separated from someone."

"And what kind of person were they?"

"That's a secret."

"Hey, I answered you properly. Now it's your turn."

"I'll tell you soon enough."

"You really do mean to tell me?"

"Well, probably, anyway," Ellie said with a mischievous laugh.

She likely wasn't telling the truth.

But, it wasn't the kind of thing Haname intended to pry about.

A whirlwind of events had happened today, and the only sleep she'd gotten the day before had been during her trip here.

Just a moment before, she didn't see how she could possibly fall asleep.

But now, her body demanded rest.

As they'd conversed, her eyelids had gradually grown heavy.

"Right then, I'm just about ready to nod off here."

"Hey, give it your best tomorrow, alright?"

"You got it…"

With a nod, Haname closed her eyes and immediately slipped into unconsciousness.

End of Chapter 2


Chapter 3
Duel/Clark/Confession

With a combination of white noise, light, and warmth calling out to him, Kisaragi Haname awoke.

"Nnh, uuuuuuuuaaaah…"

Rising from her futon, she stretched sleepily.

Turning her gaze, she saw the back of her neighbor, sitting on the edge of her bed. She had already swapped her pajama tops for the shirt of their uniform…
She turned her gaze towards her neighbor. The back of Ellie, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, could be seen. She had already changed from her pajamas into the uniform's shirt. As far as she could tell, Ellie had gotten up some time ago.

Did I oversleep?

Glancing at the clock, it appeared that the appointed time for breakfast in the dorm had already begun; she overslept a bit. Haname turned her gaze toward Ellie once more.

What on Earth's going on over there?

Facing toward the window, Ellie's back was to Hayato. She didn't seem to have noticed that Haname had awoken. Instead, she was focused intently on her hands.

"Morning, Ellie."

"UWAA, HANAME― WHY ARE YOU CALLING OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN―?!"

Seeing that Haname had called her name, Ellie turned her head as if startled.

"M-My bad… Or rather, why'd that shock you so badly―?!"

"I was really concentrating…"

Ellie, who was raising her eyebrows, had a uniform near her knees; a needle spooled with a piece of thread in hand. She had been in the middle of sewing their school badge onto her uniform.

"On sewing something onto your uniform with that needle and thread…?"

"Though fastening it with a pin works as well, this way it won't come off as easily. If you lose it, the instructions say that you'll have to write an apology and pay for a new one, so it's recommended that you sew it on. I'm already finished with yours," Ellie said, handing Haname her jacket.

"Oh, you did mines for me? Thanks."

Haname glanced at the jacket Ellie handed her. Indeed, the school badge was now firmly attached to the collar.

"I'm in the middle of putting my own on, so Haname, go ahead and get rea… O-OW!―"

"What happened? Are you alright?!"

With a shriek, Ellie grabbed one of her fingers; her small body curling in pain.

"Ahaha, 'cause I looked away for a sec… my finger – looks like I messed up…"

"Let me see it."

Haname drew close to Ellie, took hold of her arm, and checked her injury, from which a pea-shaped drop of blood had formed.

"Looks like you pierced yourself fairly deep, huh? Hold still. I'll treat it now."

"Treat it? Wait, Haname―?!" Ellie protested in vain as Haname put the injured finger in her mouth.

Ellie's body trembled in surprise as her mouth flopped open and closed in shock.

"Hey, Haname… What are you doing all of a sudden… Nnh, aah…"

Each time Haname sucked and moved her tongue and cheeks, small moans leaked from Ellie's mouth.

"This is necessary; we have to disinfect it after all, don't we? Incidentally, stop making that strange sound. It's making me feel weird…"

"F-Feel weird――?"

"D-Don't make me say something like that, alright―"

"Sorry…"

"That should do it."

By the time Haname, whose face had slightly reddened, parted her mouth from the fingertip of Ellie, whose face was flushed, there was no longer any sign of blood.

"We should ask Fiona if there's a first-aid kit somewhere."

"Wait a sec! If it's about a first-aid kit, there's supposed to be one here. If I remember correctly, it should be in the one that's the third from the bottom. I noticed it earlier when I was looking for the sewing kit."

Ellie's gaze indicated a set of drawers standing alongside the wall.

"Ah, there it is."

Haname opened the aforementioned drawer, which indeed contained a first-aid kit. Within were medical supplies such as bandages and disinfectants – just what they needed.

"Right, let me see that finger again."

Haname snared a piece of cotton swab with a pair of tweezers, and soaking it with disinfectant, proceeded to disinfect Ellie's finger.

"…It's not that big a deal. Isn't that a bit much, Haname?"

"Remember the story I shared yesterday? Ever since that day, when I see a wound, I tend to get a bit upset."

"Ah, so it's like that… that's why you're so used to treating someone, right?"

"I also treated injured children back at the institution where I lived before. Moreover, even if something like this isn't normally anything to worry about, it's still best to be sure, right? You wouldn't want it to get infected―― And… done."

"Thank you…"

Ellie, whose finger was now covered with a bandage, spoke words of gratitude.

"I'll sew your badge on for you later. It'll be tough with your hand like that."

"You can't! Today, Haname… your duel is today. You can't afford to get hurt now of all times, so…"

"It'll be fine, I promise. I'm good with that kind of thing," Haname said.

Taking the needle and thread in hand, she picked up the uniform that had been placed atop Emil's bed and began sewing the badge onto its collar.

Indeed, she seemed to be quite experienced.

"Wow, so it really is something you're good at, huh, Haname?"

"I picked that up at the institution as well. It was 'cause we had no money, you see. Patching up old clothes? That was just a part of life―― Alright, here. It's done."

"Th-Thank you, for seriously worrying about me."

"What's with that?"

Ellie started to put on the jacket Haname had handed her.

"Alright, should I get changed too? It's about time to go get something to eat right?"

"WAA― HANAME―! WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY STRIPPING―?!"

Haname had put her hands on her undershirt causing Ellie to jump and scream in shock. She looked to be trembling quite a bit and her face was dyed a bright red.

"Why am I stripping? How am I supposed to get changed if I don't?"

"EVEN SO, DON'T DO IT WITHOUT WARNING IN FRONT OF ME!"

"I'm different from you – I don't mind you seeing me naked."

"I do! I'll wait outside!" Ellie called out as she dashed out of the room in a hurry.

Seriously, even for a so-called Britannian lady, that's still a bit over the top, isn't it…?

Musing to herself about the strangeness of the situation, she sighed before once again putting her hands to her undershirt and taking it off.

"I wouldn't have minded if you had just gone on ahead, you know…?"

Having finished changing, Haname exited the room only to find Ellie waiting for her in the corridor.

"Is that really something you should say to someone who was waiting for you? You're so cruel, Haname…" Ellie pouted.

"My bad, my bad. Right then, shall we?" Haname replied as she began walking.

They were suddenly interrupted by the chirping of a PDA.

"A mail notification? Seems it wasn't mine."

Haname proceeded to look at her own PDA. It notified her of an email from the student council president, which read as follows:

[The duel will be held two hours from now.]

[Please come to the front of the Bugeika school building an hour before.]

These two points were clearly outlined in a tone suggesting such a thing was an everyday occurrence.

I'm really going to fight that student council president today…

Haname heaved a heavy sigh.

She felt burdened by the weight of that knowledge, but needed to steel her resolve nonetheless.

There wasn't much time left – what had to be done, had to be done.

So from now on, I'll need to give things my best effort.

Convincing herself that things would be alright, Haname walked toward the lobby with Ellie at her side.

Following breakfast, Haname and Ellie, who had changed into their uniforms, made their way to the designated spot at the time indicated in the email.

There, one of the student council vice presidents was waiting with his arms crossed – Lloyd Steinberg. As soon as he saw Haname and Ellie, his sharp eyes narrowed even further.

"I'll now guide the two of you to the Colosseum."

"When you say 'the two of you', I assume that means it's okay if I go as well, correct?"

"That would be perfectly fine, although it goes without saying that this extends only as far as to the waiting room," Lloyd replied as he began walking.

They were led to the waiting room inside the Colosseum, located a short distance from the Bugeika school building.

It was about ten-tatami mats wide and was empty but for benches along the wall and a few scattered chairs.

"The locker room's next door; please use it as you see fit. You will find your Variable Suit prepared for you there, so please change, and make any necessary adjustments before the match starts. You know how to do so?"

"Yep, I do."

"If that's the case, then you should be fine on your own, right? Before the match begins, Eric will call on you. As long as you're ready by then, I don't mind whatever else you choose to do. Now then, if you'll excuse me," Lloyd remarked, before exiting the room.

"What do you wanna do, Haname? Get changed right away?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

*dingdong*…

"What's that?"

As they were mulling over what to do next, the intercom that had been installed inside the changing room suddenly sounded.

"Who would that be?"

Tilting her head in puzzlement, Ellie operated the monitor of the intercom which had been installed horizontally by the door. The figures of the two freshmen who had been sentenced to leave by the student council president during the school entrance ceremony appeared.

"It's okay to let 'em in, right?"

"Yeah."

Ellie opened the door in response to Haname's nod of affirmation. The two schoolboys simultaneously called out, 'Pardon the intrusion', and entered the room.

Heading straight over to Haname, they spoke at the same time.

"It's alright if you don't worry about us, so please don't force yourself!"

"Although we're the ones at fault, Kisaragi-san's the one that's having a hard time. We feel bad and… we think it's not too late for you to just forget about the duel!"

It seemed they had learned of the president's strength, and came to request she call off the duel. They also seemed to have the resolution to leave Little Garden in consequence.

"Please calm down, you two. I don't think that I can suspend the duel now anyway – the president wouldn't forgive something like that," Haname said in an attempt to calm the two down.

In any case, according to the notification she received from the president, it'd soon be time for the duel. Moreover, rather than the boys, Ellie had been the direct cause of it.

Adding fuel to the fire, Ellie proceeded to comment, "Please calm down, you two. If it's Haname, she'll manage somehow."

"I already told you to stop talking like that, alright?!"

Haname retorted in the same manner she had after the school entrance ceremony, filling the waiting room with cheerful laughter.

That seemed to have helped. The gloominess disappeared from the boy's expressions and Haname's nervousness was also lightened. Although Ellie did have trouble reading the situation at times, that was countered by occasions like this, where she was the only one able to lighten the mood. Haname hadn't decided as to whether the positives outweighed the negatives.

The net result has been rather troublesome, after all…

"Haa," she sighed.

"Well then, we wouldn't want to interrupt you any further, so please excuse us."

"Kisaragi-san, stay safe and give it your best. We'll be cheering for you from the stands!"

Thirty minutes had passed since the boys had left the room. Ten minutes remained until the scheduled time for the match: 11 o'clock.

Haname had long since finished changing into her Variable Suit and was now stretching with Ellie. Suddenly, on a wall opposite them, the door to the corridor opened. The other vice president, Eric Candle, appeared.

"It's time. Are you finished with your preparations?"

"In just a moment," Haname replied as he rose.

Excited roars could be heard in the distance.

"What's that…?"

"Sounds like Clark-sama's entry."

"…Just that warrants that level of noise?"

"It's not just the students of the Bugeika; the students of the other schools and the people of Little Garden in general idolize Clark-sama as well. He's tremendously popular," Eric replied, as if repeating something that was only common sense.

"So that president isn't just your ordinary creep, eh?"

"There you go again, saying such――"

Eric gave Ellie a stern glare.

"Anyone else who'd seen what'd happened at the entrance ceremony would think the same way, you know?"

"The sternness of that rebuke was for the sake of preventing the loss of so much as a single person on the battlefields to come. That was the manifestation of Clark-sama's kindness, understand?"

"You really like the president, don't you, vice?" Ellie teased, in response to Eric's earnest reply.

Eric's face flushed a deep red in response.

"Th-That's a given. That person is someone that I know I can rely on…"

He cleared his throat with a cough and tiptoed to the door he had come in through.

"Well then, Kisaragi Haname – it's your turn to enter. Let's go."

"You're coming as well?"

"That is because I am to serve as the judge in today's match…"

"You wouldn't side with the president out of love, would you?" Ellie mocked him once more.

"T-That doesn't even need to be said. I'd never do something like that to my god. It would displease Clark-sama. Not that such a thing would be necessary to begin with. Clark-sama always attains victory without fail, so――"

Eric opened the door before them.

Beyond it lay a 100-meter long passage with a low ceiling.

"Haname, give it your best."

Ushered on by Ellie's words of support, Haname turned to the battlefield, and stepped forth.

There are more spectators than I thought…

Surveying the stands, she found they were filled for the most part.

From all that cheering earlier, the majority of the spectators here seemed to be looking forward to watching the [Perfect King]'s battle style.

Fan-made signs and banners were in abundance, and all declared their support for Clark.

The rest seem to be curious about what the rumored freshman is capable of…

On the topic of who was supporting her, Fiona, Laetitia – even the two boys who had been told by the president to leave the school – and a fair number of the freshmen class were included.

Amid this hostile environment, Haname turned to the center of the battlefield and advanced.

"…Were you able to prepare yourself?" Clark called out, when the distance between the two had closed to approximately five meters.

He was, of course, wearing a Variable Suit as well. It was the same shade of red his uniform had been.

"Well, as might be expected, all this commotion has caught me off guard a bit."

Haname answered Clark's question with a wry smile.

"That kind of thing… Once the duel starts, that kind of thinking could get you killed."

A chuckle slipped out of Clark's mouth, then he continued, "In any case, could you not stare?"

"…Eh?"

"You were eyeing me right now… with that lewd gaze…"

"TH-THAT'S――"

She couldn't deny it.

The Variable Suit clung to his body, showing off his well-developed, manly bulge. It also exposed more skin than either Ellie's or Haname's. Not just his sides, even his shoulders were exposed too.

The big bulge of her crotch, which made it impossible to deny his masculinity, was so charming that her heart caught in her throat.

"…I was just joking, but shaking like that, you're still a long way off from being ready to stand on the battlefield, aren't you?"

She didn't try to deny it. It was true that she was fascinated.

"Well then, shall I deploy my Hundred?"

He didn't bother to wait for a reply. Clark flipped the Hundred he grasped in his hand lightly into the air.

"HUNDRED ON!"

Alongside his shout, the Hundred released an emerald green light which transformed into six, red gun pods.

So this is President's Hundred, [Alisterion]…?

The objects hovering around Clark's body were considerably larger than those from Ellie's [Arms Shroud] and looked ready to fire without the modification that Ellie's had required. At any rate, a handful of turret-like objects had now attached themselves to his person.

The muzzles of the weapons in question were rather wide, and so it seemed likely the beams they fired would be quite powerful indeed.

"Now it's your turn to deploy your Hundred."

"I know that already."

She was so nervous that her voice almost visibly shook.

However, it didn't need to be said that failure here was a luxury she couldn't afford.

Failing to correctly deploy her Hundred would be pretty pathetic, and would dampen the lively atmosphere.

It will be okay.

Reassuring herself, she unfastened the pendant to which her Hundred was attached from her neck and gripped it tightly.

"HUNDRED ON!"

As she shouted, the Hundred glittered a brilliant red from inside her hand. It reacted to Haname's shout and began its transformation.

At least that part went well…

Glancing at [Hien], which had manifested in her right hand, Haname breathed a sigh of relief. The protector that covered her right arm had also deployed like the day before.

"The duel between the student council president, Clark Harvey, and the freshman, Kisaragi Haname, will now commence," Eric pronounced, acting in his role as referee for the match.

His voice echoed forth from the speakers installed around the colosseum.

"However, before we begin – seeing as there are many freshmen present today – I ask your patience as we first outline the rules. The time limit on the match will be 15 minutes. A knockout, surrender, or the depletion of either Vitality or Energy will be the means for determining victory and defeat."

Together with Eric's explanation, the rules were also shown on the electronic scoreboard installed above the spectator stands. In the event time ran out without a clear victor, the person with more Vitality remaining would win.

"The counts for remaining time, Vitality, and Energy are displayed on the electronic scoreboard with data drawn from the four Vital Rings that are attached to each Slayers' hands and feet. The audience may thus confirm their current values at all times―― That's all there is to explain; Haname-sama, do you have any questions?"

"Nope, nothing in particular. Put simply, the one who falls unconscious or loses their weapon loses, right?" Haname replied.

Clark suddenly raised his hand.

"Would it be alright if I added a condition?"

"…Clark-sama, what might that be?"

"This is something I've pondered since yesterday. Even if Kisaragi Haname may have the highest aptitude reading currently; in practice, yesterday was her first time handling the Hundred, correct? If I were to fight such an opponent with my full power, I do not think it would be much of a match. I believe a handicap is necessary."

"A handicap…?"

That would be helpful.

She'd take whatever she could get.

"And what form will that handicap take?"

"What if I were to forego the usage of Full-Body Armament?"

"…Full-Body Armament…?"

"Ridiculous – don't tell me you don't know what Zenshin Busou is? It should be described in the preparatory materials you were given before you arrived here."

"Um, if I remember correctly, the current deployment form is Bare Armament or something like that…" Haname replied, attempting to recall the contents of the book.

"That is correct."

Clark nodded in satisfaction.

"The Bare Armament you have deployed now only utilizes a small portion of your Energy. The difference is that Zenshin Busou requires an instantaneous release of all your Energy at once as you manifest your weapon."

It was a powerful ability, but the Energy requirements were extraordinary, and thus it couldn't be used for long. Worse, it placed a heavy burden on the body and was tremendously difficult to control.

Clare was the first student to be able to use the Zenshin Busou, as well as being the only member of the student council who could.

"In other words, originally you might employ Zenshin Busou in a duel, but you won't in this one?"

"That's correct. Facing an opponent who can't use Zenshin Busou, even if I were to obtain victory with its use, it'd be meaningless."

"Just to double check – you won't use this as a pretext to break our promise if you lose, right?"

"Of course not."

Eric didn't object to the exchange.

"Well then, let's begin the duel. Both of you, please place some distance between you and face one another," Eric directed, as he moved toward a corner of the field.

As per his instructions, Clark and Haname backed up until there was roughly ten meters between them and turned to face each other.

"Now, let the duel commence!"

Triggered by Eric's shout, a countdown began on the electronic scoreboard.

Starting at [10], it then turned to [9].

She had now passed the point of no return. All that was left to do was execute the strategy Ellie had devised――

――Which was to rely on his natural agility to charge the moment the duel began, allowing that single moment to decide victory or defeat.

As her opponent was a skilled master of the Hundred, a long, drawn-out battle was to her disadvantage. If things reached that point, any hope of victory might well disappear.

This was what Ellie had foreseen.

The moment before [6] turned to [5], Haname filled [Hien] with her Energy and began to concentrate it underneath her feet.

Concentrate, I must concentrate…

The sound of cheers faded into the background.

All she could here was the loud thumping of her pounding heart.

[3], [2], [1], the countdown approached zero.

And――

"Come, Kisaragi Haname! Show me what you can do!" Clark shouted as he fired [Alisterion] in her direction.

I'll be fine. It'll work! Haname assured herself.

She'd learned how to deal with Dragoon-class Hundreds the day before, so she ought to be able to handle it.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA――――――――!"

Haname released the Energy under her feet, initiated Accelerate, and flew.

A swift attack in accordance with the devised strategy.

Dodging the six beams coming from [Alisterion], she closed the gap between Clark and himself in a single movement.

[Hien], of course, had already been charged with energy, and its blade glowed bluish-white.

"Wha―?!"

His eyes widening in surprise, Clark was caught off-guard. Ellie's blitzkrieg plan had worked, but unfortunately her execution had left something to be desired…

…Oh crap!

Overexcited, her control over her Energy was poor.

And so, her deceleration was late.

"KYA―!"

Clark shrieked.

"UWA―?!"

As did Haname.

CLASH―!

Having exerted more force than intended, Haname crashed into Clark. Consequently, as if shoved to the ground, Clark collapsed onto the floor.

Ouch… Crap, did I screw up…?

They had completely collapsed.

The spectators roared with laughter.

Frankly, it was incredibly embarrassing.

"Th―! Kisaragi Haname―! You, where do you think you're touching?!"

"…Eh?"

Because of his words, Haname finally noticed the warmth in her hands.

This couldn't possibly…

Moving her fingers, a soft sensation was transmitted through her fingertips.

"H-Hann!"

A bewitching sound poured forth from Clark's mouth.

Haname suddenly realized what she'd touched – King Clark Harvey's voluminous crotch.

"E-Eeehm…"

"Y-You… What on Earth do you think you're…"

Clark's face was dyed a deep red as he raised his eyebrows.

"T-The Variable Suit should be worn to soften incoming attacks, so why is it so thin? The sensation of your crotch is as if there was nothing there…"

"Han―!"

Once again Haname moved the fingers of her hands, and alongside a pointy sensation, Clark's captivating voice erupted once more. His body lost its strength. However, that was only for a moment.

"――!"

Claire turned towards Haname again and glared at her sharply.

O-Ohoh…

Haname panicked and released her hands from his crotch.

"Eeehm, my bad. I'm really sorry. Can't you forgive this… accident…?"

Haname laughed nervously. The grim look on Clark's face gave her goosebumps.

"O-OF COURSE THIS WON'T EVER BE FORGIVEN―!"

With tears in his eyes, Clark Harvey thrust Haname away with both hands and forcefully stood up.

"For someone else to touch my c-crotch… This hasn't happened once before, and yet in the middle of a duel… I'm touched this way! And on top of that, not once, but t-twice―!"

Trying to preserve his dignity as the King, Clark crossed both hands in front of his crotch, his shoulders quivering violently.

"You've got some nerve, haven't you, Kisaragi Haname? Don't expect any mercy from now on―!"

Uh oh. Clark pointed toward Haname.

As declared, he manipulated [Alisterion], firing six full-powered beams her way.

"U-UWAA―!"

Haname was only just able to dodge. From Clark's behavior, she didn't get the feeling he even knew what the word "mercy" meant anyway. Here, on the battlefield, stood the war prince herself.

"So all you know how to do is run, huh, Kisaragi Haname! That's all you can really do!"

"Wha―"

Closing in on Haname, who was dodging his beams, he struck with his fist.

Oh shit!

She raised her guard, but that fist's power was the real deal. Her guard, utilizing her arm protector, was blown away and his fist sunk into her solar plexus.

