Chapter 15
Survival of the Fittest
I had nightmares all night long. Thank you, Gai.
After a long night of shitty sleep, I rise to meet my untimely death as someone knocks on my door. It is still a few hours before my date with Ayase's craft, but I can already feel myself growing nervous about it.
Having Inori's sword with me makes fighting a walk in the park, but chances are I will be using other Voids instead of hers because drawing it out would either destroy part of the building or catch the Anti-Bodies' attention, if not both.
Should fortune smile upon me, I will be using Kyo's shield for protection, but engaging in melee combat would still be out of the question. While it is true that wielding a Void enhances my physical capabilities, I truly doubt I can match a machine that size.
Casting my worries aside, I open the door but then quickly step back, suddenly finding myself in a fight or flight situation due to the person who is waiting for me outside.
"Were you expecting Inori, Shu?"
It's Ayase, who has no idea she was the object of my night terrors a few hours ago.
"Ah, no. Well, sort of... it would've been nice seeing her."
I shrug my awkwardness off, thanking the Gods there's still some time before I have to face off against her. Moreover, it hits me that having made up with her yesterday was definitely a good thing – she won't be venting her anger on me anymore. My cheeks still recall the feeling of her furious slaps, but receiving those is infinitely better than having an Endlave crushing my head.
"Well, I'm sorry it's only me."
Oh. She seems offended by my previous comment. I did sound like an ass, though, so I can't blame her for feeling that way.
"I dreamt about you all night long, don't worry."
I mess with her a little in response, trying to lighten the mood.
"I- i- idiot! What are you talking about!?"
Ahhh, I got her into tsundere mode! Her reaction is too good, blushing instantly and getting flustered. Who'd have expected this? I thought she'd hit me again.
"That wasn't a good thing, you know? I talked with Gai last night, and he told me you're going to dance with me today... in your craft. Just thinking of it still gives me the shivers."
"Stupid rookie."
I don't know why, but I am filled with sense of fulfillment by Ayase's insult. Though it's very childish, I think I'm starting to grow a taste for teasing her. She and I have had an aggressive relationship since the moment we met, so keeping the fighting spirit alive seems like the natural thing to do.
Ayase isn't too amused, but I don't care. Behind that angered look, I am sure that deep inside she is having as much fun as I am. Of course, like the tsundere she has just shown herself to be, she will never admit it.
"L-let's get going, Tsugumi is waiting for us!"
If this is to be the kind of interaction we'll have from now on, I think spending time with her will be extremely entertaining. However, perhaps it'd be best not to poke too much fun at her today... I'd better stay in her good graces before the mock fight is done.
"For the physical tests, right?"
Gai mentioned Tsugumi would take a look at me, so I guess that's what we're going to do.
"That's right, so you'd better not disappoint us."
Aya-nee, you have no idea of what you are saying. A few days ago I couldn't even run for my life without losing my breath, but now I feel like I can train all day and be alright.
"I'll try; just don't get mad at me."
The inner Shu is laughing manically, but I somehow manage to act as if I were still the unconfident weakling I was before Inori pumped me up.
"I won't make any promises."
Man, Ayase is harsh. I pretend to sulk to make her feel bad, and Ayase searches for something inside her jacket in response.
"Catch!"
Whoa! She throws something at me, and I quickly react to stop it before it hits my face.
It is… an apple!
"Oh, thanks! You're too kind."
Talk about a heel face turn; she just needs to spoil me with some food to become a goddess in my eyes. Now I feel like a dog even more than last night, but I don't care: I dig into my surprise breakfast without worrying about my dignity.
The two of us head to the medical quarters without delays, as Ayase impeded me from having an excuse for stopping on the kitchen, and we quickly arrive to the room where Inori was treated yesterday.
Tsugumi is waiting for us inside, leisurely eating from a plate filled with delicious-looking sliced sandwiches. She's reading a book about field medicine, too, making me understand this girl has studied far more than I have despite the fact I've done nothing other than going to school for the past fifteen years.
"Morning, Shu. Want a bite?"
Ahhh, I love this girl. She takes the plate and presents it to me, making an offer I can't refuse. This is the second time she has given me sandwiches, which gives her a very special place in my heart.
I nod and take one of the triangular delicacies, which I immediately throw into my mouth. Ayase's apple was good, but lacked in substance, so something with heavier ingredients like Tsugumi's blessing does a better job in sating my hunger.
"Hey, this was pretty good! Did you make it?"
There is no lie in my words; I give Tsugumi my honest feedback before inquiring about whose hands are responsible for my felicity.
"Yeah, Aya helped me."
Then this means Ayase has fed me twice today.
"Really? Well, thanks again, both of you."
I include the two in my list of gratitude, bearing in mind I will not forget about this. The only person who has ever given me food before is Haruka, my only remaining family, so I think I unconsciously assigned some sentimental value to said action.
"She was really into it, you know? I normally make them myself, but Aya-nee insisted to participate, saying she wanted to know if her cooking was good enough for a certain person. She got a bit shy in the end and took only an apple, though."
Say w-
"WHAT!?"
Ayase beat me to it.
"That's totally NOT the way it was, Tsugumi! Take it back immediately!"
The devil in electronic neko ears bursts out laughing as her friend doesn't miss a beat in snapping her rebuttal. Meanwhile, I just stand there blushing awkwardly, not knowing if the midget's suggestive comment was real or just for teasing Ayase.
"You did ask me if your cooking was good! I inferred you were testing your skills before showing them to someone else, that's all!"
Damned Tsugumi is playing dumb; all of us know she said it that way deliberately, and the fact that she can't stop herself from laughing confirms it.
Ayase is as red as the apple she gave me, however, making me be quite entertained at the sight as well. I don't know if yesterday's talk with the girl in question had more impact than I had expected, but being in this situation is amusing nonetheless. If Tsugumi intends to assist me in teasing Ayase, then I won't hold anything back.
"Sh- shut up and get this started! We mustn't waste any time!"
Tomato-chan changes the subject hastily, making Tsugumi and I grow even more mischievous; the two of us are just waiting for a chance to poke fun at Ayase again.
"My, my… you're so bold, Aya-nee. You heard her, Shu; please take your clothes off."
DUDE!
"Tsugumi!?"
Ayase is blushing so hard her head might explode at any moment.
"What? I need to stick some sensors on him to monitor his vitals."
See? It's totally legit – Aya is the one having weird ideas here.
"Th- then he only needs to take his shirt off!"
Pfft, this girl minding the little details.
"Ah, right, sorry about that."
Tsugumi doesn't even try to make her apology sound like she meant it, but it doesn't matter: things will get better, as I proceed to take my shirt off so I can use my trump card.
I even got Tsugumi this time: both girls are left speechless upon seeing the effects of the Void Genome in my body. Who'd have thought about this? I never imagined I'd have the body of an athlete without even working for it; I really owe Inori big time.
"Tsugumi… I think I'm drooling over him."
Just to be an ass, I mimic Ayase's voice as if she were describing what's happening. Tomato-chan squeaks in response, jumping back in her fluster. Tsugumi, on the other hand, is laughing her ass off while I stay there using the last shred of my willpower to act serious and composed, as if nothing had happened.
