The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Saturday came without remark, the day that Nagi's training with Fu Hua would begin in earnest early in the morning.
Suffice it to say, it was to be Nagi's hardest battle yet. It was now that Nagi stood outside at the break of dawn. He rubbed his eyes in the hopes of wiping away his exhaustion, which only proved to be a hopeless endeavor. To make matters worse, Nagi woke up earlier than he intended. The critical period of it being too early for the meeting, but too late to return to sleep. In other words, misery.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. Hearing footsteps coming from the dorms behind him, Nagi turned to see the approaching face of Fu Hua. She was dressed in a simple outfit; a crop top and a pair of joggers, covered by a light coat to beat out the morning chill.
"M-Morning, Teach…" Nagi greeted with a yawn. He was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts himself, more akin to pajamas than actual exercise attire.
"You're early," Fu Hua said, a faint look of surprise in her eyes. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she looked him up and down. She took note of the bags under Nagi's eyes, letting out a soft sigh. "I take it not."
"I-I… am not a morning person…"
"It's only six. When do you normally wake up?"
"Give or take two hours from now?" Fu Hua's eyebrow twitched as she let out a sigh. "W-What's wrong with that!? It's not like I'm late to class because of it!"
"I suppose you aren't. Yet, at least." Fu Hua's expression spoke volumes, to which Nagi responded with a downcast look of his own.
"No faith…"
"None."
"Come on!" Fu Hua paid him little mind, merely raising an eyebrow at his complaints.
"Mean…"
"Itsuki. How often do you exercise each day?" Fu Hua asked, choosing instead to change the topic. Nagi didn't reply as he suddenly averted his gaze away from hers. Fu Hua stared at him in silence until she let out an exasperated sigh. "Why am I not surprised…"
"L-Look, it's complicated!" Nagi said, flinching at her words.
"Basic health and wellness is not complicated, Itsuki."
"W-Well, it's not like I've ever needed to care!" Fu Hua's eyebrow twitched at that, as Nagi felt a sense of sudden dread wash over him. "D-Did I say something wrong…?"
"You've yet to say something right, but regardless, I do not intend to waste the rest of our morning criticizing your questionable life choices." Nagi flinched even harder as Fu Hua continued. "We'll start with a one-mile jog. As your physical ability improves, we'll increase that distance, but for now, we'll start small."
"One mile… alright, that sounds easy enough," Nagi replied, but Fu Hua held up her hand.
"I'm not finished, Itsuki."
"Huh?"
"First, a question." She raised a hand to her chin, stroking it thoughtfully. "I was thinking of this the night before. You've spent all your life infused with your… 'mana,' yes?" Izanagi nodded.
"And you can manipulate its flow?" He nodded again, though less certainly than before. "A question, then. What would happen if it were suddenly taken away? If your mana was all cut off for some various reason?"
"I…" Nagi paused. Fu Hua allowed him a moment to consider his answer. "I dunno. I've never thought about it. It's like… asking if I suddenly couldn't breathe, I guess?"
"Mm. That is about what I expected." Nagi remained quiet, slowly nodding his head. "With that in mind, I want to impose a handicap on you today."
"Huh?"
"I want you to jog without relying on your mana." Fu Hua paused for a moment. "If that is possible for you. I understand it is a hefty ask"
"Um… I can try, I guess, but why?"
"You've come to depend on it like a crutch, without putting in the effort to improve your physical condition." Fu Hua looked him up and down before continuing. "If you don't believe it is possible to cut off hard, or if it proves too much for you, we can alternate our strategy to instead wean you off of it. Regardless, the intent is to improve your natural physical health."
"R-Right…" Nagi muttered, half-focused. She makes it sound like a drug… He couldn't help but think, and yet… a part of him was scared she wasn't entirely wrong. Regardless, his eyes turned to his palms. "Is that… really so bad though? I mean…" Nagi trailed off, failing to find the words to speak.
Fu Hua simply nodded. "What are your hobbies, Itsuki?"
"Huh? W-Well… I like to draw, I guess?"