"Gu―"

With that, Haname's balance was destroyed and Clark pursued further. Twisting his body, he hit her with a roundhouse kick.

Haname, who had received a direct hit, scattered dust as she slid along the ground.

"Such a look of surprise. Did you really come into this thinking that I wouldn't know close quarters combat?" Clark asked Haname, who struggled to stand up. "Even though I can use a Hundred, I still studied self-defense to safeguard my close surroundings. Martial arts is the basic among basics when it comes to combat; it's possible to clad one's fists and feet with Energy after all."

He showed a cocky smile.

"Well then, shall we end this?"

"Ku―"

Haname had somehow managed to stand, but her posture was unstable. Clark activated [Alisterion], which fired beams in rapid succession.

"Haname, quick! Form an E-Barrier and defend!"

"…Eh?"

While confused by the voice she could suddenly hear, Haname nonetheless released Energy from her body and a E-Barrier expanded in front of her eyes.

She was able to protect himself from all the incoming beams.

"Are you alright, Haname?" she heard Ellie ask.

"Y-Yeah… If it wasn't for your advice I'd be… Wait, how are you talking to me?"

"On your arm, there's a Vital Ring right? I can communicate with you using that."

Certainly, as described, the voice came from the ring that had been placed on his right arm.

"So that kind of thing's possible…"

When Man Man had given it to her, she had only heard that it measured the remaining Vital and Energy, wirelessly transmitting the values to [LaZER]. She was surprised.

"There is a function installed on it that allows comrades to keep in touch during battle. That's what I'm utilizing right now."

The sound of footsteps and a door opening could be heard from the ring.

"Ellie Crossfode, what on Earth do you think you're doing?!"

Eric's voice was heard.

"What am I doing? Haname's an amateur at using the Hundred. She messed up Energy management and you saw that she even collided with the president right? That's why I thought, 'Why not give her a little advice?'"

"No one's ever done anything like this before; you know there's no way we would allow this. Afterwards, some sort of punishment――"

"I'll allow it."

Clark interrupted the two.

"But… Clark-sama…"

"If it enables Kisaragi Haname to demonstrate the full extent of her abilities, I'll allow it," Clark declared flatly.

"The one speaking is Ellie Crossfode, correct? You might have a bit of Hundred combat experience; however, you're nothing more than a freshman. That hardly changes things. Let's resume the match."

"Understood."

He appeared reluctant, but Eric accepted it and Haname heaved an inward sigh of relief.

The blitzkrieg strategy had failed, but if Ellie instructed her, she could still fight on.

That was what she believed.

"Thanks."

Haname faced Clark and spoke her gratitude.

"You're welcome. Now then, here I come―!"

Clark began attacking with [Alisterion] once again.

"Haname, form an E-Barrier!"

"Yeah!"

Per Ellie's instructions, Haname formed an E-Barrier and blocked the beam that came flying in.

"Ellie, next one!"

"Going off what Prez said a little while ago, if you keep on evading, you'll eventually tire and then you'll be a sitting duck. That's why even though the strategy's already failed once, we're going to try it again."

Even if the president was versed in self-defense, fundamentally his bodily physique was light.

If she bestowed Energy on [Hien], persistent attacks would accumulate damage on him even through his E-Barrier – was Ellie's thinking.

"Also, Prez's [Alisterion] doesn't work autonomously. It has to be consciously manipulated with Energy that comes from him. If you disturb his concentration, you should be able to lock it down."

"In other words, it's best to go on the offensive?"

"Yeah, should be."

"Right then, let's give it a try!"

Haname Accelerated once more, and, blocking all incoming beams with an E-Barrier while dodging again and again, closed in on Clark and swiped at him.

"――How's that―!"

Things went differently this time as opposed to when the match had begun. As in practice, she was able to swing [Hien], which she had bestowed Energy on, skillfully downward.

"…Ku―!"

However, Clark blocked her attack with a single arm.

"Haname, again!"

"You don't need to tell me that!"

Haname raised her sword and went in for a follow-up attack.

However, he jumped behind her and thus evaded it.

Clark took careful aim, activated [Alisterion], and began his counterattack.

She concentrated Energy underneath her feet in an explosive leap that cleared her of his attack.

"Perfect timing, Haname. Let's try that next! Hit him directly with your Energy!"

"Got it!"

She'd only ever once managed to pull it off successfully, but that was good enough for now.

It was still worth trying.

"UUUOOOOO――――――――――!"

Shouting a war cry, Haname poured Energy into [Hien] which she had raised high into the air.

A vortex of blue light formed, coiling around the sword like a snake.

"HANAME, GOOOOOO――――!"

Urged on by Ellie's shout, Haname slashed with [Hien], forming a giant, crimson Energy burst that flew in Clark's direction.

The technique was a success!

Just before it would've reached Clark, however, it dispersed harmlessly.

In Haname's eyes a flower bud-like figure was reflected – [Alisterion].

The "petals" opened as if blossoming, revealing Clark, completely unharmed.

"You've exceeded my expectations, Kisaragi Haname! Frankly, I'm quite surprised. This fight has been worth it to see your true strength!"

As she shouted, six of the floating gun pods moved.

"――However, you'll now receive the punishment for playing with my crotch!"

"I already told you that I'm sorry―!"

"My crotch is not so cheap that you can simply apologize―!"

Before she realized what was happening, [Alisterion] had her completely surrounded just as gravity began to exert its claim upon her once more.

"Seeing as you only began to use the Hundred yesterday, you won't be able to dodge in mid-air!"

Oh crap――

It was just as Clark described. She was unable to alter her course to either the left or the right while in the air, let alone pull back.

"This is the end―!"

"Haname―!"

Alongside Ellie's heartrending cry, several beams flew in Haname's direction.

"―Ku…"

She'd been able to protect herself from the first few shots with an E-Barrier, but that was her limit. Before long, the E-Barrier was destroyed and Haname's body was hit directly.

Haname's body, held in the air by the continuous impacts of the beams, hit the ground before long.

"How's that? You done?" Clark asked.

He was standing above Haname and looking down upon her as she lay upside-down on the floor.

She was still conscious.

However, she had also suffered the impact from crashing into the ground.

Her body screamed in pain――

"No, not yet…"

Haname tried to stand.

Giving up was not an option.

After all, if she was going to lose, she wanted to lose by fighting until the bitter end.

If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to face Ellie, who had kept her company during yesterday's practice, and the two boys who had worried for him.

That's why――

"Haname…"

Ellie's worried voice could be heard from the ring.

A tone that seemed to imply, 'It's okay to give up.'

However, such a thought never entered her mind as she endured the pain and rose to her feet.

Seeing the state she was in, Clark heaved an astonished sigh.

"If that's how you're going to be, then at least let me end this――"

He combined the six floating gun pods into one giant rifle.

What the heck… So he can even do something like that… Haname muttered in her mind.

Although, on that note, Ellie had also been able to change her weapon. Moreover, she said that other Slayers would also be able possess this ability.

That Clark was one such wasn't that hard to imagine.

"This is the Buster Cannon. It boasts enough firepower to incapacitate even the Savage should it hit directly," he said with a provocative smile.

The barrel of the Buster Cannon was long and its muzzle wide.

It was large enough that it had to be carried with both arms.

"It's unfortunate, but with this, the match is decided."

As light began to gather within the muzzle of the Buster Cannon…

*THUMP*―!

Her heart thumped loudly in her ears.

…What… is this…?

*THUMP*, *THUMP*―!

Twice this time.

What is this…?

My body… feels hot…

Her blood boiled and she felt the impulse to rampage.

"Haname, can you hear me, Hana… me…!"

The voice of Ellie, communicating with him via the Vital Ring, grew slower and slower.

Thump, thump, thump.

The throbbing and her consciousness gradually faded――

…And simultaneously…

Kisaragi Haname's eyes turned golden.


"Wha――?!"

Because Clark couldn't conceive of Haname possibly dodging the bombardment in that situation, he doubted his own eyes.

It was indisputable, however, that she had not only dodged, but had also begun to attack with unbelievable speed.

"…Ku―!"

Kisaragi Haname's sword, which she held level with the ground, approached him.

Stepping back, he dodged as the sword swung down from above.

It had only missed by a hair's breadth.

The sword violently impacted the ground, forcing a cloud of dust into the air and left a large crater where it had struck.

What's with this speed and power…

Both could not be more different from when the fight had begun.

If he were to take a direct blow now, it might even be fatal.

Impossible; to think that someone has appeared who – even if for just an instant – made me consider the possibility of losing――

As far as Little Garden was concerned…

No, even as far as the world was concerned, this wasn't something he could just accept.

With this in mind, he roared, "There's no way I can lose―!"

To lose to a freshman who had barely received her personal Hundred the day before… This was unacceptable for the one who was both president of the student council as well as the King. But above all else, this was not something Clark Harvey would allow. It would be a blemish on his dignity as the head of the Bugeika.

That said, it doesn't look like she'll go down easily…

Kisaragi Haname's attacks came fast and heavy, chipping away at his stamina little by little. Given the situation, staying on the defensive just wasn't an option.

"If you're going to go all out, then I shall as well!"

Clark focused his Energy into an Accelerate, opening some distance between Kisaragi Haname and himself.

Readying her sword, Haname pursued.

Seeing that she'd taken the bait, Clare, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, charged his Booster Cannon with Energy once more.

"This time, I will absolutely hit my mark―!"

The shot, after all, would be made from point-blank range.

To this day, there hadn't been a single person who'd received this attack from this range and still stood afterward. He had confidence that this technique would slaughter even the Savage.

"Clark-sama, at this range, you risk killing her!" Laetitia screamed from far away.

Clark agreed.

But, if it's the current Kisaragi Haname I'm dealing with――

She wouldn't be like those before, and more than likely, would not be knocked down.

If he attacked the normal way, she'd just dodge it.

Given that――

It's because I've determined her to be someone who warrants my full strength that I've decided on this technique.

"Eat this, Kisaragi Haname!"

Just as the person in question was about to slash him with her sword, Clark loosened the entirety of the energy that had been gathering in the muzzle of his Buster Cannon.

Instantly, her entire body was engulfed in an intense white light.

"*Haa*, *haa*… How's… that?"

Clark roughly controlled his breathing.

With this, the battle should be over…

As the debris created by the explosion cleared, he was certain what would appear before his eyes would be the figure of a collapsed Kisaragi Haname――

"This has to be a lie, right…?"

Clark couldn't believe his eyes.

Not only because she was still there, standing.

But because the form of his weapon had changed entirely.

The rugged armor that had previously covered only her right arm now included her left arm and both legs too – it now covered her entire frame. For that reason, she now appeared several times larger.

"…Full-Body… Armament…?"

Given the scene before him, he could come up with no other explanation.

He'd been labeled a genius for having required only a month to reach that state with his Hundred.

For that reason, what was happening before his eyes simply could not be true.

Moreover, to suffer a direct hit from the Buster Cannon and come out unharmed? That was impossible. It didn't look like she used an E-Barrier; in the first place, it didn't look as if she used Energy at all. Stranger still, she appeared to have completely nullified the attack itself.

Only one possibility came to mind.

Could it have been… an N-Barrier…?

Generally speaking, there were two types of barriers.

The first type utilized a screen of Energy to defend against an opponent's Energy attack, diffusing the force of the blow – the Energy Barrier, a.k.a. E-Barrier.

The other type was the Neutral Barrier, or the so-called N-Barrier. This type counteracted the opponent's Energy, neutralizing it completely. This was the type that Kisaragi Haname had apparently just employed.

Clark had heard nothing of her ability to use something like the N-Barrier, let alone the Full-Body Armament.

――Damn it!

This wasn't the kind of situation where he could afford to stand around in a daze.

Before he realized what had happened, a sword clad in red Energy had appeared before his eyes.

It seemed an impossible task to dodge given the circumstances; even taking a defensive stance on such short notice was expecting too much.

Furthermore, even though the Hundred covering her body was massive, her speed was increased yet further still. The size of her sword made it powerful, but through the Energy that had been imbued into it, it had become even more so. It didn't seem possible to defend against such an attack with an E-Barrier.

I'm… losing…?

He had never once, until now, ever felt cornered in a fight. Not by the Savage and most definitely not by a human.

The crown of the 'Perfect King' began to sway for the first time ever.

"… How could I, the KING, lose to a mere FRESHMAN?!"

Clark shouted as a dazzling light was released from his body.

He had long since let go of the idea of a handicap.

The only thing that could stand against a Full-Body Armament was another Full-Body Armament.

As the light disappeared, protectors dyed in his signature crimson color appeared on both his arms and legs, though not nearly as massive as Haname's. On her back, tiny thrusters appeared as well.

"Come forth, my Petals―!" Claire yelled.

His shift to Full-Body Armament having completed, he quickly used an Accelerate and dodged Haname's attack.

The top of the thrusters on his back opened, from which tiny, floating gun pods (Petals) scattered and surrounded Haname's body.

There were roughly ten of them.

"And with this, it's over, Kisaragi Haname―!"

With that voice as a signal, simultaneously from each and every Petal, a beam was released. It was a veritable storm of lasers.

In such a situation, even Kisaragi Haname ought to be at the end of her rope.

Even when facing an N-Barrier, if that many beams are fired, at least some of them should punch through!

The N-Barrier nullified the first few shots.

However, just as Clark had surmised, the concentrated storm of fire pierced through the N-Barrier before long.

He took advantage of the opening, targeting it with the enormous Buster Cannon which had appeared on his right arm.

[Alisterion], or rather the six gun batteries had joined together to form it.

Precisely because this was a Full-Body Armament, it was considerably larger than the one Haname had faced moments ago, and boasted an increased firepower commensurate with its larger size.

"This is the end―!"

Turning toward Haname, he released the gathered Energy all at once.

There was no time to deploy either an N- or an E-Barrier.

I did it!

The enormous beam which erupted from the Buster Cannon hit its target directly.

Caught in the middle of a violent explosion which reduced even the ground beneath her feet to rubble, Haname collapsed.

Confirming the result, Clark breathed in. A buzzer sounded throughout the arena announcing that Kisaragi Haname's stamina had zeroed out while the electronic scoreboard proclaimed "Clark Harvey wins".


"Haname―!"

Ellie Crossfode caused a stir in the stands as she rushed out to the battlefield.

Haname, who had collapsed in the center of the ring, wasn't moving and her Hundred had already ceased to function. These signs were worrying to Ellie, but as she closed in, it became clear that she was still breathing.

"Thank God…"

Ellie sighed in relief.

Eric Candle soon joined Ellie on the battlefield. On his face was a look of distaste and bewilderment – as the judge, he could not declare Clark's victory.

Lloyd Steinberg, who had been waiting in the wings of the battle arena, agreed. With a bitter expression, his shoulders shaking uncertainly, he gazed at Clark, whom had found his breath again.

"Hey, I wanna say something real quick!"

Ellie glared at Clark sternly. Since Haname was leaving the Colosseum on a stretcher, she felt free to flare up.

"Ellie, calm down. He'll surely listen, you know?"

The one who had spoken as well as stopped Ellie was the man in the white coat―― Charlie Dimandias. He had come onto the battlefield alongside the first aid team.

Next, Charlie's gaze turned to Eric.

"How 'bout it – mind leaving the decision to me?"

"…Understood."

After several seconds of silence, Eric nodded his agreement and Charlie turned to the stands and raised his voice.

"Dear members of the audience, I must apologize for ruining your excitement, but as Little Garden's main technologist, I – Charlie Dimandias – raise an objection to this duel."

Charlie's voice echoed throughout the colosseum. The audience fell silent.

"First, regarding the conditions negotiated prior to the duel. Clark Harvey has employed the Full-Body Armament. Before the match, he personally declared that the Bare Armament would more than suffice and thus restricted himself to its usage. This rule he violated."

As the crowd began to cry out, Charlie's speech continued.

"…Nevertheless, this handicap was made under the premise that Kisaragi Haname was similarly unable to deploy the Full-Body Armament. Furthermore, even before her use of the Full-Body Armament, she and Ellie Crossfode were in constant communication throughout the duel. While this isn't technically a violation of rules, it is nonetheless a gray area – and a dark one at that."

In short, both had erred.

"Finally, the condition attached to the duel is one which had no bearing on the outcome of the duel in question. The rules state that the outcome alone determines the victor, and therefore, in accordance with that outcome, Clark Harvey wi――"

"Hold it right there, Charlie Dimandias!"

Just as Charlotte was about to declare the King's victory, the one who cut his off was the party in question – Clark himself.

"This match is my loss."

The crowd roared. The Perfect King had personally accepted defeat, so such a reaction was only natural.

"What do you mean by that, Clark Harvey?"

"Your logic is indeed sound: going by the rules, I have won. However, in doing so, I have violated the rule that I personally imposed upon myself. In such an instance, even if you declare me the victor, it does nothing to change the fact that I personally feel I have lost. That alone is enough."

"Those are simply your feelings on the matter. If you nevertheless find this result difficult to swallow, then we could call the match a draw?"

"Do as you'd like."

Clark turned to leave.

"Of all of your duels I've seen so far, this was the most interesting one," Charlie said, a broad grin on his face.

"…Please keep your thoughts to yourself, Charlie Dimandias," Clark muttered grimly without turning.

And so the duel between Clark Harvey and Kisaragi Haname ended in a draw despite the latter ending up in the hospital.


…What…?

Where is this?

A sharp smell filled her nose – the same smell she experienced when visiting her brother soon after she arrived.

A hospital then…?

She tried to move, but her body refused to comply. Both her consciousness and vision were faint as well.

Her muddled senses notwithstanding, she nevertheless felt the impression that someone's face drew near.

It drew slowly closer――

"Sorry, Haname…"

She felt a gentle touch on her lips.

Was that now…

All strength left her body alongside a feverish feeling.

What is this person doing…?

Was this reality or was she simply dreaming?

She couldn't tell in her current state, she thought, before soon fading into unconsciousness once more.


"N, nnn…."

It wasn't until a few hours later that Haname finally regained consciousness completely.

With a weak groan, she opened her eyelids.

So it really was a hospital…

A surprisingly gloomy one.

"…How long have I been out?"

"About six hours."

She turned to the voice.

Sitting up in surprise, she found King Clark Harvey sitting by her bedside.

"P-Pres?"

As her eyes found his face, she remembered their duel.

"I lost, huh…"

Her consciousness was faint and her head heavy while her memories of the duel were vague from the midway point on. Looking herself over carefully, she saw that she'd been changed from her Variable Suit into a t-shirt and panties, though she couldn't see the latter.

"No, it was a draw."

She was bewildered by the unexpected reply.

"What do you――"

She was then taught the astonishing truth.

How she had both employed the Full-Body Armament herself and defended against the Perfect King's – Clark Harvey's – Buster Cannon with something called an N-Barrier.

"N-Barrier, Full-Body Armament… was that really me?"

Even if someone else was the one telling him, it was hard to believe.

"You don't remember?"

Haname nodded.

Her memories were clear up until the point where she was driven into a corner, with the president's muzzle directed at her.

"You did all that while unaware…?"

"It looks like I did, I'm sorry to say."

"Kisaragi Haname, what on Earth are you? Something like that shouldn't happen with high readings alone."

"That's what I want to say, but…"

She was struck with a sudden recollection.

Just as she'd been cornered by Clark, her heart had pounded with great vigor and she felt as if she lost control of her own body.

…What… was that?

Just as Haname was about to ask his opinion, the door swung open.

"What's Prez doing here?!"

Ellie had entered the room and promptly stomped her way over to Clark.

"Even after sending Haname to the hospital by breaking your promise, you're still not done, huh?"

"No, I've simply come to apolo――"

"If that's the case, then another time, okay? Haname's still not well, so…"

Ellie tried to hide her look of concern.

Haname's condition must have been poor indeed.

"…I understand. There's more I wanted to ask, but that can wait until my next visit."

With a sigh, Clark stood.

"I'm sorry about this," Haname called out to Clark, who had turned and left for the hallway.

"No, I'm the one in the wrong here."

Clark had paused for a moment as he answered, but he left the hospital room immediately after.

"…So, what brings you here?" Haname asked Ellie.

"'What', you say… I've been here ever since they brought you in, you know?"

Ellie indicated the chair that Clark had been using a moment ago.

"I've been reporting back to Charl on your condition once an hour. I'd never have guessed that he'd show up in the meantime… How do you feel? Better, I hope."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Nothing hurts, at least."

"That's great. Your brain doesn't show any abnormalities either, so you should be good to go back to the dorms if you want, according to Charl. What do you want to do? If you're not feeling up to it, there's nothing wrong with spending the night here. I could even keep you company if you want?"

"Keep me company? Where would you sleep?"

It was a one person room. Haname's was the only bed.

"Good point… I'm guessing you're against us sharing the bed?"

"Of course! I'd like to bathe, so let's head back to the dorm, alright? But before that, there's something I want to ask?"

"…What?"

It was what she wanted to ask the president earlier.

She'd been connected with Ellie through her Variable Suit's wireless, so Ellie had likely noticed her change. Given how much Ellie seemed to know about the Hundred, Haname figured she might know something.

On that premise, Haname continued.

"When Prez aimed that huge rifle at me, I was in trouble, you know? At that time my heart started to pound and my body got really hot…"

Haname relived the incident as she narrated.

"Once that happened, it felt like I'd lost control over my own body. Now that I think about it, you shouted my name then, didn't you?"

"So you remember that…"

"You noticed something was wrong, didn't you?"

"…Yeah."

Ellie nodded and continued.

"What I'm about to say… don't let Pres know, alright?"

"I was just about to ask him before you walked in, though. You interrupted me."

"If that's the case, then I'm glad. Talk about a close call."

Ellie sighed, relieved.

"What do you mean by that? Do you know something?"

"I do."

"Seriously―?!"

"Haname, hold it… Suddenly doing… Hey, wawa―?!"

Putting both her hands on Ellie's shoulders, Haname drew in close with a serious look on her face. Ellie blushed furiously and, while retreating, lost her balance.

*BAM!*

Because she'd been forcefully gripping Ellie's shoulders, once Ellie lost her balance, they both collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"Ouch, sorry… Again…"

As she spoke, Haname put her hands on the ground for support, and lifted herself up.