Ayase snatches one of Tsugumi's sandwiches and throws it at my face before turning around and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her. The midget loses it and falls on top of the table before her, not muffling her laughter at all.
Seeing her like that gets the best of me, and I join her for a minute or two. Our throats are sore by the time we settle down, but I have no regrets: it was totally worth it, even though I'm now cleaning my food-stained face with a towel Tsugumi just lent me.
"Shu, I had no idea you were into sports."
I guess I'll be told this over and over again.
"I'm not; this is Inori's doing."
It would be poor manners not giving her all the credit, and so I do.
"Too much sex?"
I thank the Gods I'm not drinking anything right now, or else I'd have spit it all.
"Ouch!"
Tsugumi is hit by me in her forehead as she deserves.
"The Void Genome, pervert."
She's quite dirty for someone her age, enough to take the title Ayase gave to me.
"I know, I'm kidding! You barbarian, you don't have to hit me…"
Bah, it was just a soft chop with the edge of my hand.
"Ayase will make justice during the mock fight, though, all thanks to you."
I point out an inconvenient truth to make her feel better.
"All thanks to me? It was you who made her leave."
"While I was playing along with your mischief, that is."
You won't turn the tables on me, young girl.
"Alright, I'm sorry… I did go too far."
Tsugumi apologizes, but I don't believe a word.
"You helped me out with Argo quite a lot after the first incident with Ayase. Why would you have a change of spirit now?"
I voice one of my questions, since it's rather disconcerting when I think about the sudden swing in Tsugumi's attitude towards interpersonal relations. She did contribute in making Ayase mad at me again even though Gai told me she's the one who helped everyone get along, so it makes me wonder.
"It'll be easier for Ayase to accept you if we make her forget about your capture. Even though rescuing you gave us a chance to save Kenji as well, we did lose a number of soldiers because Inori disobeyed Gai.
She blames the changes in her entirely on you, and thinks that you're the one responsible of the lives that were lost that night. In a way, she is right, but I don't want her to dwell in the past and be unable to forgive you.
We must all have mutual trust to work together, after all. That's why I'm making her angry at you for reasons that are easy to fix, so you can make up with her in a day or two. This way, she'll feel as if she had gotten over the personal problems between you and her and she'll come to see you as a friend afterwards."
Wow.
"Tsugumi, you really know her very well."
"Of course I do. But well, that was only part of the reason for teasing her."
"Really? What would the rest be, then?"
The short girl grins in amusement.
"Her reactions are just too good."
We immediately share a high five, seeing there is mutual understanding between us.
"She'll still beat me up during the mock fight, though."
Unfortunately, the bleak future that awaits me cannot be denied.
"That's fun too."
Stupid midget.
She proceeds to take out a number of sensors from a nearby drawer and sticks them in several points throughout my upper body, mostly on my back and chest. While she's at it, I touch a subject I wanted to talk about with her since a while ago.
"Tsugumi, this is rather sudden, but I owe you an apology."
She looks up and meets my eyes, letting me know she's listening.
"That time with Funell, when you were repairing him, I said some mean things to you. I'm sorry about that… your son and I had some differences the day I met Inori, so I still had some anger inside of me when I learned you had made him."
Tsugumi smiles at me, showing she isn't mad at me after all. More than ever before, I realize she's pretty quick to forgive and forget; Gai was right when he said she is great at getting people befriend each other.
This is just a hunch, but I have a feeling that she'd be able to get into good terms with pretty much anyone – even if the person in question were a battle-crazed daddy boy.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. You did make me feel bad, but I guess you had your reasons for being angry at Funell."
Well, he did hit me a couple of times, but the main reason…
"It's stupid, really, because the one I should be angry at is Inori, not Funell. I fell asleep and didn't wake up when she called me, so she had your son zap my butt with electricity.
Naturally, since Inori is Inori, I couldn't be mad at her and ended up blaming Funell instead. It was my bad, no matter how we look at it, so I beg for your forgiveness again."
Tsugumi straightens up cheerfully, apparently accepting my apology.
"Then make up for it during the test! Let's go."
She slaps my back with her hand, but fortunately it doesn't hurt as much as Gai's backslap last night in the showers. Tsugumi is much smaller, after all, so it's no surprise.
Midget-san leads me through the headquarters after I put my shirt on, until we exit the building through a door somewhere in the back. We're in what I'd assume to be a sort of training grounds, since there's an open space suitable for running and physical exercise.
For the following two hours, Tsugumi coaches me in a variety of exercises and challenges, most of them which I pass with ease and higher-than-average results. The small girl examining my performance is busily writing down in an electronic notebook she brought with her, accurately recording the details of how I am doing in each and every task.
"You're way above my expectations, Shu. Well done."
She praises me once we're done with the test, during which I barely broke a sweat. This is insane; the Void Genome turned me into completely another person in a matter of days.
"Are you drooling over me as well now?"
Letting my surprise aside, I decide to experiment how Tsugumi reacts to being teased.
"Only over your body; I like it."
Oh shit! I avert my eyes from her after the impertinent reply. Of all the things I expected to hear, I never saw such an answer coming, much less in the provocative tone she used.
"In terms of performance, silly. What soldier wouldn't like having a body like that?"
Uh… right. That's totally not the way you made it sound, Tsugumi.
"Let's find Aya; she needs to overlook your training with Argo."
She redirects the conversation back to our duties, and we set off to look for the girl who will murder me later on in the day. My pulse is still racing after Tsugumi made my teasing bounce back at my face, but I should be settled down by the time we locate Ayase.
We search around without much success, and so we opt to meet with Argo first who was said to be in the headquarters' bar. I open the heavy wooden door, which is the first I've seen made of a non-metallic material, and motion Tsugumi to walk in first. Shu is a gentleman, a gentleman!
The midget thanks me with her hand and then waves happily to someone inside. I enter the room following behind her and realize that Ayase is already here, keeping the gloomy Argo some company.
"Getting drunk so early in the day, Aya-nee?"
I know I'm digging my own grave, but I can't stop myself from kidding around with her. She is, after all, having a wine glass together with the embodiment of depression, so there's not much room to blame me for pointing out how early it is to drink. The two of them are minors, even, which makes things worse.
"No, I was just discussing with Argo that you are slow to learn. He's been kind enough to suggest using an appropriate degree of rigor to make teaching you easier."
Well, fuck. She ratted on me. I should have expected it, though… she and Argo are old-time friends, so it's only natural he'll stand up for her if someone is bugging her.
"He's in excellent shape, though, so you shouldn't let your guard down."
Tsugumi intervenes, speaking in my favor. Thankfully, it seems she'll be taking my side on this one. She grins before adding:
"You can beat him up and he'll be alright anyway, so don't hold anything back."
Et tu, Tsugumi?! Traitorous wretch!
"I'll take my report to Gai now, so I'll get going. Good luck!"
She shamelessly pats my shoulder before turning and crossing the door, and I am left alone together with the macabre pair set on making me pay for my sins. This must be part of Tsugumi's scheme in making Ayase truly come to accept me, however, so I won't get mad at her for this.