"Perfect," Fu Hua replied. "Consider this. What if you had a pencil, a brush, et cetera, and while you held it, it would draw whatever image you had in your mind onto the paper or canvas. What would you think of that?"
"It would make things really easy, I guess?" Nagi replied. His eyes widened; it didn't take much for him to understand the metaphor. "...And losing it would mean I lose my ability to draw." Fu Hua gave a rare smile, a sight which brought a strange warmth to Nagi's chest.
"It isn't a perfect example, of course. Mana does not translate perfectly to a pencil that does the work for you. That is a good thing. Do you know why?"
"Uh…" Nagi paused and thought about it. "Because… unlike the pencil, my own health affects my mana. It doesn't do everything for me like the pencil, so by getting better without it, I get even better with it."
Fu Hua nodded, a notable glint in her eye. "Yes. Thus why Valkyries, even with the power provided by Stigmata, battlesuits, and weapons, still work on improving their physical health. A healthy mind and body will do you far more good than supplements, be it Honkai energy or your own mana."
Nagi's eyes sparkled, his imagination producing a picture of a taller, more muscular version of himself. The thought of Fu Hua and Rita looking at him in admiration of his new physique sparked a sense of wild excitement within him. He looked at his palms once more, his eyes trailing down them until they stopped at his wrists, still covered in his black sleeves. His expression turned solemn.
"So… Do you think it'd help my control over magic as well? Like… m-mana burn."
"I see no reason why it would not, but I would not take my word alone as certainty." Nagi flinched at her reply but remained otherwise undaunted. "So… shall I assume your doubts are dispelled?"
"Yes!"
"Good," Fu Hua replied. "Then whenever you are ready."
Nagi nodded and took a deep breath. His doubts weren't really dispelled. He wasn't even sure if he could 'turn off' the flow of mana, certainly not of what dangers it might bring.
Regardless, his fears were only fears because he didn't know. The only way to know was to try. He took one more breath, and…
Felt a sensation akin to the weight of the entire world falling upon his back. He collapsed as his gut began to churn and swirl like a hurricane inside his stomach. He felt like he was about to vomit. Hell, he might have already vomited. His mind was faint, and his body felt like it was in a perpetual state of his crutches being kicked out from beneath him. He was falling. He had fallen. And there Fu Hua was, holding him, saying something, but her face was blurry and her words were muffled.
This… might have been… a bad idea…
His head pounded. No, pounded was too light a word. It was like his head was an anvil, tended to by a hundred blacksmiths. Even having his head blown off hadn't felt quite so bad; at least that sensation was short-lived.
No, this experience easily put the headshot to shame. But bit by bit, his breathing began to normalize. Though it never reached a point quite like normal, he at least was relieved to be breathing properly again. Shortly after, his vision started to clear up, while the pounding in his head faded to a muffled throbbing. His body was riddled with aches and pains from head to toe, the small instances of minor pain he had never experienced before.
But in spite of it all, he was managing.
"Itsuki, I'm taking you to a doctor—" Fu Hua's voice reached his ears at last. But as she tried to lift him up, he placed a hand on her wrist.
"N-No, I… I'm fine, T-Teach…" he muttered. His voice was weak, soft, his throat sore from the effort of speaking already. "That just… w-wow. I uh… probably shouldn't have… done that so suddenly…" He pushed her back gently, and Fu Hua gave him space. Though her eyes were filled with concern, Nagi gave her a soft grin to reassure her.
"Just… give me a sec… okay." Nagi smacked his cheeks, leaving a stinging pain on his cheeks as he slowly pushed himself up. Though he wasn't exactly heavy, the effort of standing was akin to Atlas lifting the sky itself. By the time he was up, his legs felt like jelly and trembled like it too. His nerves continued to adjust to the lack of mana, randomly switching between numb and stimulated from moment to moment.
But in the end, he successfully stood to his feet.
"Okay… okay!" Nagi exclaimed. "Wow! That… that was horrible!" he exclaimed, breaking out into laughter. "Like… wow, that sucked!"
"...Itsuki, are you sure that you are okay?"
"Nope!"