"Wait, Haname… Where… are you touching…"

"Eh?"

"Your hands! Look at where you're putting your hands―!"

Haname suddenly realized that her right hand was touching Ellie's breast.

"Oh, sorry… Nothing to worry about between two girls, though, thankfully. It's not like you're Prez, after all."

Hanane took hold of Ellie's arms as she tried to rise; however,b she elt a little confused as the breast she grabbed didn't fee like a breast at all...it felt more like―

"HAH―!"

A sigh escaped from Ellie.

"Again with the strange noises…" Haname commented, somewhat taken aback. "But still, your body's just as hard as the Prez's – are you really training properly?"

"――Th― Nnn―!"

She prodded Ellie's hard arms, causing a seductive voice to escape Ellie's mouth.

"Cut it out with the strange sounds already…"

"H-HANAME, YOU IDIOT――――――――――!"

BAAAAAAAAAAAM…

Ellie's fist struck Haname's face.

"Haname… idiot…"

"…Eh?"

She could see a few tears leaking from the corner of Ellie's eyes.

"What's wrong now…?"

"Have you seriously not noticed already?"

"Noticed…?"

"I guess I'm asking too much, though, aren't I?"

"Um, it seems like you're trying to tell me something, but…"

"Just a sec. If someone were to overhear this, things could get out of hand, so I'm going to lock the door first, alright?"

"That's okay with me, but…"

As promised, Ellie locked the door.

The normally cheerful Ellie now bore a serious expression on her face. That, more than anything, worried Haname.

"Okay, Haname, you can't tell anyone about what I'm about to share with you. Promise me. I won't answer your question unless you do."

"What the heck's the matter with you all of a sudden? Putting on airs like that…"

"What's it going to be? Do you promise?"

"I do, but…"

"…Really?"

"We're roommates, after all, aren't we? I'll never speak a word of this to another person; I promise."

Plus, she really wanted to know about that mysterious phenomena when she tried to lift up her body.

"Then turn around for a second and wait."

Although she wanted to ask why, she instead held her silence and did as she was told, sitting on the bed with her back to Ellie.

"Don't you dare turn around, got it?"

"I get it already, geez."

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of rustling clothes reached her ear.

"What on Earth are you doing now…?"

"You're not looking, right? Don't move until I tell you."

"I know, I know…"

A minute passed before the silence in the room was broken…

"To be honest with you, Haname, I've lied to you."

A surprisingly manly voice drifted over from behind her.

"I suppose I should have been straight with you, but I lacked the courage, not to mention you didn't seem to have remembered."

"Wait, what…?"

"You can turn around now."

Haname was finally given permission to turn around. As she did so, she couldn't believe her eyes.

It wasn't just that Ellie had held up her hair in a ribbon. Just that wasn't enough to surprise her; she'd already seen her that way, after all, and each time she'd been struck with the impression that Ellie's looks were rather mascuine.

This time, however, she couldn't see anything but an actual boy.

"The heck is this…?" Haname muttered, her gaze fixated on Ellie's chest, illuminated by the moonlight shining through the hospital room window.

What she was referring to were the pecs and manly nipples on Ellie's chest which ought not be there.

"Even seeing me like this, you still don't get it…"

"'Don't get it?' What am I not getting?"

"Geez, Haname, you're duller than I thought. In that case, how's this?"

With a demure look, Ellie slid off his shirt, exposing her abdomen, revealing a bulky, white-skinned navel.

And the barest glimpse of his chest.

The sight was too stimulating…

Blushing, Haname quickly averted her gaze.

If she hadn't, she felt he'd have lost all reason.

However――

She realized the threat in time to avert that ill fate.

A scar ran down his abdomen from his chest to his stomach.

A scar that was located exactly where the boy from her dream had been wounded by the pincered claws of a Savage.

"Are you――"

She unconsciously rose to her feet.

Could Ellie truly be the boy from her dreams?

Just as she was on the verge of voicing that thought, her memories of her time in Gudenberg returned.

That's right. I met this person – Ellie – in Gudenberg.

No, wait. That wasn't quite right. Haname corrected himself.

His name… wasn't Ellie.

Right. If I remember correctly, his name was――

"…Elliot, right?"

Elliot Hermit.

That was his name.

"So you do remember."

Elliot's voice – the voice of the boy from her memories – trembled.

"Haname. Really, thank you for saving me that day."

"Thank God…"

The feelings of her heart came naturally to her tongue as tears ran down her face.

"I finally was able to remember. And, not only are you alive and well, but we were able to meet once more――"

Gently tracing the scar with her fingers, she wrapped Elliot in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad that you're alive too. I'm so happy that you've remembered me――"

Elliot hugged her back as he spoke.

"I've always believed that if you were alive, you'd be led to the Hundred and so we'd meet again."

"Led to the Hundred, you mean――"

"You know the details behind the First Attack, right?"

"That whole 'giant meteorites dropped onto the South Pole' thing, right? It's said that the Savage came to this Earth on those things…"

"Simply put, yes. It was only after that event that people like us, people who could wield the Hundred, appeared."

What Elliot told her next was staggering.

A virus, which had traveled the vast reaches of space via the Savage, had spread throughout the world upon their arrival.

The Hundred reacted and changed form in response to those who harbored the virus.

"The two of us are special even among that select group, however. I suffered an injury during the Savage's attack on Gudenberg. At that time, you sucked the Savage's poison out directly, right? Something happened to the two of us then – the virus entered my body directly, as it did yours, via the medium of my tainted blood."

"And that's why we can operate the Hundred?"

"It is, without a doubt, the reason your reaction reading is the highest in the world. It's not an airborne virus, but its mortality rate is still quite high; you and I were very fortunate to survive. Moreover, it's because of that that we hold such great power in our hands. People like us, namely those directly infected by the virus, are known as "Variants." In the entire world, there are only around ten such individuals. That's why I knew that you'd find me eventually."

In other words, if Kisaragi Haname were to have survived the incident, then she was fated to come across the Hundred sooner or later.

That thought had kept Elliot alive as he waited for her.

"I've had Charl monitor every reaction aptitude test held across the world. That was how I found you. Charl was sure that you had cheated during the test the Warslan Company administered for you. However, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was you whom I've been looking for this entire time."

"Could it be that you've come to this school――"

"Because you were here, yes. I had Charl pull the necessary strings. If it weren't for his efforts, there's simply no way I could have disguised myself as a woman, you know?"

"…That's― Wait. So why are you disguised as a woman―?!"

It wasn't something that ought to be necessary in the present. Furthermore, if he hadn't disguised himself, then their reunion would have happened much earlier.

"It's because of… well, you know… my family situation."

His tone carried a heavier meaning.

Thinking on the issue, Haname remembered.

When they had been children, Elliot had to sneak out of the house to play with her. He was from a strict, old-fashioned family, or so she heard.

"Don't tell me your family doesn't know you're here?"

"Hahaha, you've always been perceptive, Haname. It's just as you've said. I snuck out of the house and made my way here."

Given the circumstances, he had to arrange for a fake name and background, watching his every step so that he couldn't be tracked.

"Ever since I was infected during the Second Attack, I've been kept on an even tighter leash than I was during our childhood. To be honest, my family doesn't know that Charl's taught me to use the Hundred."

"Seriously, you…" Haname replied, astounded.

He was utterly unlike the gentle, submissive boy she remembered, but she felt the current Elliot, so full of energy, wasn't bad either.

"Wasn't it hard to keep your disguise up all the time?"

"Certainly. It was worth it, though. It might have been just a coincidence, but it's only because of that that I could share a room with Haname."

*THUMP* – her heart pounded in her ears.

Elliot giggled, positioning his forefinger before his lips.

"Everything that we've just talked about – Variants and so forth – must be kept secret, okay? A secret for just the two of us; even your brother can't know, alright?"

"Yeah, got it."

"…Wait, I said just the two of us, but now that I think about it… Charlie already knows, doesn't he?"

"Ah, that's true, isn't it? Well, a secret between the three of us then."

Elliot laughed happily as he scratched his head.

"With that, we come to the main point. The hazy memories of your duel earlier is one of the traits of Variants."

"Traits of Variants? What do you mean…?"

"When your life's at risk, the virus activates and instinctive defense measures come into action. It's a state we call the "Raging Berserker", a condition wherein your strength continuously surges."

"Raging Berserker, huh…"

Now that she thought about it, that name certainly matched what she experienced.

"In exchange, you lose yourself, and run rampant. It's quite troublesome since it can reveal you to be a Variant. I, too, was in that state not too long ago, but nowadays, I'm somewhat able to control it. It's not a problem anymore."

"In other words, I could control it with practice?"

"You need to be able to control Energy first. You need to control both that and the sleeping power that lies within yourself. They're quite similar. Give it your best, alright?"

"Y-Yeah…"

As she was about to nod in reply, an unexpected change came over her body.

W-What…?

Her feet wobbled and her vision grew dim.

Her condition must have been worse than she realized.

Haname turned to Elliot and collapsed; her cleavage landed rightonto Elliot's eyes.

"Wait, Haname, you can't suddenly…! I need to prepare myself first…"

Elliot's face was dyed a deep red. However, he quickly realized that she was neither flirting nor asserting her friendship.

"Could it… Haname―― Your body's still…"

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can stand."

"Oh. Then wait just a sec."

"Huh…"

Elliot took Haname's face into his hands…

"What're you doing…?"

"It's fine. Just be quiet for a moment; it can only be done like this."

As he spoke, he leaned in.

And――

"Wha…"

"Nnnn… Fuuuu…"

――Covered Haname's lips with his own.

"Nn, fuu… chuu, chuu, nmuu… chuu…"

Their kiss continued.

One second… five… ten…

"Nn, fuu…"

As their lips separated, Elliot's saliva suddenly found its way down her throat.

"Why would you suddenly…"

Blushing furiously, Haname touched her lips.

"You being tired is the direct result of the infection. Once activated, the virus consumes a vast quantity of Energy which results in the unusual phenomenon you experienced."

"Even if that's true, what does a kiss have to do with any of that?"

"Well, that's…"

"…Eh?"

"Once a Variant's ability has activated, Energy consumption increases tremendously causing a terrible strain on the body. One of the best approaches for countering this side-effect is… to be administered virus that hasn't yet activated."

"That's… impossible…"

"Yes. I've delivered the virus contained within my body to you through my saliva. Charlie's developed a medicine which would serve a similar purpose, but this is simply the most effective method."

She was suddenly reminded of the moment when she regained consciousness.

"Could you perhaps have k-kissed me while I slept as well?"

"Huh…? Were you awake then?"

"I can vaguely recall. Anyway, one way or another, the memory's there…"

"Um, it was an emergency, so… I kissed you of my own accord… Sorry…"

"Because it was an emergency? You totally decided to do it on your own just now too…"

"Ahaha, now that you mention it, that's kinda true…"

"Are you really fine with that? Even if you have a deeper reason for it, to do something like kissing with me…"

"I-I don't particularly mind, alright? If it was someone else, then maybe, but if it's Haname…"

"Eh…?"

"You didn't like it?"

"That's not it…"

The hospital room grew dead silent.

There was a decided tension in the air.

"So uh, Haname? Is your body better now? Can you stand on your own?"

"Looks like it, I guess."

"Then let's head back, okay?"

Haname changed into her uniform and left alongside Ellie.

Normally, it'd be but a ten-minute walk from the hospital to the dorm. This time, however, they hadn't even reached the halfway point eight minutes in.

"Even though you said you were fine, you seem to be in quite some pain…" Ellie commented, given the strange way Haname was walking.

"I'd prefer to focus on walking as opposed to thinking, if that's fine with you…?"

"…Should we go back to the hospital?"

"No. I've gone through great troubles to get here, so I'll see it through…"

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the dorm without incident.

However…

"――Ugh."

As they reached their room, Haname lost her balance. Panicking, Ellie caught her body.

"…Are you alright?"

"I guess I'm still a bit weak…"

She was dizzy, and her vision hazy.

"It would probably have been better for you to just rest back at the hospital instead of attempting the impossible, huh? Sorry that I asked you to come back to the dorm…"

"Even if you say that now, it can't be helped. We're already back, right?"

Borrowing Ellie's shoulder, Haname made her way to her bed.

"Alright then, rest well. When you wake up next, your body will be back to its normal state."

"…I see…"

Lying down, her consciousness began to fade.

By the time Ellie's gentle words reached her ears, she'd already fallen into the deep abyss of sleep.


Late that night, Clark Harvey, the student council president, was burning the midnight oil in the student council room of the Bugeika school building.

Before him were matters which had to be resolved before the day was over, as well as a stack of official paperwork to be signed. The contents of the papers he held in his hands never entered his consciousness. He simply could not stop thinking about Kisaragi Haname.

Kisaragi Haname, what on Earth are you…

She'd broken every record for the aptitude test and reaction reading. That notwithstanding, nothing particularly stood out about the readings of her other pre-enrollment tests.

Furthermore, she was completely inexperienced at handling the Hundred.

Clark had thus determined to assess her potential as a Slayer.

It had been for that very reason that he had intentionally instigated the incident with Ellie Crossfode and the latecomers. Unable to refuse, Kisaragi Haname had been maneuvered into a situation where she could not refuse a duel that would exert her to her very utmost.

With regards to the outcome, his pride as the undefeated King with a two-year reign had been demolished.

And, that thing she used after activating her Full-Body Armament – that was undoubtedly an N-Barrier…

There existed a type of Savage that was capable of utilizing the N-Barrier, but even for them, it was a matter of genetic predisposition – there simply did not exist an Energy manipulation technique which allowed one to deploy such a barrier. If a Slayer were to wield such a power, it was only because their Hundred had been instilled with such a function.

However, her data contained no information on her ability to use the Full-Body Armament, let alone the N-Barrier. Neither had Charlie Dimandias made any mention of her Hundred having such a function.

"Clark-sama. Clark-sama…"

A voice called him from his reverie.

Eric had approached him without him realizing.

"…How long have you been there?"

"Since a moment ago. I called you once already, but you didn't respond, so I called once more."

"I apologize. I was lost in thought," Clark replied, turning his gaze to Eric's hands.

He was holding a teapot and a cup.

"Black tea, is it? Thank you."

"You fought that duel earlier today. I feared you might be tired."

Eric placed the tea cup on Clark's desk before continuing.

"Would you like anything to go with your tea?"

"Kisaragi Haname…"

Eric's expression clouded in an instant.

"…Please don't worry about it too much. If it had been an ordinary duel, then it would unmistakably have been Clark-sama's victory."

"I'm not worrying about that."

"T-Then is it because she touched your c-crotch…?"

"Wha…?!"

Clark reddened.

"I-It's not like that at all…"

He lifted his tea cup as if to demonstrate his composure, though he achieved the opposite effect as his hands were trembling.

The memory of her touch crossed his mind.

Honestly, because of Eric, I'm remembering more than I want to now…

It went without saying that his crotch had never once been touched by a member of the opposite sex. For something like that to happen – in front of the public even! It was a complete disgrace――

I wonder what this is I'm feeling…

*ba-dump* – the reason for the pounding of his heart.

What he was feeling.

Clark didn't understand any of it.

"More importantly, Eric, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to consult you about a matter regarding Kisaragi Haname――"

His next words described his proposal for manipulating her fate even more.

End of Chapter 3


Chapter 4
Date/Student Council/Innocence

"N, nnn…"

Responding to the light shining through a gap between the curtains, Kisaragi Haname awoke.

…Hmm? What's this…?

Feeling a strange warmth on her body, she sat up in surprise. Elliot was fast asleep in her bed.

This discovery called to remembrance the events of the day before. After returning from the hospital, she passed out and Elliot had helped her, unconscious, to her bed.

I'm guessing he watched over me after that?

Next, she recalled the confession from yesterday evening.

The person before her was – per her self-introduction – his classmate, Emil Crossford.

However, this person's true identity was none other than the boy he'd seen in hers dreams of her childhood – her first love, whom she met in Gudenberg ten long years ago – Elliot Hermit.

"Ellliot…"

Whispering his name, she caressed his head as she had long ago.

This brought to mind joyful memories of the time she once spent with him.

What a strange feeling…

She laughed to hide her embarrassment.

Sharing the same bed as they were made her distinctly aware of his fragrant, manly scent. It inspired some strange feelings in her.

I might do something I'll regret if I don't end this situation…

Cautioning herself, she tried to slowly rise. Rubbing his seemingly still sleepy eyes, Elliot raised his body before her.

"Nn, morning… Haname…"

"Oi, what's with that getup—?!"

Haname blushed a deep red.

Emilia was, after all, wearing a thin, white shirt. The pecs on his chest only made things worse; she well understood the danger that they posed. Furthermore, his lower half was covered by only a pair of thin white briefs.

"Well, last night, I helped Haname to bed, nursed you, and I guess I fell asleep like that… Wait, UWAA—!"

He finally realized what he looked like. Elliot grabbed the bed covers in a fluster and covered herself.

"No need to explain, just change into something fast!"

"With you here? Haname… ecchi…"

"Then I'll leave!"

"Wait!"

As she tried to jump off the bed in a panic, something warm introduced itself to her back. Elliot had snaked his arms around her back and gripped her in a tight embrace.

"W-What do you think you're doing?"

"It's fine if you don't leave; I can change if you'll just turn your back…"

"No, I meant why are you suddenly…"

"Sorry. But let me stay like this a bit longer."

"Why would you…"

"Because, well, these peaceful moments with Haname make me happy… I can be together with you…"

Two soft objects pressed up against his back. This was far too stimulating for this early in the morning.

"Isn't it about time you let go?"

"Ah, yep… sorry."

"I'm heading outside then."

"I already told you that that won't be necessary. Just turn around," he called out as Haname began to leave the room.

"I can still hear you changing. I can't help it if I feel uneasy about that."

"Ahaha, Haname, you're so cute."

"What do you mean by that?"

Elliot's giggling made her pout.

"Anyway, hurry up and change. Breakfast time's already started."

"…I know."

The sound of rustling clothes and clothes hitting the floor caused her heart to pound in her ears.

Behind her, a boy – Eliot – was only changing, but her face turned feverish nonetheless.

"You can turn around now."

By the time he called out, Haname, too, had finished changing.

She turned around to find Elliot Hermit gone and Ellie Crossfode in his place.

Although he wore a lightweight outfit of a jersey and trousers over his shirt, his hair was let down. It was only natural that one would notice the bulges on his chest.

"I'm going to go ahead and wash my face."

"You know—"

"Hmm?"

Responding to the voice calling out from behind him as he made his way to the bathroom, Ellie paused and turned.

"Thanks for last night. I was totally out of it."

"Carrying you to your bed was no trouble at all. Removing your clothes was a bit troubling though…"

"Removing my— oh…"

Haname remembered that she'd been in her uniform when she collapsed. However, when rising, she only had her uniform shirt and skirt on.

"I was pretty concerned. You also sweat a lot, so I wiped your body down with a towel after I bathed."

"You wiped me down… You didn't touch me in any weird places…?"

"Like where?"

"That's, err…"

"…?"

"If you didn't, then it's fine."

Haname laughed.

Chuckling, Ellie entered the bathroom.

Afterward, they traded places and Haname washed her face, finalizing their preparations to leave.

"So Haname, how does your body feel now?"

"A lot better than it did yesterday; I seem to be as healthy as always."

"But your stomach's empty, right?"

"Well, yeah. Very much so."

"I knew it."

Ellie grinned broadly.

"When people consume a lot of Energy, they get really hungry."

"Is that so?"

"Yep, especially after you use the power of a Variant. It tends to leave you that way, you know?"

With that, Haname and Ellie promptly left for the lobby where breakfast was being prepared.

"Mornin'. Yesterday was pretty incredible, huh? You feelin' better already?"

In the lobby were three freshmen. One of them, Fiona, approached them with a greeting.

Her dress – a shirt and skirt – was very casual. The other freshmen were dressed as she was, and they were all engaged in busily filling their mouths with sandwiches.

"Well then, let's eat."

On a wide table, a variety of sandwiches with egg, lettuce, and tomatoes – some with ham, some with roasted chicken – were laid out.

The selection of beverages – including orange juice, vegetable juice, milk, ice coffee, and mineral water – was enough to confuse.

On a side note, the dorm's food was all prepared by the school cafeteria and transported to its destination each morning and evening.

In this way, both the taste was guaranteed and nutrition tightly managed.

All of this info had been shared with them by Fiona, at their request.

Afterward, Haname and Ellie sat down for breakfast with Fiona and the others.

Haname was then informed that the two freshmen from earlier would be continuing their stay in Little Garden after all. Clark had repealed the order for their expulsion.

At that, Haname heaved a sigh of relief.

"So, what are you two going to do today?"

"That depends on Haname's condition, I'd say…"

Ellie answered Fiona's question, meeting the gaze of the face assessing Haname's condition.

"I've said this already, but I feel perfectly fine; I'm not hurt anywhere."

Ellie's face lightened up with enthusiasm at her reply.

"If that's the case, then there's something I'd like to do with Haname today."

"…Which is?"

"A date!"

"A date? With…!"

Haname spat out her orange juice in shock.

"Ahaha. This warship's business district—I thought I'd like to visit Central."

Ellie told the flustered Haname with an innocent expression.

Yesterday's duel had robbed them of the chance to look around, and lessons began on the morrow. There wouldn't be another opportunity to do so until the end of the following week, so she wanted to visit the business district before the day was out.

"So, why don't we go together?"

If he hadn't characterized it as a date to begin with, then she would've agreed from the start. She'd been wanting to see Central as well, after all.

"If that's the case, then let's do it, shall we?"

"Yay!"

Upon hearing Haname's reply, the delighted Ellie gave a cheer.

"In that case, I'll head back to our room first, okay?"

After finishing breakfast, Ellie stood up from his seat and went to their room. Subsequently, Haname stood up from her chair, and then Fiona asked something of her as well.

"You headed for the bath?"

Haname nodded.

As she didn't get into the bath yesterday evening, she wanted to at least take a shower after this, Haname had told Fiona and Ellie that during their meal.

She had sweated a lot while she was asleep and, as Elliot had been close to her all the while they were sleeping, she was deeply dyed in his scent. Worrying about that, she couldn't help the racing of her heart. She couldn't keep going on without taking a bath.