Argo passes me a plastic training knife and proceeds to explain the basics of melee combat while Ayase keeps her eyes fixed on us in a good mood. After a few minutes of covering the theory, my bleak-looking instructor and I engage in battle.
I'm pissed off at Tsugumi as of now.
"You react fast, Shu, but your footwork is a mess and you don't know how to counterattack. Keep a close eye on my movements and prioritize protecting your vitals; I have stabbed you enough to have killed you a dozen times if we were using real knives."
I react fast? Argo is kicking my ass without mercy, and he is really not holding back just like the midget told him. Ayase is watching us silently and taking notes from her wheelchair, but I can see she is clearly enjoying the show. Just wait until the mock fight, young girl… you'll uh… wipe the floor with me harder by then, I guess. God damn it.
The air in my lungs is forced out by Argo's stab directly hitting my diaphragm. I stumble and fall to the ground, where I'm unable to breathe for a few seconds. Getting distracted isn't a good thing in the middle of a fight, I can see.
"Eyes on me, Shu! Ayase isn't your opponent, so don't let her break your focus."
I know, damn it! Ugh… okay, I think I'm getting better. I inhale with some difficulty and force myself to stand up, unwilling to be taken down by my opponent.
"You really can take a beating, rookie."
Ayase points out the obvious. Of course I can take a beating! She saw how much muscle I've grown with her own eyes, so she shouldn't be surprised that my resilience has rocketed sky high as well. However, that doesn't mean the experience is any less painful – Argo is making me go through hell, and there's little I can do about it.
Even if my body is stronger than his, the difference in experience between us is just impossible to surpass; I'd have to take out a Void and use it against him to win this. Naturally, I cannot do that, because I don't want Argo to be killed. This is troublesome.
"You… won't even touch me… Ayase…"
Fighting against her Endlave will be different, though, since Gai said I will have a Void or two with me. Of course, I expect I won't be allowed to use anything that would damage her craft, but the mere fact of having a Void with me makes me confident enough to talk big against her even in this situation.
Argo laughs at me in reply.
"Even I can't dodge her Endlave, boy. I really want to see you try."
We keep fighting for a while, during which Argo went even harder on me. I'm full of bruises by the time we leave the room, having sustained damage pretty much everywhere from head to toes, face included.
"See you tomorrow, Shu!"
Argo waves at me before I close the door behind me. This bastard enjoyed tormenting me with the training knife as much as the girl waiting for me in the corridor was delighted by witnessing it.
Even after all that, I opened the door for Ayase and let her pass first, so I retained my status as a gentleman, but hell was it difficult.
"Are you happy now?"
I ask the redhead an honest question.
"I'm still to have a piece of you myself, so no."
She gives me an honest reply too, not hiding at all the friendly hostility between us. I pat her head in response, messing her hair as I speak.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you won't be getting any of that."
Pain alarmingly shoots from my wrist the very next moment, as Ayase grabbed my hand and twisted it in an odd direction before I could even react.
"Ah, ah! I get it, you win! I'm sorry! Sorry!"
She makes me bend towards her, forcing me to kneel in excruciating pain as I beg to be spared, but she doesn't let go.
"Ayase-sama, please! Show mercy!"
I helplessly slap her hand holding me, praying she will listen. She nonchalantly releases me from the wrist lock and continues rolling her wheelchair's wheels, not giving me much importance as I stand up and follow behind her.
Hell, my bones and ligaments are all wrecked now …
She guides me to the shooting range without further ado, and we meet with Inori who is already waiting for us there. Good Lord, she's wearing a black dress with a cross-shaped string in the middle, which has a cute-looking ribbon right below her left breast. The band passing beneath and also right in the middle of her chest pushes her glorious graces a bit upward, making them even more visible than they normally are.
"Morning, Inori."
"Afternoon, Shu."
Ah, it's this late already? Time went so fast I didn't even feel it. We exchange greetings, but Ayase prevents us from chit-chatting.
"Is everything ready to commence training, Inori?"
INORI NODS! Dear God, it had been so long since I last saw her do that, so it hits me harder than it normally would.
I walk towards my girlfriend and quickly catch her scent, distracting me for a moment of sweet intoxication. Hell, she smells way too good… her scent is for my nose what her nodding is for my eyes; I just can't get enough of it.
Inori shows me an unloaded gun and explains how to use it.
"Load the magazine like this and push it until you hear it lock; you can release it later by pressing this button here. Load the bullets one at a time and make sure you put the flat side of the bullet against this side of the mag.
Remove the gun safety and pull the slide to chamber a round. Remember to place your right hand on the gun and hold it as tight as possible; your hand mustn't shake. Position your body like this, forming a pyramid with your strong foot in front and your pelvis turned forty five degrees.
Lean your shoulders forward over your toes, then aim at the target through the front sight and pull the trigger without moving the gun's muzzle. If you do it all correctly, you should be able to do this."
She proceeds to demonstrate the final product of her tutoring and…
Girl, there is no way in hell I'll ever do that. Inori just fired all eighteen rounds one after another at the target hanging twenty meters away from us, and all of the bullets hit either in the center of its head or its chest.
"Just as you'd expect of her in this kind of situation."
Ayase says something scary. So Inori has always been this talented at killing things?
"I want you to aim to meet the same standards."
Aya-nee is asking for the impossible, and she knows it.
"Here."
Inori gives me the unloaded gun and a new magazine. I follow her instructions to reload it, carefully pointing the muzzle towards the shooting area all the time and then stand in the same position as Inori showed me.
She quickly stops me before I shoot, however.
"Wrong. If you do that, your hand will get skinned on the slide."
Inori closes the distance between us and – sweet Jesus, don't stop – presses my favorite part of her body against my back as she reaches for my hands from behind me.
"Your thumb should be over here…"
God, I'm melting. Inori moved my finger somewhere else on the gun, but I don't have the composure to pay attention; I'm just enjoying the moment with a stupid look on my face.
"Inori… leave some space for the Holy Spirit, please."
Ayase spoils the heavenly experience, making Inori take a step back to let me fire. I take a few shots at a new target, missing the first few bullets, but I eventually land one in its belly. It's far from a perfect hit, but at least it's something.
I empty the rest of the magazine and feel ashamed at my results, having succeeded in digging only four of the eighteen bullets anywhere in the paper.
Inori gives me an empty mag so I can practice loading it. I leave the gun on the table to fulfill my new task, but the little fight with Ayase starts taking its toll on me.
"What's wrong?"
Inori notices I am rubbing my wrist.
"Ah, I got hurt a while ago."
I explain the situation, not saying why or how. Inori takes my hand and looks at my wrist, which is a bit swollen by now. Ayase did go pretty hard on me, after all.
Both Ayase and I are left speechless as Inori brings my injured wrist, hand included, towards her chest to embrace it tenderly.
"Are you in pain, Shu?"
I have difficulty in answering, as the softness is clouding my mind, but I think I manage to say a word or two.
"Y- yeah… a little."