"Which reminds me, what are your plans for the day, Fiona? If you'd like, why not join us in Central?"

Although she had already agreed to visit Central together with Elliot some time ago, it was her first time in ten years going on a date with a man that wasn't her sister…

Even if the person from that time had also been Elliot, things had changed too much; she didn't know how she should behave.

With that in mind, she figured that it'd probably be better for Fiona and Laetitia to accompany them.

The reply, however, dashed her hopes.

"Sorry, but I already have an appointment to visit the Colosseum with Laetitia today. The seniors from the Bugeika will be holding a mock battle there, and he wanted to watch."

That was a very Laetitia-ish excuse, she thought. It would have been nice if she hadn't had other plans, but given the circumstances, she couldn't ask Fritz the impossible.

"Come to think of it, are you and Laetitia going out?"

"The heck are you asking all of a sudden?"

Haname accidentally blurted out something she'd been wondering for some time now. Fiona's face clouded over at her question.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for him or something? You'd better give up on that; that boy's just a brat – in mind, body, and experience."

"It's nothing like that. I was just curious about your relationship; you're always together, after all. Why is that?"

To be honest, she was hoping for a reference for her relationship with Elliot.

She couldn't say that, though, so she dodged the question. Eyeing Haname with suspicion, Fiona responded.

"I already introduced him as my childhood friend, right? Don't confuse us for lovers, okay? We've just always been together since way-back-when, so our relationship just naturally became like this."

"So, even when you're near Laetitia, your heart doesn't throb?"

"Of course not! No way do I have those kinds of feeling for Laetitia… Ohh, I see now. You fell for the student council president! He's a hottie, he is, and his crotch is massive."

"That's not it!"

"It's fine. There's no need to be shy."

"I said that's not it!"

Haname shouted again to get her point across.

"What, I thought that during that fight you seemed to get cold feet or something, but I figured… If you had fought with your fists, a wonderful friendship would've probably bloomed between you two. Didn't you fall in love because of that?"

Laughing heartily, Fiona continued.

"It must've been great, grabbing the Prez's crotch. It were huge, right?"

It was huge indeed. And very soft. But that wasn't what she should be thinking about right now. She wasn't in a situation to remember that feeling.

"Well, whoever it is, good luck, alright? They say love makes people strong, after all."

Fiona rose and returned to her room.

She had the feeling there'd been a grave misunderstanding, but the more she protested, the worse the misunderstanding became. She eventually gave up on trying.

Since he was always by my side, I'd never really thought anything of it, huh—

As she soaked in the public bath, Haname recalled the earlier exchange with Fiona.

That continued even after she finished her bath and returned to her room.

She remembered the feeling of Elliot's lips from the evening before.

That was just a Hundred thing and not that kind of thing, I guess… she convinced herself.

But if the boy who was my first love does that kind of—Aaah, enough!

She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts running through her mind. If this continued on, hers body would soon hit its limits, leaving her at a loss for what to do.

…Haa…

As I thought, there's nothing I can do but get used to it, huh?


A short time after, Haname and Ellie left their dorm and made their way toward the warship's prime shopping district – Central.

"It's annoying that we have to wear the uniform even on holidays…"

The weather was warm: sunny, without a cloud in the sky. That, combined with the long-sleeved uniform, made them sweat.

"It can't be helped; on this battleship, Slayers and Bugeika students are a somewhat special existence. It's to distinguish them, or so Fiona said."

"If I remember correctly, soldiers in Liberia also receive special treatment. You get freebies for entering a shop in uniform, I hear…"

"That's… ehm, not particularly the reason, though."

After leaving the dorm, they'd been walking side-by-side, close enough for their uniforms to brush against one another.

When they got too close, however, her heart would pound, and so she did her best to keep her distance.

"Muu, stupid Haname," Ellie pouted, closing the distance again.

Even if he looked like a girl at the moment, she couldn't forget that he was a boy after all; it was a difficult situation.

That was why she tried to distance himself, but Ellie had noticed and thwarted her efforts.

It didn't look possible to separate anymore.

It makes me happy walking side-by-side like this, but, as expected, it was rather stimulating…

She still had a ways to go to get used to this.

"Now that I think of it, the business district's probably called Central because it's in the middle of Little Garden…"

Haname spoke to distract himself. That, and not silence, would help her nervousness.

"We can probably tell if we take a look at the PDA's map, but I don't think it is. It seems like it's called Central in the sense of being the 'heart' of the city."

"You sure know your stuff, don't you?"

"I consulted a map of Little Garden on my PDA while you were bathing."

Ellie proceeded to share what he learned, describing the three main regions of Little Garden.

The first of the three – the 'Terminal Area' – was the outer region wherein the airport, dock, etc. were located. Both airplanes and small ships reached the warship through this area.

Next was the half of the Dome section designated as the 'Military Area', located at the ship's forward bow. This area housed the academy, military, training facility, colosseum, practice grounds, and research lab. The dorm where Haname and the others resided was also here.

The last area was where they were headed now, the 'Family Area'. This warship's business district – Central – was located there, as were many commerce and entertainment oriented businesses. Additionally, it, as its name suggested, housed the residential area that was home to Little Garden's staff, employees of the Business district, and their families.

Perhaps due to transitioning between the Military and Family Areas, the number of refined houses surrounding them began to increase.

The view unveiling itself to their eyes made it harder than ever to believe that they were still on board a ship.

"Aaah, I can't wait; I'm looking forward to it so much!"

"Even if you say you're looking forward to it, there's no way it compares to Gudenberg, where you lived before, right? All the rebuilding after the Second Attack should be long done."

Before leaving their dorm, the two had decided that when he was dressed like a woman, they'd refer to him as Ellie and not Elliot. There was no way of knowing when someone might be listening, and so this made things easier.

"Umm, that's true, but I didn't often go outside in Gudenberg, you know? After the attack, we relocated to a more rural area…"

That reminds me, Elliot said the same thing when we were young.

He was always wearing some expensive-looking clothes. It's probably because of the 'relocation', but he's certainly grown up into a fine bocchan.

I guess that caused him to grow up pretty ignorant as to the ways of the world. That's pretty amazing in its own way, really.

"That's me, so it's your turn now. How is Yamato's capital?"

"Yamato? The imperial capital never suffered a Savage attack, so it's prospered, I guess. After the attack on Gudenburg, we went home to the Yamato countryside, where we've lived ever since, so the only image of the imperial capital that I have is the one from TV."

Although she visited the imperial capital briefly before coming to Little Garden, she had only had time to visit the Warslan company's Yamato branch before boarding the transport nearly immediately after.

There had been no time for sightseeing, so she didn't know a thing. Furthermore, the weather had been bad, so even viewing the townscape had been just about impossible.

"That makes us pretty much the same then, right?"

Ellie smiled brightly.


After a ten-minute walk, starting from their dorm, they finally arrived at their destination: Central.

It was a bit before 10 o'clock, but the town was already surprisingly crowded.

"There seem to be quite a few Slayers too, huh…"

Upon entering Central there were quite a few people who passed by them that were wearing military uniforms or were wearing the same school uniform as them. Comparatively speaking, there were more students, but the Slayer population was nine-tenths the size of the student population, so it was only natural.

"There are many freshmen like us too, right?"

Certainly, as Ellie had said, she could see the figures of many freshmen with a single badge attached to their collars, their bodies clad in brand-new uniforms. Given their restless gazes and nonchalant walk, it was immediately obvious – they were the same as Haname and company.

"So what do you want to do first?"

"First, let's do a round of Central itself. It's not that big, so we can think about what we want to do as we walk around."

Alongside Ellie, Haname circled Central once as if it were a track, before ending up walking down Main Street.

Various shops lined the street. It wouldn't be too far fetched to say that some parts of it were the same you'd see in a normal town's shopping district, although one could say that it was perhaps somewhat more attractive than a normal town's. Clothing and apparel shops, taverns and bars, and even toy shops could all be seen.

"We're just looking around, but it's fun. It's really been a while. Since we walked the streets of Gudenberg together, that is."

Haname felt similarly.

It really was fun.

But there was just one thing on her mind.

"Aren't we drawing a lot of attention somehow?" Haname whispered into Ellie's ear.

Ever since entering Central, she had felt the weight of countless gazes upon them.

"It's only to be expected, you know?" Ellie answered unconcernedly.

"To be expected…? What do you mean?"

"Well, you were already an object of interest from the start, and the way you beat the president yesterday only made that more so, so of course you draw attention. What you did yesterday is the talk of the town. I'm pretty sure tomorrow people will be talking about our going shopping together here in Central."

Simply put, it wasn't just a few eyes that were on him, but many, and it wasn't likely to be a temporary situation, either.

"There'll be a fuss about everything you do here, whether it be shopping, eating, or anything else…"

It looked like visiting Central in the future could be quite irritating.

"It'll be okay. After a while, people will get used to it, and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Alternatively, we could try to start some even stranger rumors."

"Hey, stop that! That kind of rumor is bad news!"

Ellie had twined his arm around Haname, as lovers do. Even if she could feel his breasts against her, his body was still extremely soft. When the distance between them shrank like this, it was simultaneously heaven and hell. His masculine fragrance threw her off her stride even more.

"Think about your situation and control yourself a bit…"

Flustered, Haname pushed Ellie away.

"Mou, Haname's such a shy-girl…"

"That's not the problem here, geez…"

Haname and Ellie were walking side-by-side once more.

Extending beyond the attention they were already receiving, she began to hear mutters of "Haname-chan and Ellie-chan… I wonder who's the top and who's the bottom?"

Were we seen?

I would've been fine if there weren't any strange rumors spreading, though…

At that thought, her shoulders slumped.

"We've just about circled the place now, so what next? Wanna grab something to eat, or would you rather go shopping?"

"There's a place I'd like to visit first, if you wouldn't mind going with me? It's somewhere close by, okay?"

"…And that place is?"

"In Westside – opposite the Terminal District, at the westernmost end of Central – is a park. It's Little Garden's most popular dating spot. You can see the ocean from there and the sun sinking into the horizon's supposedly very pretty. It's totally worth a visit from what I've heard."

"Isn't it still too early for that?"

The sun was still high in the sky.

"That's true, but even at midday, we can still enjoy the pretty scenery, so let's go!"

"If that's the case, then maybe we should."

He kept her company during her crash course training and even gone so far as to nurse her back to health yesterday. So today, she intended to return the favor and keep Ellie company.

When they had gone West long enough, the trees in their surroundings increased.

"We'll soon be there; this greenery's part of Westside and beyond this plaza should be a viewing platform."

As described, once they left the red-brick plaza behind, the ocean filled their vision for as far as the eye could see.

Seagulls swam through the blue sky, almost as if piercing through it.

*woosh* *woosh*, the sound of waves and the scent of salt water grew ever stronger.

The ocean's really beautiful…

Walking along the railing which had been installed on the edge of the battleship, Haname looked at the ocean.

Brilliant rays of sunlight glistened as they were reflected off a pure emerald sea without a hint of murkiness.

A scene not to be found in all of Yamato – it left her speechless.

It must be even more amazing in the evening…

Just as she'd been told, it was a popular dating spot flooded with couples. Pairs of people passed time in silence, their gazes fixed on the setting sun.

Eventually, their hands finding one another—

Just kidding, she might indeed have desired that kind of thing but there was no way that she could do that with Ellie, standing beside her and watching the ocean with her.

He wasn't Elliot Hermit right now, after all, but Ellie Crossfode— Someone who, no matter how you looked at her, was a girl.

But, just a bit, I wonder how it'd feel…

There wasn't anyone near them right now, so it'd be fine if just for a moment. With that thought, she extended her hand to grasp Ellie's.

But she just couldn't do it…

With just a hair's breadth between them, her hand failed to bridge the gap.

And, just as she had finally steeled her resolve and was about to reach out…

Unexpectedly, their hands touched.

Ellie looked at Haname and smiled, tightening his grip on her hand.

"Hey, you…"

"There's no one around right now, so just this much should be fine, right? Plus, you were trying to do the same thing just now…"

"That's… true…"

"So just for a bit."

"Y-Yeah…"

For a while, they held hands.

"Hey, Ellie…"

"Wouldn't Elliot be okay for now?"

"Eeehm, then, Elliot…"

"What is it?"

"There's something I'd been meaning to ask once we were alone…"

She spoke aloud what had been on her mind since morning.

There was no one around and so she didn't have to worry about others listening in.

It was the perfect opportunity.

"Eh, that's, what might it be… somehow, my heart's kinda pounding…"

"Um, well, didn't you say yesterday that you came to Little Garden to meet me? So, now that you've met me, I was wondering what your plans were."

"Aaah, so it's that. That's the kind of talk you wanted to have, huh…"

Losing his strength, Elliot's head drooped.

"'That kind of talk?' What kind of talk did you think it was?"

"J-Just forget it. As for what I plan to do, well, you're going to be here from now on, right? In that case, so will I. That's all there is to it."

Ellie continued with a smile.

"I ran away, after all. I can't go back yet; first, I've got to repay the favor to Charl, who was forced into enrolling me here."

"So you'll become a Slayer and fight the Savage, huh?"

He noticed that Hayato's expression had darkened.

"Do you have something against me becoming a Slayer?" he asked with a meek expression.

"No, it just feels wrong to ask you to put yourself in danger for my sake without regard for what you'll have to go through."

"That's not true. Plus, we're in the same boat here – because of me, Haname's come to Little Garden to become a Slayer."

"That might be true, but…"

"I get the feeling that you want to take revenge on the Savage for tearing us apart ten years ago. Haname, if you become a top-tier Slayer, kill my portion of the Savage for me, and are willing to support me with your salary, then I wouldn't mind thinking about retiring."

"The heck is that…"

"Ah, well… what I said just now, just forget it, haha…"

A deceptive laugh.

"In any event, we've only just arrived here. We can think about what to do from now on little by little, alright?"

"Though I've unexpectedly had to duel the Pres right off the bat, huh…"

"Sorry about that. But you might also say that it's thanks to that that we've grown used to our current situation, right?"

Suddenly, the PDA's default ringtone interrupted the two.

"…Is that yours?"

"Looks like it."

Haname pulled her hand away from Ellie, and sticking it in her pocket, retrieved her PDA.

She checked the display.

"It's from Kaoru…"

"Your brother? You should answer it."

"R-Right…"

She had a very ominous feeling, but as urged by Elliot, Haname timidly pressed the call button.

[Nee-san, why haven't you told me about yesterday's duel?]

"Uh…"

It was a preemptive attack.

"That, well, it was decided on out of the blue and I thought it'd be bad if I worried you…" Haname answered in a fluster.

[Although it was some time ago, I heard from Minato about yesterday's duel and the fact that Nee-san was brought into the hospital; it really shocked me, you know? Although I wanted to see your injuries, is your body okay?]

"It's nothing to worry about. I feel just fine. So everything's fine, don't worry."

[If I worry, it's because Nee-san does nothing but unreasonable things…"

"If you put it like that, I can't really argue…"

[But what you did is just so like you, I think. Dueling for someone's sake—]

"Is that so?"

[That's the kind of person Nee-san is. But before you do anything dangerous again, make sure you let Kaoru know properly. Promise me. If you don't, I'll curse you for real.]

"Right, got it."

[So, Nee-san, what are you doing right now? I think I can hear birds chirping for some reason…]

"I'm in Westside, at the outskirts of Central right now."

[Westside…? You're not with a boy right now, are you?]

Kaoru's tone had dropped. That happened when he was suspicious. Given him reaction, he probably knew that Westside was a dating spot.

"O-Of course not…"

[That's a little suspicious, isn't it? Nee-san, you had that duel yesterday and it looks like you're popular among the boys in the hospital too, so I'm a bit uneasy. You haven't been deceived by some strange boy, have you?]

"I'm fine, really!"

[According to yesterday's fortune telling, today, a boy and Onee-chan…]

"I'm telling you there's nothing like that!"

[That's the honest truth, right? If that's the case, then you have nothing to worry about if I confirm that in person, right?]

"Confirm…?"

[I have permission to go out today. So, I thought I'd come and have dinner with Nee-san after this. Originally, I was calling to inform you, but it seems like Nee-san's already at Central…]

"Going out? How do you plan to do that? You can't walk…"

[I've got a wheelchair, and I can take a bus from the hospital to Central so it's no problem.]

"…Are you serious?"

[Dead serious. From tomorrow on, Nee-san's classes will start and we won't be able to see each other as often.]

"If that's what you want, then I can come to the hospital…"

[Now that that's settled, once I arrive at Central, I'll contact you, okay? Please be alone by then.]

"No, wait, hey!" Haname shouted.

However, there was no response.

The call had ended.

Is he really coming here?

…Given his tone, I get the feeling that he is.

Haname sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Kaoru's coming here…"

"Ah, so it's that!"

"What's with that reaction? You seem delighted."

"I've been wanting to meet Kaoru-kun too. He's your little brother, after all. I've got to properly greet him. We'll be socializing for a long time from now on, so I want to be on good terms with his."

"What are you thinking… Plus, he's afraid of strangers, you know…"

"I'll show you how skilled I am. Okay? It's fine, right?"

"…Alright already."

It can't be helped, Haname sighed once more.

"Yes!"

Elliot may have been delighted, but Haname was filled with anxiety.

"Where are you meeting Kaoru-kun?"

"I believe he said he'd come by bus…"

"Then shouldn't we go back to the town center and try to look for him at the bus stop?"


Haname and Ellie returned to Central's town center and went looking for the bus stop.

It seemed that buses were constantly traveling around Little Garden. At their current location, the bus appeared once every 15 minutes or so.

A bus arrived immediately after the pair reached the bus stop, but as might be expected, Kaoru was not on it. 15 minutes passed before the next bus came.

After several passengers disembarked, a wheelchair alighted next.

Riding in this wheelchair was none other than Kaoru.

Unlike the wheelchair he used back in Yamato, this one was far more elaborate. He had no need to move his wheels himself; instead, via a joystick located on the armrest, he was able to direct the movement of his wheelchair.

Deftly manipulating his wheelchair controls, he made his way to Haname's side.

"Oh, you're here to greet me, right?"

The moment he caught sight of his sister, he raised his voice happily.

"To travel this far alone… Are you feeling okay?"

"My health's been much improved ever since coming here. Minato also kept me company until the bus came."

"Is that so…"

If he was feeling better, then she was happy to hear it.

"Well then, Nee-san, th—"

At long last, Kaoru became aware of the presence of Ellie, standing behind Haname. His face took on a severe expression.

"Nee-san, you weren't alone…?"

"…Uh, I didn't mention it?"

"I certainly don't remember hearing it," Kaoru answered plainly.

Come to think of it, I did say I wasn't with a boy, but I guess I never mentioned I was with my roommate…

"…So? Who is that?"

He directed a stern, pointed gaze in Ellie's direction. His tone was much harsher than it had been during his call earlier.

Ellie took the opportunity to step in, asking gently, "Um, would it be okay if I introduced myself?"

"…"

Kaoru didn't reply.

Ohhh man, I guess there's no helping it…

With her eyes, Haname signaled to Ellie that he should continue with his introduction. Ellie turned to Kaoru with a smile.

"I'm Haname's roommate in the dorms, Ellie Crossfode. Nice to meet you, Kaoru-kun."

"…"

However, Kaoru didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to watch Ellie with a look of puzzlement.

"…You're a… woman, aren't you?"

Just as she thought to herself, Finally, he speaks, those were the words that left his mouth.

She panicked.

"People often tell me I have hot, masculine features, but I'm definitely female, unfortunately."

Ellie followed up his response with a natural-sounding laugh born of countless experiences just like this one.

Kaoru, however, was not to be done in so easily.

"Do you perhaps… like women…?"

"Oi, Kaoru! What do you think you're saying—?! Apologize to Ellie!"

Unable to contain himself, Haname forced her way between them and shouted without thinking.

"But she accompanied Nee-san to Westwide; there's just the two of you, right? That's why I think he might be that kind of person…"

"You're reading too much into it."

Haname sighed in exasperation.

"Nee-san also has the potential for such things…"

"Nope, no such thing."

"If that's really the truth, then fine, but… even then, it must be problematic for you. If you'd simply keep your distance from this person, then messy situations like this wouldn't keep happening…"

"What do you mean by 'messy situations'?"

"Things like yesterday's duel or your popularity with the boys in the hospital that came because of it. I'm curious what you plan to do, surrounded by girls like this."

"There's nothing to worry about there. I'll drive away any scum which dares to gather around Haname, so you can rest easy, Kaoru-kun."

"…And why on Earth would you care?" Kaoru retorted with a sharp glare.

"Um, well, if it's something my roommate's little brother wants, then I can't just ignore it, right?" Ellie said deceptively.

Kaoru wasn't buying it.

What do I do about this…

"So uh, we've been talking for a while, and I'm getting pretty hungry here, so why don't we get something to eat?"

"In that case, there's somewhere I'd like to go."

"…Somewhere you'd like to go?"

"Could you go shopping with me for a bit first? The place I have in mind is outside of Central."

"That's fine by me, but where is it you want to go? Somewhere that specializes in sweets?"

"Nope."

Kaoru was especially fond of sweet things, so that had been her guess, but it seemed she was wrong.

"The place Kaoru wants to go to is the school cafeteria."


The buildings for Little Garden's elementary school, middle school, and high school could all be found within close proximity of the Bugeika building.

These were connected to the Bugeika building by a series of roofed walkways, at the center of which lay a courtyard.

The cafeteria thus served as a locale where all Little Garden students could freely intermingle.

The food was cheap and the servings plentiful.

A large number of people had gathered in the cafeteria today as well, even though it was a holiday.

"I never would've guessed that the place you wanted to visit would be the school cafeteria. Are you really sure about this?"

"I am. Nee-san hasn't been here yet either. I also wanted to see what kind of place Nee-san will be attending from tomorrow on as well as to see a school for myself."

"And how is it? Your impressions of having seen a school?"

"Even if it's just the cafeteria, I'm glad that I could go inside the school building like this. Next time, I want to properly come on my own two feet and experience school life that way."

"If you hurry up, it'll be possible, right?"

"…Yeah," Kaoru replied with a nod, earning him a charming smile from Ellie.

"Now then, shall we order something?"

As prompted by Ellie, Haname and Kaoru turned their gazes to the menu.

As if to match the diversity of people living in Little Garden, cuisines of various countries had been prepared by the cafeteria. Given the sheer selection available, it was hard to know where to start.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll go with a pasta?"

Ellie decided on a meal set that included pasta, bread, and a salad.

"That looks pretty good, wonder if I should get that too… What're you getting, Kaoru?"

"Kaoru wants… that."

Kaoru was pointing at a meal set of hamburger steak and fried prawns.

"Isn't that a kids' meal?"

"…Whatever. I want it."

Buu, Kaoru pouted.

"I get it, I get it. Let's find somewhere to sit then, shall we?"

Haname shifted her gaze to a table with a parasol, just outside the cafeteria.

They stood out immensely; Kaoru, because of his wheelchair, and she, because of her duel the day before. She wanted to eat somewhere where they'd pass as unnoticed as possible.

"Wait here for me, Kaoru. I'll get your order for you too."

"…..Yeah."

Haname, having secured a table, left Kaoru to go place their orders with Ellie.

The pasta sets came in three variations, of which Haname chose the penne arrabiata and Ellie, the macaroni and cheese.

Incidentally, they used their PDAs to pay for their meals electronically. Little Garden did not participate in cash exchange. The allowance for their meals had been given to them in January, at the time of their entrance into the school.

Naturally, Haname paid for her brother's meal as well as her own.

Haname and Ellie took their meals out of the cafeteria and settled down under the parasol of the table they'd chosen earlier. The three began their meal.

"It's great that I was able to become friends with Kaoru-kun today."

"…Be friends?"

As their meal approached its conclusion, Ellie suddenly said these words. Haname froze and her eyebrows rose.

Until this point, Kaoru had basically ignored any and all attempts on Ellie's part to draw him into conversation.

"Haven't we shared food?"

"That's true, but…"

Kaoru had accepted the pasta Ellie had offered him earlier.

"That was only 'cuz I wanted to try your food too. It looked pretty tasty."

"But when I asked you if you liked it, you answered. Isn't that right, Kaoru-kun?"

"…Uh…"

Ellie's question left him at a loss, so Kaoru hung his head in shame.

"I guess there's still a ways to go, but I was able to speak with you at least once; that's progress."

Ellie was extremely optimistic.

That Kaoru had been willing to accept food from him was a big step in the right direction. Kaoru had always been reluctant to take anything from people he had just met, a habit that dated back to their time in the orphanage.

Kaoru's slowly becoming an adult too, it seems…

He's opened his heart to Minato – the nurse in charge of his care – too. He's already becoming an adult without me noticing. That makes me happy.

Immediately after Haname had this thought…

"Ara, what a coincidence."

An unexpected voice.

Surprised, Haname turned her gaze in the direction of the voice.

There stood the King – Clark Harvey.

Nor was Clark alone. He was accompanied by the two vice presidents – Eric Candle and Lloyd Steinberg – as well as a girl with hot features whom appeared slightly younger than Haname and the others.

"Are you here to eat as well, or are you here to start something again?"

Just as he had the day before, Ellie flared up in response, standing in stark contrast to the president, was unbothered by his hostility.

"…Nee-san, who are these people?"

Though clearly displeased—

The gaze Kaoru directed their way was nonetheless fearful.

"They're members of Little Garden's student council. The one in red is the president, while the two in blue are his vice presidents."

"President… In other words, this drill is the one causing problems for Nee-san…"

His sharp gaze targeted Clark.

"…Drill… you say?"

*twitch* Clark's cheek twitched at Kaoru's words.

"Kisaragi Haname, who is this rude young lad?"

"He is Kisaragi Kaoru, the younger brother of Haname-sama, Clark-sama," the young, blonde girl behind Clark replied.

Appearance-wise, her hair was long and curled, and her curly bangs were long – long enough to hide one of her eyes. Her features were childish, and her uniform belonged not to the Bugeika, but to the middle school.

"Yes, that does seem to be the case, doesn't it? Now that I look at them, there certainly is a family resemblance, is there not?" Clark mumbled as he looked at Kaoru.

"Indeed. That would be the reason for his hostility, Clark-sama," she responded with an innocent smile.

"…That reminds me, I have yet to introduce myself. I'm a second-year in middle school and Clark-sama's assistant – Christa Steinbelt. Best regards, Kisaragi Haname-sama, Kaoru-sama, and Ellie Crossfode-sama."

She bowed deeply.

It seemed she also knew who Ellie was.

"In any event, this timing is fortuitous. There's something I wanted to discuss with you, Kisaragi Haname."

"…Discuss? You want to pick up where we left off yesterday?"

"That too, but before that――"

Clark met Haname's gaze as he spoke.

"To jump to the heart of the matter, it's regarding you serving as an assistant to the student council from tomorrow forward."

"Eh…"

"Wait, what do you mean by that―?!"

Ellie, next to the dumbfounded Haname, raised her voice and pounded the table with both hands as she leapt to her feet.

Clanking loudly, the tableware rattled with the impact.

"―!"

Kaoru showed a frightened expression.

"Whoops, sorry… Because of yesterday's incident, I unintentionally flared up."

Ellie apologized to Kaoru before glaring at Clark once more.

"Yesterday's duel was a draw, right…? So why does Haname still have to be an assistant for the student council―?!"

"Ellie Crossfode, I said we'd make her an assistant for the student council, but I never said anything about making her clean the student council room."

"…Then what are you planning to have Haname do?"

"Clark-sama has direct supervision over the student council Selections team―― and would like to scout Kisaragi Haname as a member."

Eric, who had been standing silently by Clark's side until now, answered.

"And? Are you interested?"

Clark turned to Haname once again.

"Well, even if you ask whether or not I'm interested… To be honest, I don't even know what members of the Selections do…"

"Their duties are nearly identical to the Slayers'. That includes taking requests from the Warslan company, operation of the Hundred, and completing missions."

They handled a wide range of matters from guarding vital facilities to protecting VIPs, such as world leaders.

"The single most important duty is, of course, to battle the Savage, however," Clark added in a tone which suggested such a thing was only natural, "Although Slayers belong to the Warslan company from the moment they enroll in the Bugeika, they are nevertheless still students, and thus participation in such duties is not mandatory; it is up to each student's own judgment. However, the way I see things…"

After a short pause, Clark continued with a serious expression.

"It's a matter of noblesse oblige. Those with power have an obligation to wield that power for the sake of those without. Such a thing is only natural. This is why the Warslan company provides suitable compensation for those who hold such power."

In other words, increased pay. For Haname, such an offer was incredibly tempting. That would increase the amount of money she'd be able to send to the facility.

…But could I really do my job as a member of the Selections as I am?

She thought about her duel with Clark.

If she entered the battlefield without the ability to control her power, she might be more of a liability than an asset.

That was reason enough for her to hesitate.

I wonder what Ellie thinks?

She turned her gaze his way.

"If you're telling Haname to join, then I will as well."

Ellie seemed more than confident about her ability to enter the Selections.

She was grateful that Ellie'd be with him. The thought of being alone made her uneasy, but with Ellie by her side, even if something happened, she felt she'd be able to overcome it, one way or another.

Unfortunately, Eric dashed her hopes.

"That's not possible. The requirements for the Selections necessitate that one either possess the ability to fight on equal standing with the Savage or are capable of serving in a pure support capacity. None others are allowed."

His words brought a thought to Haname's mind.

That reminds me, even though he was only helping during yesterday's duel, Ellie's better with the Hundred than I am. I guess the student council isn't aware of that, huh…

In that case, their rejection was only to be expected.

"So, in other words, all I have to do is demonstrate my abilities."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I request a duel with Pres. Once I win, I should be free to enter the Selections alongside Haname, no?"

"How dare you, Ellie Crossfode!? To suggest that the likes of you could rival Clark-sama!" Lloyd, who had been restraining himself this entire time, roared.

I agree, Haname thought. His words had been provocative indeed. However, Ellie didn't seem intimidated at all.

"You're not going to run away, are you?"

"I'm not. Unfortunately, I cannot accept your proposal, nonetheless."

Clark rejected Ellie's proposal. It, of course, was not the end of the matter.

"And why is that?"

"School regulations state that students who participate in a duel may not do so again until a week later."

There were countless people who wanted the chance to duel those with a high rank, but were those duels to happen without end, it'd be a pointless waste of Stamina and Energy.

If the Savage were to appear, it wouldn't be possible to sortie in peak condition. The consequent disabling of Little Garden's greatest force was counterproductive.

The rules were designed to prevent just such a situation.

"It's fine if it isn't you personally. Lloyd Steinberg should serve just as well, right? A battle with him would serve to showcase my abilities, would it not?"

"Know your place, Ellie Crossfode! Even if you do place just after Kisaragi Haname among the freshmen reaction readings, the difference is still considerable. In any event, a reaction reading and proficiency with the Hundred are two very different things!"

"A fight will reveal everything. When do you want to do it? Right now sounds good to me…"

With those words, Ellie took out his Hundred from his chest and threw it into the air.

"HUNDRED ON!"

With his shout, his Hundred, in particles of bluish-white brilliance, enveloped Ellie's torso from the hips on up, forming the [Arm's Shroud].

"Ellie Crossfode, why do you possess a Hundred…?"

Ellie's deployment came as a shock to Eric.

"I'll tell you once the duel is over."

"Oi, I haven't even decided whether or not I'm joining, so cut it out!"

"Sorry. I got a bit ahead of myself, I guess…"

At Haname's prompting, Ellie attempted to release his Hundred. Lloyd, however, rejected that idea.

"I won't forgive it if you simply back down after such disrespect. I'll show you your place myself―― HUNDRED ON!"

Angrily shouting that he'd resolve the matter personally, Lloyd clenched his Hundred. He was surrounded by a thick, dark cloud of violet particles and a giant thruster appeared on his back.

Next, a drill-like spear as tall as he appeared in his right hand, accompanied by a shield in his left.

"The weapon's a spear―― So a Phalanx type?"

"Correct, my Hundred's of the infantry-style – also known as the Phalanx type. Its Arms' name is the [Jet-Black Heavenly Spear], the Midgardschlange!"

With that, Lloyd turned to Clark.

"Clark-sama, permission to duel…"

"Of course I can't allow something like that! Ellie Crossfode's Hundred is a Dragoon-type like mine, so you'd put your surroundings in danger with a duel."

Truly the words of a "president", Haname thought.

Mutters of "What's going on over there?" could be heard as curious students and citizens of Little Garden had assembled. Furthermore, Kaoru, in his wheelchair, was also present. A duel would also endanger him.

"Nee-san…"

Kaoru grabbed the hem of Haname's uniform in concern.

Haname leapt in front of his wheelchair protectively.

"It's alright, even if something happens, I'll make sure to protect you."

Adapting to the circumstances, Ellie spoke up.

"We need to be careful about bystanders―― So, it'd be fine as long as we avoid using the Hundred's shooting systems, right?"

With those words, Ellie's Hundred formed into a lance.

"You've changed the nature of your Hundred―― How on Earth?"

Clark stared in wonder. Lloyd and Eric, and eventually even the curious onlookers revealed the same reaction. The commotion from the crowd grew even louder.

"Why are you so surprised? Your Hundred can change forms as well, can it not?"

Haname recalled that during their duel the day before, Clark had combined [Alisterion's] six batteries into a giant cannon. Was this somehow different from what Ellie had just done?

"Even if the shape of my weapon changed, it was nevertheless of the Dragoon-type throughout. The Hundred's types are hardcoded at construction. However, Ellie Crossfode has changed her floating battery Arms – of the Dragoon-type – into a long spear Arms of the Phalanx-type. A change at such a fundamental level like that is no ordinary thing."

Originally, each Slayer was capable of wielding but one Arms.

A Slayer that could stably employ more than one kind of Hundred was simply unheard of.

"Alright, here I come―!"

Ellie, kicking up dirt with a furious leap, attacked Lloyd with the lance in his hands.

Seeing his actions, Eric was outraged.

"Even though there hasn't been a duel declaration, you suddenly start to fight – this is simply outrageous. Stop this insta――"

"Let them continue."

"…Clark-sama?"

"Please allow me to observe the situation for just a bit."

Ellie's spear collided with Lloyd's Midgardschlange, generating a terrific sound which shook the courtyard.

Lloyd was unable to go on the offensive of his own volition, able only to react to the furious onslaught of blows that came from Ellie.

He shifted his gaze to Clark, silently asking for permission.

As Clark nodded, signaling his permission to proceed, Lloyd's feelings shone through. Baring his teeth in a broad grin, he repelled Ellie's spear with Midgarschlange, sending it flying into the air, and then began preparations to go on the attack.

"With permission, I can finally get serious! Let's see if you're a Slayer who can keep up with one of the Selections!"

"Then I'll get serious as well. I can't take it easy on an opponent like you!"

Lloyd's thrusters fired and he accelerated, thrusting Midgardschlange mightily forward. Ellie, warding off the blow with a shield formed from [Arms Shroud], sent forth his own spear in attack.

"…Kku―!"

Lloyd panicked, blocking the blow with the shield in his left hand.

"Eric, please check the database for Ellie Crossfode's registered data. What does it say about the form of her Hundred?"

"A moment, please."

Eric touched the frame of his glasses, causing characters and images to appear on his lenses.

"A monitor?"

"Correct. It is connected to [LaZER] via the Vital Link and is operated by eye movements," Clark explained.

"…Clark-sama, I have finished verifying her information. It is indeed registered as a Dragoon-type in the database."

"And yet, she can fight with so many――"

Once again, Clark turned his gaze to Ellie.

It was a fact of reality that attaining mastery of even just one Hundred form required overcoming incredible hardship. That notwithstanding, Ellie's spear skills were not outdone by Lloyd's, even though it was his only specialty; they stood on equal footing.

More worrisome still was the way this Hundred enveloped her entire body.

Unlike Clark's own Hundred, [Alisterion], nothing bearing the slightest resemblance to a gun barrel could be seen in its form. Furthermore, it had now somehow taken on the form of a spear and shield…

What on Earth is it…?

Squinting as he inspected it more closely, he realized that this Hundred did not maintain a fixed form, but was rather more like a mass of particles. As if validating this insight, Ellie's spear dissolved back into particles before reforming into yet another shape.

"Not two, but three…!"

Its new form was a boomerang.

Thrown mid-jump, it sent Lloyd's Midgardschlange flying before promptly returning.

"Kisaragi Haname, what do you know about this?"

"What do I know――"

"About Ellie Crossfode."

Even if he asked, she wasn't sure if it was okay to answer. In any case, it wasn't like she knew that much about Ellie either.

As she stood, uncertain…

"Let me answer that."

A voice called out from behind them.

Taken by surprise, Clark instantly turned his head.

"Why are you here…?"

Haname mirrored his action.

Standing there was the main technologist of Little Garden, the head of their research lab, Charlie Dimandias.

"I'm here to eat, but I happened to overhear you, and thought I'd answer; that's all. That said, I wonder if I'm allowed to talk about Ellie's Hundred, after all…"

"You do take your time, don't you? What on Earth is she?"

"Ellie and I first met five years ago. At that time, I was visiting a hospital in Gudenburg, having been informed that there was a patient I'd undoubtedly want to see."

"And that was Ellie Crossfode?"

"That's correct."

Charlie nodded.

"I soon grew aware of Ellie's unrivaled talent as a Slayer. For that purpose, I've bequeathed Ellie a personal Hundred and had her take part in some experiments. As a result, she's become very skilled in both wielding and controlling the Hundred. Her skill is to the extent that she can manipulate her reaction readings."

"That's… impossible…"

"Her reaction reading is comparable to Kisaragi Haname's – or rather, at the moment, it should be even higher. Nevertheless, even if her operational skill is high, it is also formless. For that reason, Ellie Crossfode's Hundred has no type."

"…"

'That's unheard of' was written all over Clark's face.

"Even for me, it's my first time meeting someone who can handle the Hundred like that. It's pretty troubling to me as well, you know? That 'Innocence' – which has no type – as well as that [Arms Shroud] which can morph into other types."

"In other words, you've brought Ellie Crossfode to Little Garden to further your own research?"

"You're upset that you haven't been informed? I have been strictly ordered not to disclose the nature of his unique abilities."

"…If your intentions are to increase the quality of Slayers in Little Garden, then I do not mind."

Clenching both fists, Clark returned his gaze to the pair who continued their duel uninterrupted.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA―――!"

Though it had borne a different form just a moment prior, Ellie once again formed [Arms Shroud] into a spear, faced Lloyd, whom had lost [Midgardschlange], and charged.

Panicking, Lloyd hastily grabbed [Midgardschlange], granted it his Energy, and parried the blow, but his defense proved inadequate.

"Uagh―!"

Lloyd's body flew into the air.

Ellie's Hundred immediately changed forms once more.

The tip of the spear warped, transforming into a muzzle.

"If I fire from point-blank range, I won't damage any of our surroundings, right?"

Ellie leveled the muzzle directly at Lloyd, who had collapsed to the ground, falling on his backside. The barrel shone brilliantly, glittering with concentrated Energy.

"So what's it gonna be? Do you surrender?" Ellie taunted, grinning.

Lloyd grounded his teeth in frustration.

He didn't want to accept defeat, but there was nothing he could do.

Even if he were to expand an E-Barrier, it was likely incapable of nullifying Ellie's shot.

"It's my lo――"

Just as Lloyd was about to acknowledge defeat…

Beep, beep…!

A low-toned buzzer rang out simultaneously from Clark, Eric, and Lloyd's PDAs.

"What's going on…?" Ellie murmured, as he lowered his weapon, Charlie simultaneously mumbling, "The call's come sooner than expected."

"Call? What call?" Haname asked.

"Shit! Savage have appeared on the neighboring island. A request for support from Little Garden has thus been issued by headquarters."

"You knew this was possible—"

"Yes, that is what I wanted to talk to you all about earlier."

Immediately following Charlie's reply, sirens all across Little Garden screamed as one.

Afterward, Man Man's voice could be heard echoing from speakers installed along the roads.

"Announcement from HQ, announcement from HQ. A request for support has been issued by the province of Seonia. The presence of three Savage has been confirmed. Little Garden will immediately begin preparations for sortie. Slayers and Bugeika second and third-years are to prepare to sortie immediately and standby. Warslan company staff are to do likewise."

"Eric, prepare the car at once."

"That won't be necessary. When I call for it, it'll already be prepared," Charlie interrupted, taking his PDA from his pocket.

As described, a long, black stretch limo soon appeared.

It was an eight-seater.

"Clark-sama, let's go."

Eric entered the car in a hurry, with Lloyd following immediately after. Clark promptly got in as well.

"Charlie, are you not coming as well?"

"Just a moment," Charlie replied, before walking away from the car to approach Haname and Ellie.

"Kisaragi Haname, Ellie Crossfode―― You two are coming to the operations room as well."

"Eh…"

His unexpected words took Haname by surprise.

As they did Clark.

"CHARLIE DIMANDIAS, WHAT ON EARTH IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"Clark, you invited Kisaragi Haname to be a Selections member, did you not? I thought this would prove a valuable learning opportunity for her to watch you in action."

With those words, Charlie turned to Clark.

"Moreover, there is currently a lack of proficient Slayers aboard this warship, a fact of which you, more than anyone, are certainly aware. On-the-job training is faster, is it not?"

"…"

Clark could not rebut his words.

"…I understand. There is indeed truth to what you have said."

Sighing in resignation, Clark continued.

"You heard, correct? Kisaragi Haname, Ellie Crossfode: please get in the car."

"Nee-san…"

"It'll be fine."

Haname placed her hand atop Kaoru's head, he having grabbed her uniform in unease.

"She has yet to decide whether or not she will join the Selections. She won't have to enter the battlefield."

"But…"

"Kisaragi Haname, what are you doing?! We're racing against time here, you know?!" Clark screamed from within the car.

Ellie had already joined the others in the car.

"That just leaves…"

Haname turned her gaze to Charlie.

"You can leave your brother to me; I'll ensure that he's properly escorted to the hospital. I'll join you in the operations room once that's done. You guys go on ahead."

"Then I leave him in your care."

With that, Haname walked toward the car.

"Nee-san, have a safe trip," Kaoru called out from behind her.

"Yeah, I'll be going then," Haname answered with a smile as she turned and waved before entering the car.

End of Chapter 4


Chapter 5
Sortie/UNKNOWN/Awakening

The operations room was located on the third basement floor of the Bugeika school building.

It was every bit as dark and gloomy as the lab was; a necessity given the floating monitors suspended in every nook and cranny of the room which were even now projecting images being transmitted from the computer.

It looks pretty busy…

The room was charged with an atmosphere of nervous tension, perhaps only to be expected given the current state of emergency.

The clothing and ages of the ten within the room varied wildly; that notwithstanding, they were uniformly engaged in frantically running their fingers over their optical keyboards while conversing via the microphones attached to their headsets.

From what could be overheard, it was apparent that intel—transmitted both from Warslan headquarters in Liberia as well as from the region in which the Savage had appeared—was being organized and analyzed.

"Those within this room include members of the Warslan Company's intelligence division as well as middle- and high-school students of the Futsuuka who, having achieved excellent grades, cooperate with the Bugeika."

In response to Clark's proud declaration, the girls and boys within the room, who all appeared to be younger than Haname, collectively bowed and saluted. Their reaction spanned just the briefest moment, however, before they returned to their duties in earnest.

"Right then, I'll station myself here."

Clark's assistant, Christa, who had accompanied them to the room, seated herself on a now-empty chair.

The seat she'd taken was next to Man Man, the subordinate of Charlie, the main technologist of the lab.

"Is she a technologist as well then?"

"No, Christa isn't a technologist, but the main analyst."

Analysts, naturally, were specialists at using computers, compiling intel, and operating programs that performed analysis through calculations.

"Christa's skills are superior even to members of the Warslan Company's intelligence division, let alone a typical high school student. So? How's the situation?"

Clark began his inquiries as he approached Christa and Man Man.

"The location where the Savage have made their appearance is within the François territory at the heart of the Zwei Archipelago."

Man Man, compiling intel from the operation seat, answered. Continuing, he expounded upon the Zwei Archipelago in greater depth.

The archipelago was heart-shaped when seen from above, and was a renowned tourist attraction.