With my hand still against her chest, Inori takes a step forward and wraps her arms around me in an affectionate hug that shows just how much she is in love with me. I was entirely taken by surprise by the sudden turn of events, however, so I stand there like an idiot not knowing what to do.
Ayase clears her throat audibly, making Inori realize what she's doing. She lets go, blushing, and gives me a box full of bullets so I can resume reloading the magazine.
Shooting practice continues swiftly for an hour or two, until Ayase finally calls it a day and tells me it's time to meet up with Ogumo for heavy weapons training. Inori joins us this time, however, so the three of us make way to his place in one of the upper floors.
Inori takes my hand shortly after we leave the shooting range, and I hold hers in return. Ayase throws an ugly look at me, but I ignore her and continue walking as we are. Our fingers intertwine in each other, and the softness of her skin makes me forget about the pain still present in most of my body after Argo's and Ayase's beating.
As we grow closer to Ogumo's quarters, something enters my head.
"Where did Ogumo come from? Gai told me about how the Funeral Parlor came to be, but he didn't mention Ogumo anywhere in the story."
I ask Ayase, partly to let her know I was told about her past and also to touch a subject I hadn't dug into before. Ogumo looks like he's an important member of the Parlor, so I am kind of interested about his origins.
"He has been working with Shibungi ever since we got to know them. Ogumo used to be only a regular member of the Undertakers, but he rose in rank after the Funeral Parlor was formed and he's been in charge of everything related to heavy arms for years."
And there it goes; my thirst for knowledge has been quenched for the time being.
Or well… not really. I sneak a peek at Inori and remember that I still have no idea of how she wound up becoming a soldier. I am tempted to ask for a moment, but refrain from doing so in the end; Triton told me I'd better wait until either he or she told me. Inori doesn't mention anything about herself either, so I think staying ignorant for a while longer is best for the time being.
We reach Ogumo's room and knock on the door.
"Welcome; come on in."
He opens and motions us to enter without saying much. He's a man of few words, as far as I can tell, so dealing with him shouldn't be too troublesome. I've had a good share of experience in being wrong at judging people, like how I initially dealt with Argo very well to then get my ass kicked by him during training, but I don't think I'm wrong in saying Ogumo is quiet and usually keeps things to himself.
We walk inside his room, which is filled with all sorts of armament ranging from knives all the way to rocket launchers. This guy is a military enthusiast, I can see that. His bed is right there on the side, so it confirms that we really are in his sleeping room and not in a kind of storage or anything of the sorts.
"This might be a little heavy."
He approaches me, offering a very bulky portable missile launcher. A few days ago I'd have collapsed from tying to hold it, but I think now it should be a piece of cake.
I take it from his hands, sadly letting go of Inori, and confirm that I can carry it without problem. I turn to face Inori to brag a little about my strength, and see her looking at her now-empty hand, which she is slowly closing and opening again and again. I can guess she misses holding mine, because I miss hers too.
"So how is this guy, Ogumo?"
Ayase asks the behemoth of a man for his opinion.
"He shows promise."
My heavy arms instructor gives his approval, making Ayase clap lightly at me with pride.
"Not bad at all, rookie. If you made Ogumo say that, you might as well be ready for me."
For once, Ayase says something positive about me. It seems her anger is gone.
"Shu is the strongest of all of us."
Inori voices her own opinion, making the rest of us turn our eyes to her. She said it with so much conviction nobody dares to say otherwise.
"That's thanks to you, Inori; my strength is yours."
I simply can't stand giving off the impression that I am powerful by my own accord, so I give Inori the credit again. I feel like I'd be corrupted if I became drunk in the Void Genome, so I'll be humble and state the reality just the way it is as much as I need to.
"Hey, don't get lovey-dovey on us. Rookie, go back to the guns! Inori, you sit there."
Ayase interrupts us, as we were both looking into each other's eyes like the couple we are.
We obey my heartless supervisor who has never had a boyfriend before and continue with my training. Ogumo explains to me about the different types of weapons and their uses, covering the main points about machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, grenades, rocket launchers and explosive devices.
This time we see only theory, however, as Ogumo says he'd rather wait for me to get used to firing small arms before I move to larger weapons. We spend two or three hours with him and then walk to the dining room all of us together for a much needed meal.
Fortunately, food has already been prepared by other Funeral Parlor members, so all we have to do is pick the dishes we want and take a seat. I grab a bowl of oden and a generous portion of rice, while Inori takes only, of all things, a bunch of onigiri.
"You aren't having anything else?"
I ask her, curious as of why she didn't pick any of the more elaborate dishes available.
"They remind me of you."
I dig into my food, partly to hide my embarrassment and partly to dodge Ayase's killer gaze upon hearing Inori's reason. My supervisor seems to be pretty mad at me for going out with her, but I don't know why. Triton was interested in her, but now that I've taken her from him then he's free for Ayase to make her move; she should be glad instead!
Unless Tsugumi's misleading comments aren't so misled after all... That would definitely be bad – I'm only messing with Ayase for fun, so I don't have feelings for her because I belong to Inori and no one else. Ah, shit, what should I do? If things appear to be going bad, I'll have to ask Tsugumi whether I've made a terrible mistake or not.
We finish our meal and part ways with Ogumo, who never showed any reaction whatsoever about the closeness between Inori and me. At least he's discrete about what he thinks, unlike a certain person.
Said certain person leads Inori and me to the kitchen so we leave our dishes in the automatic washer, and then guides us to the library used for mission briefings.
We reach the place and enter to find there are already a few people inside: Gai, Shibungi, Tsugumi and Kyo are discussing something in the middle of the room.
"Shu! We were talking about you!"
Kyo greets me cheerfully, waving her hand high above her head.
"Tsugumi says you did well on the physical tests. How did the rest go, Ayase?"
Gai elaborates before asking for my supervisor's report.
"Not bad for his first day, but he still has much to learn."
Well, I did best with Tsugumi when Ayase wasn't watching, so it's natural she'd say something along those lines.
"Is he truly ready for a mock battle, Gai?"
Shibungi questions him, as he seems to be in doubt of my abilities.
"Yes; there is no risk in doing it at all. He needs as much field experience as possible before our next deployment, so pitting him against Ayase should do the trick."
My old friend replies confidently, but his answer makes me worry as he claims there is no danger in having a duel against an Endlave.
"Uh, Gai… how will the battle be? I could be killed if things go wrong, and there's the chance I might damage Ayase's Endlave if I use a Void against it."
Saying he'll make me fight that beast of a machine is one thing, but actually putting the plan into practice is entirely another. I really doubt Gai is insane enough to suggest the idea without having card hidden for use, so I ask for him to enlighten me.
"We'll be using Tsugumi's Void."
Hmm… I've never seen that before.
"W-whoa, mine?"
For the first time, I see Tsugumi get nervous.
"Yes; it is the most appropriate one for this situation. Draw it out and you'll understand."
Gai declares so confidently, but I still don't see how we'll balance out the potential danger for both sides by using her Void.
"Um… Tsugumi, can I?"
I ask for her permission before I proceed, since I do have to place my hand on her chest to reach her soul. That's another good point about the Power of the King, I guess. Hell, Shu, stop thinking that - there'd better not be a Void for telepathy or Inori will kill you for this.
"W- well, okay… go on."
Tsugumi puffs her chest out to me, looking away in shyness.
"Sorry about this, but I need to see your eyes."
"A- ah! Alright… okay…"
She looks at me reluctantly. Now that I think about it, this must be difficult for her – staring into a guy's eyes as he puts his hand so close to her breasts. I place my palm a bit above to avoid feeling anything, but the soft sensation is still there in the lower corners of my hand. Sorry, girl, I can't avoid it.
Light immediately erupts as I summon her spirit to materialize, but just like it was with Kyo, there is no violent reaction to wreck our surroundings. I think only weapon-type Voids go out of control the way it happened when I took mine and Gai's, since I draw Tsugumi's Void without any trouble.
And in my hands lies a… what is this thing? It looks like a magical girl's wand. Information about the Void quickly flows into me, however, telling me such isn't the case. Hey, this is cool! Now I understand why I always know what a Void does the moment I wield it: the Void itself tells me about its abilities.
I was only aware about them unconsciously before, as I couldn't feel the data entering my brain, but I think now that the Void Genome has mixed well enough with my body, I can use its power to a much greater extent.
And holy Jesus is Tsugumi's Void obscene even among other Voids. This thing should be made illegal and sealed away; it's just way too powerful.
"Shu? What does my Void do?"
I laugh ominously, showing Gai I now understand why he wanted me to use this thing.
"Prepare yourself, Sendo Tsugumi… behold!"
I point the wand-shaped Void at her, scaring her shitless, and immediately activate it. Purple light shines from it at the same time as dozens of silver threads swirl around its radiance. I take it down to the ground and slowly raise it, revealing how a human form starts taking shape from feet to head.
In the end, an exact copy of Sendo Tsugumi is standing before me, looking eye-to-eye with the original. The copy slowly turns to face me and starts fiddling with her fingers, looking like there's something she wants to say but can't bring herself to.
"Um… Shu…"
And the copy speaks to me.
"Y- yes?"
I reply nervously, and everyone's eyes are set on the clone and me.
"You… were very cool back then."
Tsugumi is turning red by the second as the clone keeps talking in an extremely suggestive tone, heavily hinting there is deep meaning in its words.
"Could we do another physical test? A little bit with more detail this time…"
All of us react this time the clone speaks, even Inori, but Tsugumi herself explodes.
"WHAT IS MY VOID DOING, OUMA SHU!?"
Man is she flustered!
"I – I don't know! I was aware it would make a clone, but I had no idea it would behave like this… I think it speaks the honest feelings of its owner!"
The face of Tsugumi is filled with shock and horror more than I had imagined possible. Inori steps between the clone and me, spreading her arms to block the way.
"Th- there is no need for that! You've examined Shu close enough!"
Holy God, Inori is facing off against it, blushing just as much as Tsugumi is.
"But Inori, this is really necessary, I need to do it!"
The clone is sulking very childishly, making Tsugumi cover her face with her hands. I turn over to Ayase to see how she's doing and the sight nearly kills me: her jaw is dropped wide open, and her eyes are filled with nothing but pure disbelief.
"No, you don't! Shu is mine."
Boy, that escalated quickly. Inori firmly declares I'm her property before turning around and hugging me to show how close we are.
"Come on, Inori, please! Polygamy is well-seen in some cultures, did you know?"
Tsugumi loses it, screaming and charging against the clone, bringing it to the ground. The two fight a little, but the original emerges victorious and forces the copy into submission, covering its mouth with both hands to prevent any more words from being spoken.
Gai walks to me and smacks the back of my head.
"Cut it off already."
I rub the pain away as he tells me it's been enough.
"Ah, come on, just a little more."
This was just getting fun, so I protest.
"Wh- what are you talking about?"
Tsugumi looks up to us from the floor, still pinning the copy down with all her might.
"Shu is mentally controlling the clone; he's making it say everything it has said."
I think I should start running just about now. I turn around to flee for my life, but somehow I've already been captured before I even start. My arm is locked in a tight hold behind my back, and I feel like it might break if any more strength is applied.
"ROOKIE YOU BASTARD!"
Ayase is restraining me, and it hurts like the living hell, but I still break out laughing like the asshole I am. The real Tsugumi gets up in an instant and rushes to me, but Inori stops her from reaching me.
"INORI, LET ME THROUGH! AREN'T YOU MAD AT HIM TOO!?"
Tsugumi is enraged, screaming at my girlfriend to let her kill me.
"I knew what your Void was all along."
Everyone in the room is left speechless. Ayase even released me from the hold without noticing, so I take a step or two away from her while I have the chance, but I don't really care – Inori just said she always knew that I was the one messing with Tsugumi.
"Inori can see Voids like I do; it's no surprise."
Mother of Jesus. I had already knew that Gai could see Voids, since he always knows which one I must use before I even draw it for the first time, but he's now saying Inori can do the same thing. This is news, and very intense ones at that.
All of us are dumbstruck except for Inori, Shibungi, and Gai. Silence reigns for a moment.
"Inori… so you were helping Shu in pranking Tsugumi?"
Kyo breaks the arctic ice at last, snapping us back to our senses.
"I'm his girlfriend; of course I did."
Inori's resolute answer makes a single manly tear flow out of my right eye.
Tsugumi gets up, goes to a corner and crawls into fetal position. I'd normally feel bad about it, but I can't help it this time: as of this moment, I know I have the best girlfriend I could ever possibly dream of, and it makes me so damned proud I don't wipe the manly tear away no matter how much of a pussy it might make me look like.
Ayase strolls her wheelchair to Tsugumi and the two of them stay there, the latter comforted by the former. Kyo is still unable to close her mouth from the shock, and only the three who already knew about Inori's Void-seeing ability retain their composures.
Kyo struggles to recover, and manages to say a single sentence.
"You got yourself a perfect girlfriend, Ouma Shu."
I take a breath, having a difficult time in doing so because of the knot forming in my throat. Inori wipes the manly tear herself with her finger before planting a kiss on my cheek with her beautiful and soft lips. And then she hugs me.
"I know I did."
I admit the truth, finding it impossible to say anything else. Without even being asked to, the girl holding onto my arm assisted me in exacting vengeance from Tsugumi for having made Argo beat me up as much as he did. No words exist in any language, terrestrial or divine, to accurately describe just how much more I have fallen for Inori this day.
Gai clears his throat, telling us to cut it off once more.
"Back to the mission, everyone. Tsugumi, come here! Tsugumi? No, it's fine, stay there if you need to. Shu; Kyo and I are going to leave for a few hours. We need to meet with the remnants of the Undertakers; they are going to join us for the deployments we'll do the following weeks.
You are to stay here for the mock battle with Ayase, and will use Tsugumi's Void on yourself to avoid being injured. If the clone gets killed it will just disappear, so you can face off against Ayase as many times as you need by creating another one.
Just remember not to use anything that would damage her craft; it's a new model we cannot replace, so you'd better be careful not to wreck it. I expect good results of you, so you'd better win, understood?"