It had a population of roughly five thousand residents, as well as roughly a thousand visitors at any given time.

Kirishima Satoru had scheduled a live concert for the day.

"Because of the concert, people from all over have made their way to the island, and there is nearly ten thousand people there right now. It's quite chaotic."

"Kirishima Satoru? Do you know who that is?" Clark asked Haname, prompted by the mention of that name.

Perhaps it was because his name sounded like it belonged to an inhabitant of the Yamato Empire.

"Well, I've definitely heard that name before somewhere… If I remember correctly, he's thelead singer of Tokyo Hotel, I think…?"

"I can gather that much just from hearing that he's putting on a live concert. I'm asking whether you know anything about him beyond that."

He seemed rather offput at her unexpected response, but she didn't know any more than she'd already explained, so she couldn't answer.

"Ellie, do you know anything?"

"Nope. I'm not into that kinda thing, Ellie replied, shaking his head from side to side.

Taken aback by their responses, a voice expressed surprise.

"…Neither of you have heard of Kirishima Satoru? You two really are the same, aren't you?"

Charlie stood before the door that Haname and the others had passed through just a moment ago.

"In this day and age, when Vocaloids are at their peak, he is able to vie for victory with his natural voice alone; Kirishima Satoru is a world-renowned rockstar from the Yamato Empire."

One of Kirishima Satoru's songs flowed forth from the PDA in his hand.

Listening to it, Ellie muttered, "You know, I think I remembering hearing this when we visited Central…"

"Yeah, I think you're right."

As she thought about it, she had the impression that she hadn't heard it just in Central, but back in Yamato as well.

That's right, Kaoru was listening to it…

Hearing the song, she finally remembered.

"That reminds me, Kaoru did make it back to the hospital, right?"

That concern had been weighing on her mind ever since they arrived.

"It was hard to get him to stay there as he wanted to be by your side, but I managed," Charlie replied, pausing the song and returning his PDA to his pocket.

"Is that so? That's a relief."

"…Has HQ's data on the Savage in the Zwei Archipelago arrived yet?"

"It has."

"Project it onto the monitors at once."

"Yes!"

With a nod, Man Man tapped away furiously on his optical keyboard.

"Headquarters say that they're sending reinforcements, but it'll be another two and a half hours until they arrive. To minimize damage, forces in Little Garden are to remain on standby."

"Not only are we not allowed to destroy them, we must even stay inside? Nee-sama sure is making light of our strength, isn't she…?"

Clark's jaw clenched; he seemed vexed.

His expression showed his confidence that they'd be able to handle the situation.

"But Clark-sama, this ship's Slayers lack prior experience in battle, so it can't be helped, right? Furthermore, while two of the three Savage might be smallish normal types, but one of them is enormous, and looks like nothing we've ever seen before. We don't know about its abilities—it's an [UNKNOWN]."

As she spoke, Christa manipulated the floating monitor.

"I was able to pull together a picture of the [UNKNOWN]. I'll project it immediately."

"It certainly is massive, isn't it…" Clark muttered.

Indeed, when compared to her memories of them from her childhood, it was at least five times as large – no, more than that – than the Savage she had seen ten years ago.

It didn't need to be said that getting stomped on was a life-threatening situation, and a full-body attack would shatter one's bones. The blasts from its head were, similarly, far larger than a typical Savage's, and their power could not be denied. Given the situation, it was only a matter of time before the town would be utterly decimated.

"If we don't do something, and fast…" Haname murmured, biting her lips in frustration.

There was undoubtedly a vast horde of people out of view of the camera, scurrying about in panic as they attempted to flee.

"This is both why we have Slayers as well as why the lot of you chose to become Slayers."

With a grin, Charlie turned to Christa.

"Christa Steinbert, forward the data on the Savage and our two freshmen to [LaZER]. Have his carry out a tactical simulation and select members to sortie."

"Charlie Dimandias! You couldn't possibly mean to have [LaZER] select Kisaragi Haname and the others to…"

"I do."

Charlie nodded unconcernedly at Christa, on whose face was a look of utter disbelief.

"Countless Slayers were injured during the Savage hive capture operation in Guinea the other day; Little Garden has an insufficient number of Slayers at the moment. I suspect the head office's order to standby is because they have yet to receive our most current data. Once that lack is amended, I believe they will reconsider their position."

"Wait a sec. You mean we are going to fight the Savage?" Haname interjected.

This was not a situation she'd foreseen.

"Of course. That's why you guys are here, after all, isn't it?" Charlie affirmed with a nod.

"That's why I said to wait, Charlie Dimandias! Your actions are overhasty. In any event, [LaZER] would never choose them…"

"According to my simulation, a solution will reveal itself. This is for the sake of eliminating the Savage. Moreover, you want to get the better of your Bro- of HQ as well, do you not?"

"…"

After several seconds of silent consideration, Clark revealed his decision without truly answering Charlie's question.

"…Understood. We can always reconsider once [LaZER] has given us the simulation results, right?"

"Inputting data for Haname Kisaragi-san and Ellie Crossfode-san. Submitting request to perform selection for members of the sortie party. This will take just a minute, Clark-sama."

Though still confused, Christa nevertheless manipulated her keyboard to fulfill the request.

"Data submission and analysis complete."

She said it'd take a minute, but she was done after only 30 seconds.

"Now displaying the results of the sortie member selection recommended by [LaZER]."

"That's…"

From behind his glasses, Eric's eyes widened and a surprised voice leaked from his mouth as he took in the results of the analysis, displayed on the monitors lining the walls of the interior of the operations room. The other students in the room, along with members of Warslan's intel division, echoed his shock.

"Christa, this isn't some kind of joke, is this?"

"No. Without a doubt, this is the solution that [LaZER] has come up with. There will be limited casualties and the members with a greatest chance of success are—"

At these latest words, Clark's gaze returned to the monitor once more.

Displayed there were the three members of the student council – Clark, Lloyd, and Eric – as well as Haname and Ellie.

"Any objections, Clark Harvey?" Charlie asked Clark with an easy grin.

"…If that's [LaZER]'s answer, then I can only obey. This is Little Garden's law."

"And you, Kisaragi Haname and Ellie Crossford? Are you two ready for a sortie?"

"That's…"

Haname shifted her gaze to Ellie, who had been asked as well.

"Let's do it. If anything happens, I'll be there for you."

"Okay… I understand."

With Ellie's words for support, Haname nodded.

"That means you're ready?"

"Yes."

This time, she nodded much more strongly.

"In that case, as captain of Little Garden, follow my command. First, Christa—Issue a request to the maintenance crew to begin special transport preparations!"

"Understood. Contacting the airport maintenance crew. Urgent: requesting special air transport WL-03 preparations."

"Loyd Steinberg, Eric Candle, Kisaragi Haname, and Ellie Crossfode – you will board the WL-03 alongside myself. Change into your Variable Suits, make any necessary adjustments, and prepare to sortie. We will gather in this operations room in ten minutes, at 1922 hours. Charlie Dimandias, you will provide assistance as necessary. All remaining personnel are to analyze the [UNKNOWN] and provide intel."


Haname and the others boarded the private Little Garden aircraft and headed for the Zwei Archipelago where the Savage had appeared.

Traditionally, Slayers were ferried by helicopter, but, pressed for time as they were, they instead used the WL-03, a tilt-rotor, vertical take-off aircraft owned by the Warslan Company and stationed at Little Garden.

Located within its extravagant fuselage was a briefing room, consisting of an office, a parlor, and a communications room; a bedroom; a sick bay; a workshop for tuning the Hundred; a room for Variable Suit maintenance; and a shower.

Clark, as Little Garden's captain, was granted personal use of this aircraft. Aboard it now, were its pilot and crew and seven others: the five Slayers – the three student council members and the two freshmen – as well as the main technologist Charlie and his assistant Man Man.

"Everyone looks ready for battle."

After takeoff, Haname and the others had adjusted their Variable Suits and proceeded to gather in the briefing room.

They were about to work out a plan of action.

The CIC here was smaller than Little Garden's operations room, but similar in design, with a large screen installed within.

"Very soon now, the five people recommended by [LaZER] a short while ago will engage the Savage," Clark said, turning his gaze to the screen alongside the other student council members.

Depicted there was a map of an island, with the current location of each Savage clearly indicated.

"The first wave of the sortie will be executed by us, the student council team. We'll engage the normal type at the top of the map, designated [α]. Once it's been brought down, we'll begin our assault on target [γ], the unknown type. The freshmen team will then sortie and commence battle with target [β], the remaining normal type."

"Why don't both teams sortie at the same time?" Ellie inquired.

"Because you have no experience battling the Savage," Clark replied flatly.

"Savage movements differ drastically from a human's— If you are unfamiliar with those movements, you'll only be needlessly injured. Therefore, the student council group will go first, and our battle will provide you a reference."

"So this is the strategy [LaZER] proposed, huh…"

At Haname's mutter, a deep buzzing sound echoed and the color of the screen changed. White letters against a red background displayed the word [NEGATIVE].

"[NEGATIVE], huh…"

"The plan is roughly identical to the one devised by [LaZER] except that the point Ellie-sama has just raised was changed by Clark-sama out of concern for Haname-sama and Ellie-sama."

Man Msn's explanation caused Clark to blush.

"T-That's not it. If the freshmen were to be seriously wounded, it'd be a blow to Little Garden and as the student council president…"

"Well then, let's just begin our preparations, shall we?"

Charlie laughed loudly.

Sullen, Clark nevertheless continued with the strategy meeting.

"…If you manage to bring down normal type [β], we can consider the mission complete."

"In other words, we are not to engage the [UNKNOWN]…"

"Yes, its only opponent will be the student council. Rather than actual combat, think of today as gaining combat experience."

"Will you really be alright by yourselves? That Savage is huge, and it looks really strong…"

"Don't take us lightly, Ellie Crossfode! To this day, countless Savage have fallen before us, a vast number of which were also unknown types," Lloyd retorted, radiating confidence.

Clark spoke up next.

"Leave the [UNKNOWN] to we who have experience. [LaZER] likely agrees that the possibility of its extermination lies solely with us."

[LaZER] did not refute his words.

The crew of the WL-03 reported in next.

"Clark-sama, we are now above the Zwei Archipelago. We have confirmed the presence of a Savage at—3 o'clock."

"Project it onto the main monitor."

After a few quick taps on the keyboard from Christa, the image of a Savage was displayed on the main monitor.

"The image you saw earlier was the [UNKNOWN], but this is a normal type. Utilizing our earlier designations, this is target [α]," Man Man added helpfully.

It was roughly three to five meters tall, about the same size as the Savage Haname had encountered once before.

He continued, "At present, the [UNKNOWN]'s attacks are identical to that of a normal type: it attacks with its two pincered claws and fires barrages of beams from its head. Therefore the [UNKNOWN] has been determined to be a Trenta and will henceforth be referred to as such."

"…Understood. In that case, let's begin."

Clark headed for the briefing room's exit.

His two fellow student council members followed.

"Follow me please."

Pressed by Eric, Haname, Ellie, and Charlie quickly trailed after.

They arrived at a hatch.

By its side was a door labeled "flammable". When opened by Eric, it revealed an extensive arsenal of weaponry lined up within.

The majority of their number were heavy weapons. Eric took hold of a giant weapon with nine barrels, one half as tall as he was, and rested it upon his shoulder.

"That's…"

Charlie, noticing Haname's surprise at the display, opened his mouth to speak.

"The design of the Weimar Empire-developed rocket launcher has been improved upon, resulting in this Fliegerfaust. It's an artillery weapon capable of firing nine rockets at once."

It, of course, did not use normal rockets. As an anti-Savage weapon, its rockets were loaded with a greater quantity of gunpowder as compared to their more typical counterparts.

"I assume you know that originally, before the development of the Hundred, the Savage were suppressed with projectile weaponry, right?"

"That much I know, but…"

"Then this'll go quickly. Ordnance can both deal damage – though slight – and throw up a smokescreen which can serve as camouflage, and all that without consuming any Energy. When it comes to a preemptive strike, they're the optimal choice. The preservation of Energy is priceless."

As Charlie's explanation drew to a close, an icy gust blew through the interior of the WL-03.

Eric had opened the hatch.

"The François army is already evacuating, correct?"

"Affirmative. There are no heat signatures within a 300-meter radius of the [α] Savage,"
Man Man replied to Eric's question.

"…Understood. Then I'm beginning the operation."

With that, Eric leapt from the craft, looking entirely accustomed to this action.

Promptly adjusting his posture mid-air, he set up the Fliegerfaust, took aim, and—pulled the trigger.

With a loud roar, nine rockets were released, drawing white contrails through the sky as they raced toward the targeted Savage.

"Lloyd, I'm going."

"Yes, Clark-sama."

Moments later, seeing a cloud of dust whirling into the air with an explosive boom, Clark and Lloyd jumped out the hatch as Eric had before them.

""HUNDRED ON!""

Raising their voices in unison, they extended their weapons.

"HUNDRED ON!"

Eric, who had discarded the Fliegerfaust, followed suit and was bathed in a yellow light.

"Vice President Glasses' Hundred sure has an unusual form, doesn't it? What exactly is that?" Haname muttered without thinking.

The weapons belonging to Prez, Lloyd, Ellie, and herself were unchanged from how they had appeared during their duels. This, however, was her first time seeing Eric's. What had manifested in his hand looked to be a pink-colored chain.

"His weapon's of the Arsène-type and has been given the name [Everlasting]. Eric can expand and contract it as well as control its hardness at will," Charlie replied to Haname's question.

"It is, of course, also possible to ensnare the Savage with it, and by constricting, deal damage to them. Watch."

Haname turned to watch the battle, now displayed on a ceiling-mounted monitor.

The Savage, struck by the rocket barrage, swung both its pincered claws while raising a somewhat muffled voice. However, it cut only air…

The normal type [α] had ascertained the existence of its enemy, but it didn't seem to have a precise grasp of his movements, likely due to the smokescreen thrown up by Fliegerfaust's attack.

Eric hurled [Everlasting] from his hand.

It expanded as it beelined toward its target, immobilizing its body.

"Clark-sama, now!"

Eric, who'd since touched down upon the ground, tightened the grip [Everlasting] had on the Savage yet further still.

As he landed, Clark Harvey took aim.

The six floating batteries, which had unfurled around him, combined to form the Buster Cannon.

This was the very same weapon that he had fired at Haname during their duel.

"Clark is targeting its core located in its head," Charlie added in explanation.

As might be expected from something known as the "steel carapace", the shell covering the surface of a Savage's body was incredibly hard. What lay behind it was the core, after all, the Savage analog to a human heart. Accordingly, the Shelter protecting the core was harder than any metal found on Earth. Weapons and bullets made of ordinary metal could hardly scratch it.

"…But if it's on the receiving end of an attack from the Hundred and Energy, it's a different story. The destruction of its core is all it takes to bring a Savage to its knees. Just watch."

"Eat this—!"

He unleashed a dense mass of Energy at the Savage which impacted its head, as planned.

The Savage's body was rocked by an explosion.

"Shelter destruction confirmed!" Man Man's voice called out from within the WL-03.

This was conveyed to Clark's team via the Variable Suit's wireless function.

"I'll end this!"

After Eric and Clark's attack, Lloyd intimated that it was his turn next. He assumed attack posture, used his Energy to Accelerate, and charged toward the Savage.

Kicking off the ground, he flew into the air.

His lance raised overhead, he took aim at the exposed core.

"This is your end—!"

He swung the pointed tip of [Midgardschlange] downward and let gravity take hold.

Unfortunately, as might be expected, it wasn't just the Shelter that was hard – the core was as well. It cracked, but failed to shatter.

[Midgardschlange], however, was not yet clad with Energy.

"If it isn't easily destroyed after this, then the freshmen will keep taking us lightly! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!"

Lloyd shouted while driving Energy into his weapon. The blade began to rotate like a drill, and its tip bit deeply into the core.

The enemy loosed a muted cry.

Its core turned reddish-brown and burst apart.

Toppling forward, the Savage crumpled to the ground.

"We did it, didn't we?" Clark muttered in satisfaction.

"Did you see that, freshmen?! That's the true strength of the student council!"

Lloyd, panting heavily, leapt away from the Savage's body and landing on the ground, pointed his index finger at the WL-03.

"Next it's your guys' turn. Are you prepared?"

A transmission from Clark reached Haname and the others, whom had been watching the student council members' figures on the monitor.

"…Yeah."

As Haname agreed, Ellie patted her shoulder with vigor.

"Let's sortie too, Haname."

"Sortie… you…"

"Ellie-sama, as you can see, this aircraft is still mid-descent. Please restrain yourself for another three minutes," Man Man said, echoing Haname's surprise.

Waiting, however, had no part in Ellie's plans.

"A single Savage is all it takes to destroy the town. Time is a luxury we don't have, you know?"

"Don't tell me you plan to jump like Prez did?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Ellie nodded nonchalantly.

I was hoping he was just kidding, but he seriously…

Smiling wryly, Haname looked outside the still-open hatch.

An endless blue expanse greeted her. It was roughly 100 meters to the ground.

"You already saw Prez and the others do this earlier, right? As long as you deploy your Hundred properly, you shouldn't have any problems landing. That will show them that we can do this."

"Wait, oi…?"

Ellie suddenly embraced Haname, standing before the hatch, from behind.

With that weight, Haname dropped through the doorway.

"UWAA—?!"

With the wind rushing against her body, she instinctively closed her eyes.

Preventing her stupor was Ellie.

"Haname, you need to deploy your Hundred!"

"I-I KNOW ALREADY!"

If I don't, I'm dead!

Reaching into the deepest reserves of her lungs, she howled:

"HUNDRED ON—!"

She'd somehow managed to deploy her Hundred.

Her right arm was completely enveloped by Protectors and [Hien] materialized in her hand.

"That went just fine, didn't it? Next, use your Energy to soften the impact of your landing. If you fail, your legs will probably break, okay?"

"A-Alright…"

"Okay, I'll deploy mine now, alright?"

Ellie, having separated herself from Haname's back, pulled his Hundred out from within his cleavage and commanded it to deploy.

"HUNDRED ON!"

With those words, [Arms Shroud] encircled Ellie's body. What appeared next were not the floating batteries she had seen before, but two large and lengthy gun turrets.

"I'll use these to deal it a hefty blow like Vice President Glasses just did. That should keep that from moving for an instant, and after I throw up a smokescreen, it shouldn't be able to follow our movements."

Ellie prepared his two gun turrets and charged them with Energy.

"…From within the cover provided by the smokescreen, you aim for its core. If it's your [Hien], you should be able to destroy both the Shelter and core with a single strike."

"Got it!"

"Alright, here we go!"

Once charging was complete, Ellie shot two light orbs, one after another, at the target.

One orb directly struck its head as planned.

The other struck its feet, but that, too, was part of the plan.

An enormous cloud of dust was thrown up by the dual explosions.

Haname and Ellie seized the opportunity to touch down.

It certainly does look like the enemy can't discern our whereabouts, huh…

Learning forward as it sought out its enemies, its antennae repeatedly waved from side to side.

Failing to locate either Ellie or Haname, it continued its rampage amid the town.

Its feelers aside, its toughness was the real deal.

"We need to hurry and stop it."

Although the townspeople had long since been evacuated, any more damage done to the town would drastically increase the time needed to rebuild it.

I guess we should begin the plan then, huh…

Haname kicked off the ground with Energy.

From within the cover provided by the smokescreen, she leapt at its head – and the core within – and draping [Hien] in her Energy, she assaulted it with her blade.

CLANG—!

With a violent sound, an intense vibration ran up her arm.

"It's even harder than I expected…"

Haname landed on the ground for a moment.

Although she destroyed a piece of the Shelter, only the tip of [Hien]'s blade had reached the core.

She left barely a scratch.

…Then, again—!

Deciding upon a course of action, Haname prepared to jump again, only for her figure to be seized upon by an enormous eye.

—Oh crap—!

The smokescreen covering the battlefield had faded.

Allowing the enemy to find her with ease.

It promptly assumed an attacking posture before swinging its right claw downward.

"Haname, dodge!"

Guided by those words, Haname vaulted horizontally, the Savage's pincered claw stabbing into the ground instead.

Ellie commenced his attack.

"TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!"

What he held in his hands were not the two gun turrets from before.

…That's… are those scissors?

They weren't ordinary scissors, of course.

They were a meter long, with a large gap between their blades. He swung them, catching the Savage's right arm in the gap between them.

JAKIN—!

The Savage shrieked in pain.

A fluorescent yellow liquid gushed forth from the wound and its pincered arm fell to the floor, severed.

"Haname, it's coming again!"

"Right!"

The Savage swung its other arm in fury.

Only to fall prey, once again, to Ellie's scissors.

Again, the fluorescent liquid spurted as its other arm was cut off.

"Haname, now! Go for its core!"

"I know!"

With both its arms lost, the Savage rose to its full height, opened its head, and fired a barrage.

Defending against its actions, Haname, who had leapt into the air, struck her enemy directly with [Hien]. This not only prevented its attack but also forced it to the ground. However, though major damage had been done to its Shelter, its core had yet to be damaged.

Thus Haname prepared her third attack.

Ellie suddenly shouted.

"Haname, move—!"

Turning, she watched as Ellie transformed the scissors in his hands into a white bow.

A bow with neither bowstring nor arrows.

However, it suddenly radiated with white light – and arrows shining with that same light materialized in his hands.

The light of Energy.

Ellie took aim at the nucleus of the core.

"I'll end it with this—!"

SHUPAN—…!

Ellie loosed an Energy arrow from his white bow.

Shearing the air itself in half, the arrow flew toward its target along a straight path and, threading the gap in the Shelter, pierced through the center of the core!

"Did we do it…?"

"Yeah—"

With a crack, the core began to splinter.

As a brilliant smile took hold of Ellie's face, he lowered his bow. The pale arrow grew steadily brighter before exploding. The core lost its radiance and shattered.

As fluorescent liquid poured out, the [β] Savage crumpled.

At that sight, they finally felt the joy of victory.

"There's no time to enjoy this victory though, right?" Ellie said, his gaze wandering toward another battlefield… where the student council team had engaged the [UNKNOWN].