He explains the situation to me, but I have a question.
"What are my victory conditions?"
If I can't harm the Endlave, then there must be a way other than destroying it.
"You will do several battles with different objectives, such as getting to a certain location, recovering an item or merely staying alive for a certain period of time. I've told Shibungi all of the details; he will explain them to you."
I turn to see Shibungi, who isn't very amused by how blatantly I misused Tsugumi's Void. It was a chance too good to be wasted, though, so I don't regret it at all… much less after what happened with Inori because of it.
Agh, I'm getting a knot on my throat again. Stop it, Shu! No more manly tears! Think of something else, like Ayase pissed off. Fuck! That makes me want to cry too. I'm done for.
"There's a degree of risk in us leaving the installations, however, so I will request of you to draw my Void in case we are detected."
Gai keeps explaining, and I walk towards him. Inori is still holding onto my right arm, so I extend the left one to Gai's chest. I have never tried drawing a Void out with this hand, though, so I don't know if it's going to work.
Ah, wait! Gai's Void goes crazy when I take it out; we need open space.
"Shall we go outside? To draw your Void, that is."
I ask, since unleashing such a weapon in here might be quite inconvenient.
"No; just draw it carefully. We were very tense back then, so our Voids were restless, but if you take it out slowly in here it won't do any damage."
Really? I still doubt I can unsheathe Inori's sword without blasting off a part of the building, but if Gai says his is alright then I'll believe him. Placing my left hand on his chest and looking into his eyes, I extend my senses to feel inside of him and notice that, like he said, his Void is way more tranquil than it was in the GHQ's base.
I grip it and pull it carefully, bringing it into existence without losing dominion over its power. Gai takes it from me and points it at Kyo.
Wait, what?!
He opens fire at her.
I'm about to draw my Void out to fight against him for killing Kyo, but what happens before me makes me stop immediately. Her shield pops out of her ironing board, as if I had summoned it to emerge myself.
Kyo grasps it with one hand and shows me a v-finger gesture with the other one.
"Can your Void draw other Voids, Gai?"
That's the only logical assumption I can make, but I ask him anyway.
"Pretty useful, isn't it?"
Fucking insane, if he asks me.
"The battle is scheduled to be in three hours, so you should get some rest beforehand."
Shibungi cuts into our conversation, telling me I should replenish some strength after training during all of the morning.
"We have to get going too, Shu. We'll be back by nightfall, so you'd better have a good tale about the mock fight for our reinforcements."
Gai offers me his fist, which I meet with my own like a good brother.
"Take care out there, both of you."
I speak to both Kyo and Gai, who will undoubtedly be doing something risky in a few hours. Bringing mercenary soldiers into the city mustn't be an easy task, so I wish the best of luck for them inside my heart.
"I'll be there for Gai; you don't need to worry about a thing."
I've seen the two of them in battle before, though, so I'm sure they can make it by themselves. Even if things go bad, he can call for me to be deployed and Inori's Void will wreak havoc on the Anti-Bodies again shortly afterwards.
I turn to leave the library together with Inori, but a voice calls behind me.
"Hey Shu! I'm still placing my bets on you, so don't dare to disappoint me! I want to hear of your victory when I get back."
Kyo cheers on me, going as far as taking the side of the man who left one of her oldest comrades curled up in a corner. Now that I look back into the room, I can see Tsugumi and Ayase are still there recovering after my little adventure with the clone.
Man, I'm too mean with them. This sucks, too, since I no longer have Tsugumi's Void with me – I think Ayase took it from me while she restrained me, for I don't recall having dropped it or given it back to its owner.
The clone has vanished, too, with means the magical girl wand must be back in Tsugumi's chest. Holy shit… I hope she'll let me take it out again… I hadn't taken this scenario into consideration when I did the prank.
Inori pulls me to continue moving forward, so I go with her. She takes the lead and guides me through the installations, until we stop before her room's door. She proceeds to open it and walks in, taking me together with her. She locks the door after we enter.
Um…
"Inori? What are we doing?"
She pulls me closer to her bed and pushes me into it. The back of my knees hit against its edge, so they bend and I end up sitting on the mattress. Inori sits on top of me and pushes me down with her hands against my shoulders, leaving the cross-shaped lace in her dress and the pair of beauties accompanying it hanging right over my face.
"I'll help you warm up."
I've got a boner.
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
Ouma Shu has just become a little bee at the mercy of his Queen.
"Take your shirt off."
She was right; I am her property as of now. She's just stolen my soul away, and I obediently do as I am told. Inori gets off me and walks to her drawer chest, where she rumbles through her things until she finds a little box.
"That is…?"
She wouldn't have of those, would she?
"Protection."
Man, I'm getting laid. Oh boy, oh boy.
"Turn around, please. Face down."
Immediately, my love. I do as Inori tells me to let her do as she pleases with me. It should be the other way around, but since she was the one who took the initiative right from the start then I'll let her keep it for today. It'll be my turn next time.
Inori sits on top of my butt, making me smile stupidly as I get to feel hers. She presses her hands against my back, and I notice they are covered in something cold and slippery. I have no idea what it is, but it feels good, so I don't care.
She proceeds to perform a soothing massage, relieving me from the lingering pain resulting from my training with Argo. Good Lord, she's extremely good at this. My muscles loosen and relax only a couple of minutes after Inori commenced her treatment, and I feel as if Aphrodite herself were personally giving me the blessing of the Gods.
Inori's soft fingers guide the palm of her hands through my upper body, and I can do naught but melt into the bed from the waves of sheer pleasure flowing to my brain. I'm near the other side of Heaven's gate when Inori calls to me, bringing me back to reality.
"Shu."
She calls me again, seeing I did not react the first time.
"Inori?"
"I'll get a towel so you can turn around."
I nod in response, telling her she's free to do with me whatever she wants. Said and done, she comes to me with a towel and motions me to sit up. I do and help her place it on top of the bed sheets, which makes me realize the thing she had covered her hands with was some sort of massage oil.
"What is this?"
My hand reaches for the box she'd taken out of her drawer, but find there's nothing written on it so I'm still entirely ignorant about its contents.
"Medicine; Shibungi gave it to me. It's good for your skin and it eases your pain."
Wait, so she meant this by protection?
Holy Jesus. I was about to think 'what a letdown' as I lay down, yet Inori sits on top of me again but now pressing against a certain part of my body that gets very happy about it.
She applies more of the oil on her hands and presses them against my chest, reaching all the way to my neck and then going down to my belly. Inori keeps massaging the rest of my upper body for a couple of minutes, arms and hands included.
The mere feeling of having Inori on top of me touching me everywhere is otherworldly; I think I have never had a more pleasurable experience in my life. Just the place where Inori is sitting makes it all even better, and all I can do is sinking on the towel as my mind ebbs into the sea of satisfaction brought about by her hands.
I think I hear a voice saying my name.
"Shu?"
Ah, it's the Goddess calling to me.
I can't even speak, so I just make a noise with my throat to tell her I'm listening.
"What's this?"
Oh. She's just noticed the pole poking against her, as she wriggles on top of it curiously.
I doubt Inori has had a normal education, so I've come to wonder… has anyone taught her about sex? I can teach her here and now, but I think it would be rushing things far more than I really should.
"It means I love you, Inori."
Ahhh, I'm too soft. Not my thing, but me as a person; I'll be a good boy and let Inori keep her innocence until I see she's ready to grow up. The girl in question is very set on making me go crazy, though, as she lays down me and deliciously presses her lips against mine.
This is the first time we've kissed. No, scratch that – this is the first time I've ever kissed anyone… other than Mana, but she doesn't count. Or does she? What's this? The sensation is identical. Fucking shit, what the hell is going on?
Inori keeps kissing me, and I enjoy it like I've never enjoyed anything before, but her lips feel just way too familiar. However, I'm already too into the mood to stop just because of this, especially since I know Inori and Mana are different people, but for a moment I can't shake the feeling that something is very wrong in here.
In the end the moment gets the best of me, and Inori and I keep kissing each other for God knows how long. Both of us are made a mess by the time we stop; our clothes are covered with massage oil and our lips are rather swollen from so much use.
Inori's hair is entirely undone, too, as I took the liberty of caressing it with my hand while we exchanging our affection, and I can bet mine is in no way any better than hers.
My pants aren't very clean, either, so I really must go and change my clothes before the mock fight begins. Damn it, I don't even know what time it is – we could've been here in her room for half the day and I would've not noticed at all.
"It's almost time."
Inori confirms my fear as she looks at her clock over the drawer chest.
"I'll go get changed."
Hastening to put my shirt back on, I tell Inori I'll be heading to my room.
"So will I."
Well, she's taken notice as well of how we look. Her clothes are a bit undone as well because of my mischievous hands exploring her upper half, so I'm beginning to feel somewhat guilty. I said I'd go slowly with this matter, but Inori was simply too tempting for me to hold everything back.
There was no sex, like I promised, but let's just say I got to learn a lot about Inori's anatomy, especially her chest. Yes, it was every bit as awesome as I had imagined.
I'm fully clothed once again and prepare to leave the room so Inori can change, but she calls to me with her hand.
"Wait for me, I won't take long."
Uh… what?
Ooooh…
Ohhhh!
My eyes!
Beauty overload, JESUS!
Inori takes her dress off in front of me, letting me see her in her enthralling pink underwear. I thank the Gods Inori didn't do that while we were kissing, for my willpower would have been instantly shattered had she shown her perfect body to me back then.
She takes out a white set of clothes and puts it on without delays. She turns to me so I can see her and I am immediately marveled by her looks. Her hair is still messy, but the white outfit with an – oh God, why – extremely generous cleavage takes my breath away.
I struggle hard not to get her back to the bed again, and calmly walk to the door instead. Both of us go through the corridor headed to my room, and we pass by several Parlor members along the way. Fortunately, my pants are pitch-black and therefore hide very well the horrible stains done by my body's eagerness to reproduce.
I open the door to my room and… Inori follows behind me. Well, shit.
She changed in front of me, so I guess she expects me to do the same. Uh… I have no choice, I guess; I'd feel like a failure of a man if I asked her to turn away when she clearly has no qualms about seeing me naked.
Fortune smiles upon me brightly enough to make it so that a clean uniform is inside one of my drawers, so I take it out and unclothe myself as Inori keeps her eyes fixed on me.
"I'll change my underwear too… you don't mind?"
She did leave some clothes on her, so I warn her to avoid any surprises. Inori shakes her head, telling me it's okay to proceed, so I man up and strip off the last of my outfit. I can see my girlfriend is blushing, but she doesn't part her eyes from me for even a moment.
I go the washroom and clean myself a little with the ruined underwear, making a mental note that I must either wash or pulverize them with my Void before someone else finds them as they are. I proceed to wash my hands and then walk back to the room.
I put on the clean set of clothes afterwards, with Inori watching me in silence all the time.
Once I'm ready and set to leave, I walk to my girlfriend and motion her that we're leaving.
"You're handsome."
Hnng! My heart! This girl will kill me someday by saying those things.
I nervously gulp my saliva down without looking at her, shied away by her words. We're a couple now, but she still gets to me when she talks like this.
"You're very beautiful too, Inori… I love you."
Though I should have said this when she was the one changing, it's better to be late than keeping it to myself forever. Inori locks her arm on mine as we resume walking, and we leisurely make way to the indoors battlefield. Inori knows how to get there, so I let her take the lead and just enjoy her company as we take a stroll through the stony building.
The place is full of people gathered in the sidelines, and in the middle of them all is a majestic white Endlave I had never seen before. Shibungi is standing right beside it, inspecting it up close, so move close to him to talk.
"Where did you get this?"
"We didn't steal only transports from the Anti-Bodies."
The Parlor's second in command doesn't waste any opportunities, I see.
"Is this my opponent?"
It's the only Endlave in the place, so I already fear for the worst.
"Ayase needs to get used to piloting it, so yes."
This is funny, actually. Endlaves are controlled remotely, since the pilot is plugged to a terminal stationed in a safe place so they don't get killed if their craft is destroyed. The thing is I'll be fighting by using a clone that I can telepathically control, so the two of us will be using some form of avatar to represent us.
Of course, it's unfair that Ayase has a big-ass robot while I have only a squishy copy of myself, but that's just the way life goes…
As I think of this, someone pokes on my shoulder, asking me to look behind. I turn around as requested and find myself standing before an angry-as-hell Tsugumi, arms crossed over her chest as she looks at me with threatening eyes.
"Oh… hi."
I don't know what else to say, so I just spew whatever crosses my mind first and pray for the best. It doesn't work, as I should've expected, and Tsugumi pokes her finger at me without showing any improvement in her aggressive demeanor.
"You've declared war on me, Ouma Shu. I won't let you off the hook easily."
Uh oh. She's pissed, very badly. I knew I was asking for trouble, but I think I went kind of overboard by abusing her Void the way I did. Ah, damn it, I should've thought about the potential trouble my prank could've caused for me… I've just destroyed what little friendship I had with Ayase and Midget-chan.
Nah, who am I kidding? I'd do it again if I had the chance.
"Hey, you did have Argo mop the floor with me this morning. Can't we call it even?"
I present a valid argument, making her notice I am not the only one who has performed hostile acts in this conflict. What she doesn't know is that Argo's beating led directly to Inori showing me Heaven on Earth, but there's no need to tell her about it.
Tsugumi gives me a cold and long stare before speaking again.
"This isn't over yet, just so you know. Get ready for a little fun tomorrow, Ouma-kun."
Hey, why is she calling me the same way Scarface did? This is scary. I don't like it!
"Shu isn't alone, though."
Ahhh, Inori! She openly states she is on my side in this, letting Tsugumi know I won't be without allies during the prank war that is about to break out.
"That's good; I have Aya-nee with me. We will see just what you are made of, Inori."
Analyzing the troops' layout more closely I can discern Argo is also with them, but the possibility exists that I might succeed in adding Kyo to my ranks. That would make it a six-person conflict, just enough to kill all the boredom that might be preying upon me.