"That does seem to be the case, yes…"

As she shifted her gaze to the student council team, Haname's expression grew tense.

Though over 300 meters away, they could feel the intensity of the battle against the Trenta.

The Trenta was at least five times larger than the Savage Ellie and Haname had just dealt with.

That alone was sufficient to cause the firepower of the barrage it loosen from its head to be in another class altogether, and each swing of its pincered claws kicked up violent clouds of dust with an accompanying boom.

Each claw was itself the size of a normal type Savage, so even dodging was difficult.

"Haname, there!"

Following Ellie's shout, Haname watched as Lloyd Steinberg was thrown into the air before impacting the ground heavily, struck by the Trenta's antennae.

He managed to block with his shield as well as erect an E-Barrier, so any damage had been neutralized.

However, his weapon vanished.

"…That's… He's out of Energy, right?"

"Yes."

Charlie said through the Variable Suit, responding to her question.

"He was exhausted even before beginning the battle. Even though his Vitality's hit the critical zone, his life shouldn't be in any danger."

"So it's because of our duel…"

Ellie was filled with guilt.

When they had battled in the courtyard earlier, Ellie had dealt Lloyd a considerable amount of damage.

Although he had rested during the period until they arrived, that damage had undoubtedly hindered his Energy restoration.

"Kuu, how dare you do that to Lloyd!" muttered Clark, before being shortly targeted by the Trenta's claw…

"I won't let you do as you please!"

Eric twined his pink-colored chains around it in an instant. It thus couldn't complete its swing, but…

"KYA—!"

The Savage jumped behind him, the impact throwing his body clear into the air.

"This can't be – it's powerful enough that [Everlasting] can't keep up…!"

As the Trenta landed, Eric's body struck the ground and bounced twice or thrice.

He'd been dealt a considerable amount of damage by that. Although, unlike Lloyd, his weapon was still materialized, his suit was torn, and blood dripped from his exposed skin. [Everlasting], which had bound the Trenta's arm, shattered into pieces and disappeared.

Watching the scene of devastation, Haname said, "We should go offer our help, right?"

"Yeah, I think so too," Ellie agreed.

Their course of action was decided.

"Let's join the Prez then!"

"That won't be necessary!"

Just as Haname and Ellie were about to head to the battlefield once again, Clark's voice called out from their Variable Suits.

"You two remain there on standby. I said that the Trenta is the student council's opponent, did I not?!"

"What are you saying? Now's not the time for that kind of thing!"

Lloyd had collapsed and Eric was injured— No matter how skilled a Hundred operator he might be, to fight that humongous Trenta alone was simply not that simple.

And yet…

"I'll be fine."

Clark's calm did not flee.

"We've been through many such situations until now, and we somehow managed every time!"

An intense light was emitted from Clark's body, who was shouting.

As he engaged his Full-body Armament, heavy Protectors enveloped his body and an enormous thruster materialized on his back.

Filling the thruster with his Energy, he took off.

"PETAL—!"

Shouting as he threw his arms out, more than ten Petals shot forth from his thruster.

"How's that—!"

The Trenta collapsed, skewered by numerous beams firing from every direction which threw up clouds of dust.

That notwithstanding, Clark didn't let up with his attacks.

[Alisterion] turned on its side and combined into one once more, again forming the Buster Cannon.

Holding it with both arms, he took aim at the Savage. It seemed Clark intended to end this with the next shot.

"I'll destroy you and the Shelter together!"

However, he never fired.

Just as he'd taken aim at the core, shining brightly from within the dust cloud, his target moved. The Trenta had stood!

Within the cloud of dust, something flashed.

…It couldn't be… it fired?!

This was unexpected. From the other side of the dust cloud, a thick beam of light came rushing toward his.

"…Ku—!"

Hurriedly, Clark split the Buster Cannon into its six floating gun batteries and arrayed them before him in defense.

Although, thanks to his defensive measures, he emerged unscathed, he lost what little ground he gained.

Just as Clark was about to commence his Petal attack once again…

"Please wait, we'll assist you too!" Haname shouted.

He realized that the voice hadn't reached him via his Variable Suit.

"You two! I told you to watch from afar, didn't I?!" he shouted back, shifting his gaze to the two.

"Judging by your earlier attack, won't it be difficult to stop this guy's movements with just your Petals? Moreover, the vice presidents are in no condition to fight right now, so please let us fight!"

"But…"

Haname's argument was sound.

But Clark nonetheless hesitated, a worried look on his face.

"It'll be fine, we won't be beaten so easily. Anyway, we're joining in with or without your permission, right?"

Ellie winked at Haname.

A transmission from Charlie interrupted their debate.

"Clark, can you hear me? The Trenta is a more troublesome Savage than predicted. [LaZER] concurs that victory will be difficult to obtain without the three of you cooperating."

"We can do this if we fight together," Haname said, attempting to sway Clark once more.

"…I understand."

After frowning for several moments more, Clark, who had sunk into a contemplative silence, opened his mouth to mask his thoughts.

"If you're going that far to persuade me, it can't be helped. This is [LaZER]'s judgement, after all, so let's fight together."

"Yes! Thank you. Then Prez, please distract that giant Savage with your Petals like earlier. I'll bombard it. When its movements pause from the impact, Haname will charge. If that proves insufficient to destroy the core, I'll follow up. How does that sound?"

"Right." "Understood."

Haname nodded, as did Clark.

"Alright, let's commence the operation then."

With the strategy decided upon, all that was left to do was to play their respective parts. His actions seemingly declaring this fact, Clark's thruster fired, and he shot into the air.

"Go, Petals—! Harass the Trenta!"

Clark deployed his Petals around the enemy's body.

That would catch its attention for sure. The Trenta faced the Petals and commenced its attack, attempting to throw them off with its antennae, firing beams from its head over and over again.

Targeting its now defenseless body, Ellie attempted to attack with his Hundred's Long Shooter, of a shape similar to Clark's Buster Cannon, formed from his [Arms Shroud]. Its muzzle was already filled with Energy; the charging was done.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!"

The concentrated discharge hit the Trenta's massive frame directly, halting its movements.

"Haname, now!"

"Right!"

Haname kicked off the ground with all her might, hurling herself into the air like a spring, swung [Hien] at the Trenta's Shelter.

GAKIN—!

Her arms felt numb. The Shelter that protected the core was incredibly hard; the normal type Savage's had been flimsy by comparison. Even though her strike had been filled with Energy, she hadn't done it any damage, instead leaving only a small dent.

"Alright, Haname! I'm coming through next—!"

Ellie's cry reached her ears. As agreed upon earlier, he planned to follow up on her attack. Ellie used his Energy and vaulted high into the air.

Transforming [Arms Shroud] yet again, the weapon he brought forth next was none other than a Grim Reaper's scythe. He intended to attack the Trenta with it.

Haname pulled [Hien] back mid-swing, and opened some distance.

"TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!"

Ellie's scythe swung down on the Shelter.

However, its sharp tip fared no better than Haname's [Hien] had.

"Ku— that thing's still too hard!"

He flipped a reverse somersault mid-air before landing.

"Ellie Crossfode, you should know that damage has accumulated nonetheless. At present, Shelter integrity lies at 25%. A little more should do it," Eric communicated.

His glasses displayed the Trenta's data, relayed to his live by [LaZER], which he was continuously analyzing.

"In that case, then I'm up next—!"

"Clark-sama—?!"

Clark's behavior was utterly unexpected for Ellie, Haname, and even Eric, who had called out in shock. Clark, ascending into the air by firing his thrusters at full throttle, deployed his Petals once more, and initiated a storm of beam fire.

The onslaught pressed the Trenta, likely for the sake of creating an opening to attack its Shelter.

Finally having closed the distance, Clark again turned [Alisterion] on its side. The tips of its six gun batteries crackled with overflowing energy.

"I beg your pardon for going full-throttle and unleashing a Full-Burst on you—!"

Powerful beams were simultaneously discharged from four barrels at once in a vicious attack on the Shelter.

"Eric, what's the situation now?"

"Shelter integrity remains at 13%. One, maybe two more attacks are still needed!"

"…Tsk. Then once more—!"

Grimacing, he attempted to fill [Alisterion] with Energy once more, only to be interrupted by an emergency alert sounding from his Variable Suit.

"…That's… a lie, right…?"

The blood drained from Clark's face – because the warning had reported an Energy shortage.

In a normal situation, this much would have been…

However, this situation was anything but "normal".

Although his situation wasn't as extreme as Lloyd's, whom had dueled only a short time ago, the Energy he had spent on the duel the other day had yet to completely replenish itself. Although he'd already been notified of the situation during his maintenance when changing—

"Clark-sama—, dodge—!"

Eric's pained cry brought him back to reality, but the Trenta's scissors were already just before him.

There was no time to dodge. Furthermore, with his Energy exhausted as it was, blowing away the massive body in front of him didn't seem possible either.

—Is this… it?

As the thought filled his mind, just before it had reached him—

"Are you okay—?!"

The next thing he heard was that voice.

"Kisaragi… Haname… why did you…?"

"What do you mean 'why'? We're in this together, so it's only natural that I'd help, right?"

Haname had discharged her Energy beneath her feet, launching herself toward Clark with extreme speed. By taking his body into her embrace as she flew by, they managed to avoid the enemy's attack by a hair's breadth.

"And I appreciate that, but what's with this pose and your hand…?"

"…Eh?"

At Clark's words, his face turned away in embarrassment, Haname suddenly realized where her hands were placed. Her left hand was touching his bottom and his right hand was also gripping his chest tightly.

"WAA, sorry—!"

Flustered, Haname released her hand from his chest. His face still dyed a deep crimson, Clark mumbled, "Why do you always snatch away all my firsts…?"

"Firsts…?"

"The princess carry… being forced into such an appearance, this unexpected thing, I mean that—"

Clark pursed his lips, pouting.

If he were to be seen in this state, being carried by a woman in this manner, he didn't think he could handle the embarrassment.

It was, of course, the first time in his life he'd been held in the arms of a woman like this.

"No, that's… You know, now's not the time to think about things like that—!"

"It's your fault…"

"That's why I said I'm really sorry!"

As Haname tried to apologize once again, the expression on Clark's face suddenly turned to shock.

"Kisaragi Haname, a barrage is coming!"

Glancing over her shoulder at his words, she saw the Trenta opening its head.

Haname immediately began preparations to dodge the incoming beam, but she froze as Eric interrupted.

"Can you hear me, Kisaragi Haname? Please negate the Trenta's volley with your Barrier! It's on a direct path to hit the Zwei Archipelago's airport!"

"Wait, that's…"

"If we dodge, the airport will be struck instead," Clark murmured by her ear. "But, Kisaragi Haname, if it's you, you should be able to stop it."

"…I don't know whether it's possible or not, but I have to at least try."

If she remembered correctly, many people should've been gathered there.

In other words, there would likely be many casualties were it to be struck directly.

"What are you so worried about? When you neutralized my attack during the duel, you employed an N-Barrier, did you not? If you deploy one now, we should be just fine."

"I think I mentioned this already once before, but that wasn't something I consciously did; I wasn't conscious then, after all…"

"Tha— Now that you mention it…"

He seemed to have recalled their conversation in the hospital. Clark frowned in concern.

"So, what are you going to do, Kisaragi Haname?"

"Even if it's an unreasonable demand, it's not like we can just run away, right—!"

Haname turned toward the Trenta, stretched out her hand, and tried to form an E-Barrier.

"…—Ku!"

The dazzling beam of light struck the E-Barrier dead on.

The impact was so violent that an intense pressure pounded her body.

"Damn it, like this…"

If this overpowering beam broke through her E-Barrier, their bodies would be next. Were that to occur, not only would she fail to protect the airport, neither she nor Clark would be safe either.

A bead of sweat ran down Haname's forehead.

"Kisaragi Haname, let me help you."

She was surprised by the voice.

"I'll pour my Energy in as well and strength your barrier. That should be enough to ward off the attack!"

"But you don't have much Energy left…"

"It's not like I don't have any left at all. If we do this together… it can be done—!"

Clark extended his left hand to join Haname's right, and let his remaining Energy flow into her E-Barrier.

"Here we go, Kisaragi Haname!"

"…R-Right—!"

Haname, too, let her Energy flow into the E-Barrier without stopping.

Thereupon, the enemy's barrage was deflected into the sky on one side, and into the sea on the other.

"We did it, didn't we?"

Clark smiled.

"Thank you. We're safe thanks to Prez."

"I-I didn't really try to save you or anything. I did this to protect the airport—!"

Bashfully, Clark rebutted her forcefully as a large quantity of sweat ran down his face.

"…You're pretty much running on empty now, I guess?"

"Yes. Although it's not to the point that I can't maintain my weapon, it's a fact that I'm at my limit."

Having mostly spent what Energy remained to him on reinforcing the E-Barrier, he had almost nothing left. He leaned against her.

"Sorry, it's because I was worthless…"

"Speaking of which, I wonder if you couldn't soon land… T-That hand has been touching my behind since earlier…"

"UWA— Sorry—!"

Haname landed in a hurry. Assaulting the Trenta from the sky with his floating batteries, Ellie cut in.

"You know, Haname… You and the Prez sure have an amazing mood going on since earlier…"

His voice, for some reason, could be seen as testy.

"Amazing mood… what are you talking about…"

"Ellie Crossfode, don't get distracted!" a frantic Eric cried out over the Vital Ring.

"Eh…?"

Ellie suddenly realized that the Trenta had been targeting him with its scissor-hands.

"Damn it—"

His attacks had been intended to impede the Trenta's movements, but his aerial position had instead backfired on him.

In this situation, it would be difficult to execute split-second evasive maneuvers.

"ELLIOT—!"

Hayato shouted his real name without thinking.

The memory from ten years ago – when Ellie had been attacked by a Savage, leaving a wound on his chest – crossed her mind.

Ellie, of course, did not have the opportunity to protest.

Clark and the others observed Ellie's predicament in spellbound horror, lacking the presence of mind to process what had otherwise just occurred.

"Crap—!"

With a burst of Energy, Ellie managed to evade the downward path of its pincered claw by the skin of his teeth.

However, the pincers of its other hand closed in inescapably.

"There's nothing I can do, huh…"

[Arms Shroud], which covered Ellie's body, was already thin, and depleting yet further still. As the Energy levels within his body declined, it was unable to produce the particles necessary to restore itself.

Simply put, due to its Energy consumption, were [Arms Shroud] to be used once – perhaps twice or, at most, thrice – more to generate weapons, it would no longer be sufficient to cover his chest.

His identity as a boy would then be exposed. Far more worrisome still was the possibility of suffering a fatal wound without the protection it offered.

"…—KUU!"

Ellie formed a pair of shields out of [Arms Shroud] to defend against the Trenta's offensive, but it was futile.

In order to minimize Energy consumption, he purposely made them thin and small.

The shields were knocked away by the pincered claw before fading into nothingness.

…Shit!

Ellie frantically twisted his body in an attempt to dodge the incoming blow, hoping to at least avoid a direct hit.

Nonetheless…

*TEAR*—!

The sound of tearing resounded near his chest.

"…Th- OH NO—?!"

The tips of the Trenta's pincers found their way to his Variable Suit, tearing it around his chest. Ellie's pecs, the proof of his maculinity, spilled out of his Suit.

"…—!"

Flustered, he covered his tear with one hand, but there were more pressing concerns.

The enemy's other hand was targeting him as well.

If this goes on, I'll be hit…

He couldn't use shields to guard again. With what Energy he had left to him, it would only result in a repeat of his earlier misfortune.

…What should I do?

His enemy, of course, wasn't kind enough to spare him the time to decide on a plan of action. With neither hesitation nor mercy, the Trenta swung its arm down. Simultaneously, a black shadow materialized before him.

"Hana… me…?"

Haname had thrown herself into the air with Energy and, extending [Hien] horizontally, blocked the oncoming pincered claw of the Trenta, preventing it from reaching Ellie.

"Run, Ellie—!"

Haname roared from behind clenched teeth.

"But then, you'll…"

Even for Haname, holding back the Trenta's arm was no simple feat.

Indeed, the arm with which Haname gripped [Hien] was trembling.

"It's fine, just go—!"

As Haname yelled again…

The Trenta pushed again with renewed force, blowing away both Haname and [Hien].

"HANAME—!" Ellie shrieked.

Haname's body, which violently impacted the ground, didn't even twitch.

"Haname, are you alright, HANAME—!"

No matter how many times he cried out, she didn't reply.

—However, a trace of gold appeared within her eyes.


At that time, Haname recalled the unique traits of a Variant: reacting to threats to one's life, powerful abilities would manifest themselves.

It seemed like she was in just such a situation now.

When viewed externally, Kisaragi Haname had risen to her feet, facing down the Trenta, and was readying [Hien]. More than that, she was now in Full-Body Armament.

Despite being the individual in question, she felt as though she were no more than a spectator in the events ongoing.

Her consciousness was hazy, and she couldn't speak. The scenery before her grew ever more faint until it faded completely.

It reminded her of her duel with the president.

Caught in a similar situation, her body was again experiencing the same phenomenon.

Oh crap, like this…

She'd likely rampage just as she had during the duel.

She tried to contain it somehow, but in vain. Her vision turned to darkness and her mind faded to white. Her sense of hearing grew dull. All she could hear was the sound of her heart beating loudly in her ears.

Damn… it…

Desperately, she tried to hold on, but it was an uphill battle. The ferocious nature of that which was overflowing from deep within her had her in its grip, and breaking free was no easy thing.

Farther and farther her consciousness wandered—

"YOU CAN'T, HANAME! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

Despite Ellie's frantic cries, Haname's consciousness did not return. Her eyes were a glittering gold and her bestial bellows suggested that she was about to charge the Trenta at any given moment.

"…This is for Haname… there's no other way…" Ellie muttered.

His chest was already exposed, so there was no need to hesitate. It was far too late to hide his identity as a boy.

Haname, please come back…

With a desperate prayer, Ellie Crossfode – no, Elliot Hermit – laid his lips over Kisaragi Haname's.

"Eh…"

Haname felt herself slowly returning.

This is…

Her vision was the next to recover, revealing Elliot's face.

The feeling of a kiss reached her after that.

*kuchukuchu* sounded between their lips.

"Nn, fuu…"

Finally their tongues and lips drew apart.

"You're fine now, right?

"Why are you… And, that…"

Haname's gaze turned to the chest of Elliot, smiling sweetly at her.

The tears in his Variable Suit clearly revealed his gender.

"It's fine, I'm not hurt."

"But…"

"I know what you wanna say. But, now's not the time to worry about whether I'm a boy or a girl."

Elliot lifted his gaze to glare at the enemy.

"That certainly does seem to be the case…"

Haname, who had mirrored him in shifting her gaze to their enemy, understood the situation at a glance.

One segment of its head had opened and was shining; it was about to attack.

"…What do we do?"

"There's no need to worry; you have access to the N-Barrier now."

"I see, I…"

Now that he mentioned it, she understood that a great power was overflowing from her depths.

Given Ellie's words, she was likely in a state where her Variant abilities had awoken.

At any rate, she was now also enveloped by her Full-Body Armament.

"…After you nullify its beam, seize the opportunity to attack with [Hien]. If it has your Energy, you'll definitely, definitely be able to destroy its core."

"…Got it."

That much wouldn't be a problem.

While Haname was in the process of steeling her determination to succeed no matter what, the Trenta released its attack.

"HANAME, NOW!"

Haname deployed an N-Barrier to protect both herself and Elliot and blocked the attack.

As planned, its attack was completely neutralized.

"Right!"

Now she had to press the attack.

Continuing with the outlined strategy, Haname leapt off the ground and closed in on her target.

The Trenta aimed at Haname and loosened another burst, but Haname was unharmed due to the N-Barrier being deployed.

Passing through the flash, she drew near the Trenta. Augustly raising [Hien] high above her head, her Energy streamed into it, causing it to shine with a brilliant, bluish-white light.

It expanded continuously until eventually reaching a size on par with the Trenta.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!"

Haname slashed [Hien], filled with to the brim with her Energy, at her target.

"That should decide it, shouldn't it?" Charlie mumbled from his observation point aboard the WL-03.

Following his words was a blinding flash.

[Hien], empowered by Energy, tore through the Shelter and the core with impunity, completely cleaving through the steel carapace.

The Trenta's body collapsed, bisected, falling to the ground with a thunderous rumble.

The core, which had lost its light, and was now turning a reddish-brown, was smashed to bits.

From the Trenta's colossal carcass, a vast ocean of fluorescent liquid flowed, collecting in a large pool on the ground.

Standing there was Haname, panting heavily. [Hien] and its master had regained their usual appearance.

"You did it, Haname!"

Calling out to her, Ellie embraced Haname.

"With that, it's over, right…"

"Yep, we… Haname defeated it."

"I see…"

As a look of relief came upon her face, her legs began to shake.

On top of having exhausted her Energy in the attack just now, the side effects of her Variant abilities had begun to present themselves, leaving her in no condition to be left alone.

"…Haname, are you alright?"

"I am… isn't what I should be saying right now, is it…?"

"…Jeez."

Haname, who looked ready to crumple at any moment, was quickly embraced by Elliot.

"Sorry, I'm causing problems for you again."

"You did well, so there's nothing to apologize for. You properly used your Variant abilities and finished off the Trenta."

"It's also thanks to you that we were able to do it."

As she said that, Haname remembered the kiss; her body was burning up. The president interrupted her thoughts by interjecting with a question.

"What exactly is a Variant…?"

The voice drew Haname and Elliot's attention to Clark, standing near them, his cheeks twitching in agitation. Behind him stood Eric.

"A-And, Ellie Crossfode, w-what is that—! And e-earlier, d-did you and Kisaragi Haname k-ki—"

'That' was, of course, referring to the ridges on his chest which were now exposed.

"Ummm… could we talk about that later? For now, shouldn't we celebrate the complete destruction of the Savage?"

"Do you think we'll fall for that? That's not going to happen—!"

As Clark tried to get some answers, a voice called out from his Vital Ring.

It was a transmission from Man Man.

"Clark-sama, everyone, can you hear me? I confirmed the cessation of all Savage activity just now. With this, the operation is complete. Really, thank you for your hard work. I'll come get you now."