"That's enough, the three of you. Let's commence with the battle at once."
Shibungi is no fun, but he is doing the right thing. Tsugumi reluctantly lets me take her Void out once again, with which I form a clone of myself to use in the mock fight.
Inori looks at me, then at the clone and back to me again. She is smiling.
"There are two of you."
I don't know if any weird ideas have just crossed her mind, but if that is the case then I might have to come up with a way to draw this Void again without Tsugumi noticing. There's no way in hell she'd let me use it for misbehaving with my girl, so I have to be stealthy, but sneaking up to her while she sleeps would be plain creepy.
Besides, taking a Void out is extremely flashy, so she'd wake up in an instant. Well, this is a true challenge for my creativity, so I'll ponder about it after the fight is done.
I take a seat together with Inori in the sidelines, and close my eyes to concentrate in moving the clone with as much precision as I can. This thing is practically an extension of me, so if I put my mind into it I can move it as if it were my own body, but it still feels weird as hell to be practically in two places at the same time.
The white Endlave before my clone shows signs of movement, telling me Ayase is already in command. The machine's speaker can be heard opening the voice channel, confirming my assumptions.
"You have hell to pay, rookie. Any last words?"
Man, Ayase is asking for it.
"Totally worth it!"
My clone delivers. I expected immediate rebuttal, but Ayase stays quiet. This gives me the shivers far worse than any reply could possibly have.
"You are to survive for one minute, just to see how you can fare against her. This scenario assumes you have only a submachine gun and you can't draw your Void out or else a Leukocyte will be fired upon you.
Both the Endlave and your weapon are loaded with paint bullets, but you should still refrain from firing at the other people watching. Treat them as if they were civilians and avoid harming them to the best of your ability.
Any questions?"
Um, just one.
"How do I use that?"
I point at the paintball submachine gun Shibungi is holding, since Ogumo conveniently skipped the practice of how to use one of these. Was this Ayase's doing? Damn it.
Shibungi gives my clone a quick explanation, which is relayed to me via the Void's telepathic link connecting us, and I'm ready to roll. My impromptu instructor walks towards the sidelines where everyone else is seated and takes the microphone for the numerous speakers placed throughout the enclosed column-filled perimeter.
"Fight!"
My clone dies. Shibungi signals the battle's start, and Ayase shoots my avatar down with a single merciless flurry of paint bullets; I don't even have time to take one step. Hell, my clone's damage was so extensive that it even vanished and I'm forced to make another one from scratch.
Round two begins with me taking cover behind a column, but Ayase proceeds to close in on my doll and squashes it like a bug in a matter of seconds. She didn't even open fire with her gun – it was unnecessary, with the gap of strength between us being so huge.
Needless to say, I have to create a third and then a fourth clone, all of them doomed to meet a fate similar to their predecessors'. I understand now that not only is Ayase extremely mad at me, but she is also exceptionally good at piloting that thing.
"How do you like my new Steiner, rookie?"
"Totally worth it!"
She kills my fifth clone not even waiting for Shibungi to give the signal. Damn it, her craft is so fast I can't even do anything in response.
"Kill 'Em All Daryl must still be throwing a tantrum for this."
Tsugumi talks through the Endlave's speaker, mocking someone I do not know. I assume he's the Endlave's former owner; probably a high-ranking Anti-Body.
"Hey, Shibungi, can I start using Voids already? My clones will just keep getting killed if I have nothing more than a gun I can't even fire properly."
Inori taught me that Endlaves can be fought against to some extent with regular firearms, like that time she destroyed one of the crafts' sight system when we were being chased outside the tunnel, but my current skill in using conventional weapons is simply too low to make much of a difference.
"Yes; the following scenarios will be done assuming you are utilizing the Voids you've previously stored inside your own. Start using Kenji's void; he awoke a few hours ago."
Hey, really? I haven't talked to him yet, so Shibungi took the trouble of informing me that wielding his anti-gravity gun is entirely viable. The young grey-haired boy Argo rescued from prison walks to me as per Shibungi's orders, and offers his chest to me.
"Hey, Kenji. I'm Shu; pleased to meet you."
I offer my hand first for introductions, but Kenji doesn't care and just stares back at me.
"Take my Void and get this over with."
Whoa, touchy. He doesn't strike me like a very social type, so I guess we won't get along too well. Tsugumi is unlikely to intervene for the following few days, so I can consider my relations with him as good as dead.
I look into his eyes and draw the Void as he said, not paying much mind to the tension between us. He's the one being an ass this time, so my part in keeping formalities has already been fulfilled.
After making a sixth clone, I try to equip it with my own Void but fail in doing so. It seems a mere doll made in my image won't be able to reproduce the Power of the King, after all, so I have no choice but to fire at it with Kenji's Void to liberate it from gravity's pull.
Shibungi signals the fight's start and things get pretty fun this round: being released from the gravitational field's shackles, my clone is free to move everywhere with extreme ease simply by jumping and using the roof and columns to attack Ayase from otherwise impossible angles.
She has a much more difficult time chasing my avatar this time, but eventually guns it down with her paint bullets. I do get to land a bunch of paintballs on her craft myself, though, which is a feat I had been previously unable to do in abundance.
We repeat the same scenario a couple of times and get the same result as Ayase grows used to my movement patterns and limitations, so Shibungi quickly adds another Void to my repertoire: Argo's.
I walk to him this time and excuse myself to grab his chest, from which I extract a cylindrical Void shaped as some kind of flashlight. Its spiritual feedback tells me I can create a sphere of darkness with it, so I can potentially disrupt Ayase's field of vision with it in case I am cornered.
During the first match I avoid using Kenji's void, so Ayase forgets a little about how I move with it, and use my new weapon in abundance to piss Ayase off like there's no tomorrow, just being careful not to blind her when she's moving towards everyone else watching from the sidelines.
Ayase herself is holding back now, as she's looking not to damage Argo's Void while the clone and her craft are in combat, so being put up against her is slowly becoming easier. Repeating the fights has made me get used to her Endlave's speed and movement possibilities, so little by little I get to last for longer periods of time and fulfill more objectives indicated by Shibungi.
I eventually resume using Kenji's Void, giving my clone the liberty of flying around while spamming the use of Argo's Void. Ayase is finally finding herself in serious difficulty to catch me, and after a very evenly-matched battle I succeed in landing a burst of my paint bullets right in her sight system.
That marks my first win of the day, much to everyone's amazement; I am even given a long round of applause by most of the guys who laughed at me after my initial defeat.
Shibungi and a few others climb the Endlave to clean off the paint blocking its visual devices, and so the rest of us simply wait for the fighting to resume. This gives time for Ayase and Tsugumi to take a rest, but after a couple of minutes Tsugumi suddenly bursts running into the battle grounds bearing the palest face I've ever seen on her.
"There's big trouble, everyone!"
We all immediately turn to face her, confused as of what is going on. She elaborates.
"A Leukocyte has just opened fire at point Delta!"
Silence falls upon the whole field, immediately giving rise to an indescribable tension I had never experienced before. It is Inori who speaks for all of us in despair.
"That's where Gai is!"