End of Chapter 5


Epilogue

"Between the citizens of the Zwei Archipelago, the concert staff, and audience members, there were only minor casualties – some injuries, but no deaths."

Having been thus debriefed by Man Man upon their return to the WL-03, Clark heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.

"So I guess there's a silver lining to all this. The fact that no one died is what really matters here."

"The civilians in question have expressed their gratitude for your efforts on their behalf. Please look outside."

"…Outside?"

As Man Man had directed, Haname and the others looked out the window.

Though difficult to catch with the naked eye, given how small they appeared in the distance, it was nonetheless clear that a crowd of people were waving and shouting in their direction. They could not hear what was being said, but their feelings were conveyed, nonetheless.

"Seeing that really makes you happy, doesn't it? After risking our all to fight, it's really touching."

It was just as Ellie had described. Her heart was warmed by their gratitude and she felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the first time in his life she experienced such feelings.

I protected these people… this place…

It made her happy.

"It's precisely for times like these that we head to the battlefield."

Clark's muttered words penetrated deep within her.

Afterwards, Haname, who had showered and changed back into her school uniform, made her way to the parlor beside the briefing room with Ellie at her side.

The floor within was covered with red carpet, with a large desk occupying the center of the ostentatious room. Chairs circled the desk, with a saucer and a tea cup set before each seat.

"I apologize for the wait."

The door opened to admit the student council president, Clark Harvey. It had been he who had summoned Haname and Ellie to this room. Eric Candle could be seen standing behind his, a tray with a teapot in his hands. They had changed into their school uniforms just as Haname and Ellie had.

"First things first, shall we have some black tea? Eric, the usual, if you would."

"Understood."

As Clark lowered himself into the remaining chair, Eric made his way from seat to seat, filling their cups with black tea.

"Do you always drink black tea like this after a battle?" Haname asked, dumbfounded by the restful atmosphere which drew stark contrast to the life-and-death battlefield on which they fought the Savage just earlier.

"The return to everyday life first requires a lifestyle of normalcy to which to return, does it not? That's why I take a break for tea after every battle."

"Incidentally, this black tea is chamomile. The aroma calms the heart," Eric informed them.

Savoring a cup of black tea after battle seemed to be a habit of his as well.

"If you'll excuse me, I have other matters to tend to—"

Eric, having finished serving everyone their tea, placed the teapot atop the desk and exited the room.

Haname called out to his back, "How's the other vice president doing?"

"If you're referring to Lloyd, his stamina and Energy are nearly spent, but his life is in no danger. He's been placed in the care of medical staff who have come aboard the WL-03."

Once they arrived back in Little Garden, however, his medical treatment would be continued in the hospital.

"Recovery from his wounds and replenishment of his Energy will take some time; at least one week's worth of rest will be required."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but it's good to hear that his life's not in danger; that's the most important thing," Ellie murmured, relieved.

Hanane felt similarly; Lloyd's condition had weighed on her mind.

"Now then, shall we get to the main issue at hand?"

Once Eric had left the room, Clark returned his tea cup to its place atop his saucer and, meeting Haname's gaze, opened his mouth to speak.

"And what would that be?" Ellie asked.

"In truth, there are several concerns I'd like to address, but first of all, let's settle the matter of the Selections team. Kisaragi Haname – have you come to a decision?"

"A decision, you say—"

His question caught her on the wrong foot.

"By that, I mean to ask whether or not you will join the Selections. I had supposed that you already made up your mind on the matter—"

"That's…"

Clark was correct.

Having saved others with her own strength, and being thanked for doing so, made her happy. Moreover, thanks to Ellie, she managed to control her Variant abilities in the battle with the Savage, which had been a major cause for concern for her.

That alone made her confident that she could see things through as a member of the Selections. Indeed, she thought that she would like to do so, however…

"By the way, Ellie Crossfode – I'd be open to you joining the Selections as well, should you wish it."

"…Well… What do you think I should do, Haname?" Ellie inquired with a bright smile.

Doing battle with the Savage was, of course, a terrifying thing, a point which made her apprehensive.

Nevertheless, her sense of duty triumphed over her fears given that there were many others who sought deliverance from the Savage.

This feeling was surely what the president had meant when he had cited "noblesse oblige." Furthermore, accepting this duty would keep her close to Ellie. In other words, there weren't any problems. And so…

"I'll join the Selections."

"Then count me in as well."

"Very well then. We can discuss the details tomorrow."

Seemingly pleased, Clark's face relaxed as he raised his teacup and finished off his tea.

Eric knocked on the door and entered.

"Clark-sama, we'll be arriving in Little Garden shortly."

"In that case, shall we end things here? Please make sure to get adequate amounts of rest tonight; do not be late for tomorrow's lessons. Oh, and one last thing—"

Responding to Eric's announcement, Clark rose and turned to Ellie.

"Ellie – no, Elliot Hermit. You are to join us in the student council room and clarify your circumstances."

"I guess I knew that was coming…"

Elliot Hermit, he who had disguised himself as Ellie Crossfode, sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping.


"Nee-san—!"

Disembarking from the WL-03, the moment Haname set foot on Little Garden's airfield grounds, she heard Kaoru shout.

Unsteadily, he rose from his wheelchair and, eyes brimming with tears, dove into his sister's chest.

"Wha… Are you alright getting up like this?"

"If it's just for a little while… I'll… be fine…" Kaoru answered, soaking his uniform with his tears as he sniffled.

"Anyway, Nee-san. You said you wouldn't be fighting…"

"You know what I was doing?"

Kaoru nodded.

"When Kaoru got back to the hospital, my fortune-telling showed an ill omen, so I asked Minato for a favor and he looked into it for me. When I heard that you'd gone to battle, I…"

Turning, she saw Kashiwagi Minato, Kaoru's supervisory nurse, standing behind Kaoru's wheelchair. He had likely escorted Kaoru here.

"I apologize. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Haname stroked her brother's head as he sobbed into her chest. At long last, Kaoru raised his head.

"…Then show it."

"Eh…?"

He couldn't mean…

"Show you're sorry for making me worry."

Kaoru closed her eyes, and proffered his forehead. As she feared, Karen was demanding a kiss on his forehead.

"…I get it already…"

There was no denying that she made her worry. That was reason enough to humor him. With that in mind, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his forehead as she always did.

"Better?"

"…Mhm."

"Yeeesh, you sure are an affectionate pair of siblings, aren't you?" Ellie commented, his expression stiff.

Haname came to the sudden realization that Eric and Clark had also witnessed the kiss just now.

Eric blushed and stammered, "W-What are you siblings doing?"

Shit, what did I just do in front of everyone…

Haname's face was dyed a deep red, and the blushing face of Kaoru, standing beside her, grew redder by the second.


Some time later, the freshmen, Haname included, had returned to the dorms while Kaoru had returned to the hospital. Elliot, however, had not. Clark had pulled him to the student council room to discuss the circumstances behind him disguising his gender, his arrival at Little Garden, as well as the nature of Variants.

She, too, was a party to the Variant matter, so Haname had offered to go as well, but Ellie had refused.

The rationale behind his decision had been that the primary reason for the inquiry had been the disguising of his gender and subsequent entry into Little Garden; they were, as of yet, ignorant of the fact that Haname was a Variant.

Seeing as Charlie had accompanied him to the inquiry, the likelihood that Elliot might rage out of control was minimal, nevertheless, she couldn't help but worry about how Clark would judge things. After arriving back at the dorms and washing off her sweat, she returned to her room and laid down on her bed, the matter weighed on her mind all the while.

Is it really okay for me to not do anything…?

The invitation to join the Selections had been extended to him as well, so it was unlikely he'd be expelled. That thought came as a relief, but it didn't negate the possibility of some other form of punishment being meted out.

…Just what does the President have in mind?

As she mulled over the issue, her PDA rang; she received an email. Haname sat up in a hurry and opened the email.

—It's from Ellie!

The letter contained only a single sentence, "It doesn't look like I'll be back anytime soon." It offered no answers to the questions she was concerned about, such as what they had talked about or what would happen next. She fired off an email asking for further information but no reply came.

She was determined to stay up and await Ellie's return – or at least his reply – but perhaps owing to the tremendous Energy consumption that accompanied her Variant abilities, she was soon gripped by a wave of lethargy, which he was powerless to resist.

Haname fell into a deep sleep.


"Haname, Haname…"

Kisaragi Haname awoke to a voice calling her name. She felt a sense of weight against her body, as well something hard – something bulky and pointy.

…What is this?

With that question in mind, she opened her eyelids.

"Morning, Haname."

"Morni— Wait, what are you doing—?!"

At the sight of her roommate, peering back at her, Haname reflexively cried out.

"What, you say… I'm waking you up."

"That's not what I meant! Your clothes, your clothes!"

Ellie wasn't wearing his women's clothes. On the contrary, he was dressed in log-sleeved white and blue striped men's pajamas.

In other words, none other than Elliot Hermit stood before her.

"What's wrong with my clothes? This is what I usually wore to sleep back in Gudenberg, you know? Charlie bought it for me yesterday. What do you think – cool, right?"

"I do think that, but…"

It was terribly see-through. Although his crotch wasn't entirely exposed, what she could see was stimulating enough already. That alone was more than enough to make her heart race.

"More importantly, what did you and Prez talk about…?"

Unable to keep herself from staring, she pulled her gaze away entirely, distracting herself by asking about the matter that had consumed her thoughts since the evening before.

"This and that, but long story short, I've been given leave to continue my stay here at Little Garden. As a Bugeika student, of course."

"As a woman?"

"Yes."

Ellie nodded. That came as a shock to Haname; she expected Clark to order her to attend as a boy.

"I see, so Prez gave you permission."

"Charlie persuaded him. The terms stipulate that as long as I continue my tenure as a member of the Selections, they will keep quiet about me being a boy. It's not all good news, though—"

"What's wrong…?"

Elliot's expression turned dark. That filled her with worry.

"I have to leave this room."

"Oh, that…"

That was no surprise. In fact, it was rather within expectations, really.

"So where are you going to live?"

"I'll move into the room in front of this one."

"Eh? Is that alright?"

She was honestly surprised. She'd have figured he'd have to leave the dorm altogether. This way, they would be able to continue to spend time together.

"It seems suddenly exiling a freshman from the dorms and ordering them to live on their own would be too much, so this was the result."

"I think having a room to yourself all of a sudden would feel pretty strange already…"

All the other freshmen were two to a room; why were she and Ellie suddenly exceptions?

"As a member of the Selections, I'm getting some special treatment. The other Selection members have apparently been granted rooms of their own as well. Fiona has already been notified and I've been given the key to my new room. There's just one problem—"

"Which is?"

"I mustn't enter Haname's room. And you must not enter mine. That's an iron-clad rule. If we break that rule, Prez has warned us we'll be punished…"

That seemed only natural. However…

"In that case, is it okay for you to be here?"

A question that seemed to naturally follow.

"My luggage is here, and I need to remove it, so this much is only to be expected, right? Plus, I wanted to check up on you once the inquiry was over; Charl told me I should."

In other words, he seemed to have been told to check if the side-effects of her Variant abilities had kicked in or not.

"Haname, you look like you're in pain. That's why I need to look after you myself, just like last time."

"Like last time… You don't mean—"

"Ahaha, no, I don't mean kissing. But if you're hurting, I might change my mind; what do you think?" Ellie teased, smiling mischievously.

"No, I… I'm fine. Just as healthy as always."

"Ahaha, Haname, you're blushing."

Being told that, her blush deepened.

A knock at the door interrupted their banter.

Oh fuck?!

Just who was it?

Given the situation, it was entirely possible that Ellie Crossfode's true identity would be exposed. That set off a warning inside her head.

"Kisaragi Haname, I'm coming in."

That short sentence was enough for her to recognize the owner of that voice – the student council president, Clark Harvey. He more or less held the authority here. Opening the lock to her room, he entered.

If the other party was Clark, then she didn't need to worry about Ellie's secret being exposed, but that in no way meant that she could feel relieved. He had no way of knowing Ellie was currently in her room.

Given their current positions, it would look to a third party as though they had been sleeping together. When taken in the context of the condition Clark had emphasized earlier, things could turn ugly.

Unfortunately, it was far too late to do anything.

"Elliot Hrmit, you've already violated…!"

Catching Haname and Elliot sharing a bed, Clark thrusted a finger in their direction.

His body trembled with anger.

"To share a bed—! And that posture… h-how shameless—! You two need to be punished, no, expelled—!"

"President, please calm down! Lower your voice—!"

If someone overheard the president's cries before the door closed, things could quickly go from bad to worse.

"S-Shut your mouth—! Anyway, y-you two hurry up and get off each other—!"

Shouting, the president approached Haname and Ellie.

"We understand already, so Prez, please cal—… m…"

Haname, who had pulled herself away from Ellie and was trying to get off the bed in a hurry, instead caught her foot in the sheets in her rush, losing her balance in the process.

"UWAA—?!"

She tumbled from the bed.

"KYAA—!"

The next thing that could be heard was the president's shriek.

Her vision shook and grew dark.

Lost in the darkness, she felt a sensation on her lips, something sweet and soft.

Don't tell me…

She remembered this feeling from when Elliot had kissed him two days ago…

"WH-WH-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!"

Elliot's shriek pierced her ears. Opening her eyelids, Clark Harvey's blushing face revealed itself to her eyes.

Raising her head, Haname could see Elliot, trembling in rage as he stabbed a finger in her direction.

"H-H-H-HANAME, YOU IDIOT—! YOU CHEATER—! EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE FLIRTING WITH ME JUST A MOMENT AGO, NOW YOU'RE KISSING PREZ—?!"

That confirmed it.

What she'd felt just moments ago had been the president's lips.

"Another of my firsts, and you…"

"Ah, sorry about…"

"Before apologizing, first get off of me…"

"R-Right…"

Haname rose to her feet in a hurry. Clark sat up on the spot with his eyes cast down.

"That… was really just an accident, so please forgive me…"

"…I understand."

"Huh…"

"I said I understand—! That's why you don't need to apologize or worry yourself over it—"

His voice trailed off. This was a development she hadn't seen coming; on the contrary, she thought he'd be outraged, as he had been when she touched his crotch during their duel. Instead, as he lifted his head, she caught tears brimming in his blue eyes.

Ellie seemed just as taken aback as Haname.

"Prez sure is kind to Haname…"

"Kind… What are you implying… This is—Well, this time, it really was just an accident, right?!"

"Even if you put it like that… Anyway, what brought you here in the first place?"

"I-I wanted to make sure that you had moved out as directed and deliver this Selections badge at the same time… B-But then you two were openly flirting…"

"And if we were flirting, what business is that of yours, President? Is there a rule that prohibits impure sexual relationships?"

"Not only had you already specifically promised not to enter this room, school regulations explicitly forbid boys from entering the female dorms!"

"In that case, how are you here right now?"

"I'm the student council president, so it's fine. I wield executive authority over the student body."

"So it's only okay to flirt with and kiss Haname if you're the president? That's dishonest."

"Kiss… As you know, that was an acc… A-And it's a sign of deep affection in Liberia and— Kisaragi Haname is the first member of the opposite sex I've ever kissed aside from relatives…"

Thoroughly embarrassed, Clark's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke while the expression on Elliot's face turned ever more rigid.

"Haname."

"…Uh, is something wrong?"

"…Won't you kiss me?" Elliot asked, standing directly in front of her.

"Wha—, What are you saying at a time like this—?!"

"Don't worry about that; let's just do it. Your lips on my lips!"

Grabbing Haname by the shoulders, his face closed in on hers.

"Again, what the hell—?!"

"You were fine kissing Prez! So you shouldn't have any problems kissing me too. Anyway, when you fell earlier it was likely the recoil from using your Variant abilities earlier, which is all the more reason we need to do this."

"This is different…"

"It's not!"

Objectively speaking, she simply tripped on the sheets in her scramble to get away, but Elliot wouldn't hear it.

Actually, why does he look so angry?

Haname didn't get it.

"C'mon, Haname. Let's kiss. If we don't act quickly, you'll faint. If it's for the sake of virus delivery, then it's hardly anything indecent, so not even the prez would mind."

"I would! And just what do you mean by 'virus delivery'…?"

"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Once a Variant has activated their abilities, their physical condition becomes unstable. The most effective countermeasure is the transmission of the Virus carried within the body of a fellow Variant. That's why Haname and I kissed during the battle against that huge Savage. Haname and I have kissed on many other occasions too, you know?"

"'Many' you say… Since when is three 'many'?!"

"Thrice?!"

Clark's tone attested to the loss of his cool.

"Anyway, Haname; let's make it four times. I won't lose to Prez."

"I-I won't let you—! Release Kisaragi Haname at once—!"

Flabbergasted by the pair who had locked arms while glaring murderously at one another, Haname wondered how things had reached this point.

Deep within her heart, she came to the realization that the future before her was going to be rife with trouble.


The top floor of a high-class hotel in the heart of Angel City, the largest city on the West coast of the federal state of Liberia. Through the window located on one side of the suite, one could gaze out from the skyscraper which, though it was the dead of night, continued to shine brilliantly. A scene so breathtaking that one could not help but give voice to their awestruck wonder.

However, one boy wasn't interested. Seated on a sofa situated amid a spacious living room, he was gazing intently at a monitor installed on the wall.

The young boy had a punk face. He was dressed in a black t-shirt with blackish blue jeans and was clutching a large, stuffed penguin.

When it came to the content of the video displayed on the monitor he was so studiously watching, however, it didn't seem to be something a young boy would be interested in; indeed, it even seemed at odds with his punk appearance. Portrayed on the screen were the figures of the Slayers engaged against the Savage that had landed on the Zwei Archipelago in the heart of François territory in the South Pacific Ocean three days prior.

"Sofiane, would you come over for a bit?"

As the boy raised his voice, a man wearing a suit and thin glasses – the very picture of a businessman – instantly appeared from the next room over. As with his tidy clothing, the eyes behind his glasses didn't reveal the least hint of fatigue despite the late hour. His trim appearance gave the impression that, the time notwithstanding, he was still at work.

"What can I do for you, Satoru?"

"The people that saved us the day before yesterday—"

"They were Slayers from Little Garden."

Even as he replied, Sofiane, noticing what video was playing on the monitor, grew stern.

"Where did you get this?" he questioned forcefully.

Footage of Slayers fighting the Savage was never made available to the public. International law classified any such material and prohibitions against its display were very strict.

"It was uploaded to cyberspace."

Dangling his legs over the sofa, Satoru tilted his head in the direction of a PDA atop a desk with a snort.

Cyberspace was a construct that existed on top of the cybernet. It was a service allowing for people all over the world to freely distribute self-made media such as pictures, videos, and music.

Simply put, the video in question had been recorded by a bystander and illegally uploaded. A closer inspection of the video revealed some rough edges and occasional jarring movement.

"On that note, what exactly is Little Garden?"

Sofiane sighed. Satoru's curiosity knew no bounds.

What should I do, I wonder…

Sofiane debated whether or not to answer the question, but came to the conclusion that Satoru could find this information on the cybernet anyway. In fact, if he didn't answer, Satoru would likely do just that.

"Little Garden is a military installation under the control of the Warslan Company, the world-famous defense contractor. It apparently doubles as both a forward base and a Slayer training facility."

"You wouldn't happen to know where Little Garden can be found, would you?"

"That's a very worrying question, isn't it?"

"If even you don't know, then this place must be classified, right? Is it a military installation then? Would you be unable to find its location on the cybernet or a cybermap?"

"It's not just a matter of not knowing its location; Little Garden is an aircraft carrier – something like a mobile megafloat. That's why I have no way of knowing its precise location right this moment. I imagine it cruises throughout the Pacific Ocean…"

"I want to go there."

"What are you—"

Sofiane frowned in concern at the sudden demand. Unconcerned, Satoru continued his plea.

"Please, Sofiane. I want to go to Little Garden; I want to personally thank the Slayers who rescued us from the Savage. That's why I want you to take me to Little Garden. We have some free time before the next recording after all."

Kirishima Satoru, the world-famous lead singer of Tokyo Hotel hailing from the Yamato Empire, pleaded with his manager, Sofiane Clearrail, with a devilish grin on his face.

End of Volume 1


Cast:

Charlie Dimandias: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese); Chris Niosi (English)

Clark Harvey: Isshin Chiba (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Christa Steinbelt: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Caitlin Glass (English)

Ellie Crossfode: Megumi Ogata (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English)

Eric Candle: Natsuki Hanae (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook (English)

Fiona Glanz: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)

Haname Kisaragi: Eri Kitamura (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)

Kaoru Kisaragi: Ari Ozawa (Japanese); Zach Aguilar (English)

Laetitia Saint-Émillion: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Robbie Daymond (English)

Lloyd Steinberg: Sho Hayami (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

Man Man: Lynn (Japanese); Chris Cason (English)

Minato Kashiwagi: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

Noah Sehldon: Yuichiro Umehara (Japanese); Aaron Dismuke (English)

Ryu Shuemei: Miyu Irino (Japanese); Micah Solusod (English)

Satoru Kirishima: Tetsuya Kakiha (Japanese); Jason C. Miller (English)

Sofiane Clearrail: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese) J. Michael Tatum (English)


Thanks for reading the first volume!

A few things before we're finished:

1. For Haname Kisaragi, imagine Hayato's younger sister, Karen, at Hayato's age; likewise, Kaoru, Haname's younger sister, takes on Hayato's appearance.
2. Considering that Emilia Hermit has a male disguise, just picture the male disguise as Elliot's default male appearance; Emilia will be Ellie, Elliot's female disguise. (Also, for his Japanese voice, imagine Megumi Ogata's regular voice as Yugi Muto—from the original, undubbed, 1998 "Yu-Gi-Oh!" anime—as Ellie's voice; Megumi's performance as Yami Yugi will be when Elliot's true voice is used.)
3. Clark Harvey: just imagine Claire's older brother, Judal.
4. Man Man, as well as the other automaton boys in this series, are crossdressers who act and move like girls; they are voiced by females in Japanese, and by males in English.

Oh, one more thing, since I completed the first volume, I'll be taking a break from it (like my monthly routine states) and will be working on "Freezing" Volume 10 next month, then do "Hundred" Volume 2 the month after.

Later