"I… see," Fu Hua replied, blinking. "Are you… Do you need to see a doctor?"
"Uh… to be decided? I think I might be on some kind of weird adrenaline rush," Nagi said with a shrug. "But… I don't think I'm, like. Bad bad. Just… 'so this is what it's like,' kind of bad."
"To live without enhancement?"
"Yeah! It feels terrible!" Despite his words, his voice was enthusiastic, almost jovial. "But… I think it's good to know, honestly." Fu Hua, though perturbed, nodded in agreement. "So… I think I'm ready. But…"
"As before, we'll start on your word. I originally intended a mile, but we can lower the goal if you feel overwhelmed."
"No idea! I'll try and follow your lead, at least." Nagi shrugged. Fu Hua considered him curiously.
"You're oddly more confident now," she said after a moment of thought. "Is… timidity a side effect of mana?"
"Ah. A-Ahaha… N-No, that's just, uh…" He cleared his throat. "Like I said, it's an adrenaline rush, I think. Or a confidence rush? Like… doing something stupid for some reason gets me excited!"
"I see…" Fu Hua replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Well…" She smiled softly. "It's a welcome change in pace." Nagi's eyes widened in surprise, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. Before he could reply, Fu Hua waved him away as she continued speaking. "Now, when you are ready, we can begin… for real, this time."
"Right!"
"...Are you still alive, Izanagi?" Fu Hua asked, staring down at the boy with a mix of disbelief and resigned acceptance. Meanwhile, Izanagi had collapsed face first in the grass, soaked in sweat from head to toe and almost foaming at the mouth. They had barely completed half of the mile when Izanagi had collapsed, to say nothing more of his struggles in reaching that point.
With a sigh, Fu Hua kneeled down and gently shook his shoulder. "Itsuki, I'll take you to the doctor—"
"Um."
Fu Hua paused mid-sentence as she was interrupted by an unexpected voice. She turned to see her and Nagi's classmate, Wendy, standing behind her. Unsurprisingly, she was looking at the two of them strangely. Fu Hua glanced between her and Nagi, before letting out a sigh. Wendy walked over to their side, crouching down at Nagi's side.
"Is he dead?" Wendy asked after a moment of silence. She started poking his cheek in the meantime as she waited for Fu Hua's answer.
"Not yet," Fu Hua replied. "But after seeing his performance, I believe he wishes he were."
"I see… what happened?"
"The realization that I have my work cut out for me," Fu Hua replied with a sigh. Wendy gave her another strange look, but Fu Hua instead chose to look back at Nagi. She leaned down beside him and Wendy. "Itsuki. You can…" Fu Hua considered her next few words, struggling to word it. "You can restore the flow of mana, now."
"Urgh…" Nagi groaned a sound which the Class Monitor could only hope meant acknowledgement. She waited quietly as Wendy continued to poke him. After a short duration, he awoke with a start. "Gah!"
Nagi shot up with a shocked cry as new life flowed through his body. Fu Hua and Wendy both leaned back to not get hit by his explosive upheaval, while the young man desperately clutched at his chest.
"I-I thought I was going to die!" he exclaimed, only to stop when his eyes met Wendy's. "O-Oh. Hi." He gulped loudly as a bead of sweat raced down the side of his face. "Please tell me you didn't see all of that…"
"See what?"
"Nothing!"
Fu Hua raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, Nagi thought she would snitch. Much to his surprise, however, she simply rolled her eyes and kept to herself.
"I, uh…" Nagi continued. "Just not used to exercising that much yet." Wendy stared at him, only for her lips to curl into the slightest of grins.
"C-Rank."
"W-Wha— S-Shut up!" Nagi's face turned red as Wendy stood to her feet and offered him her hand. "Urk… T-Thanks." He took her hand and stood to his feet. Wendy then turned to Fu Hua as Nagi brushed himself off.
"Class monitor. What are you doing here?"
"You are… Wendy?" Fu Hua asked, receiving a nod from the girl in question. "Tutoring him… Or trying, at least. The intent was to get him into the habit of a morning run each day, but…" she looked at Nagi. "That will take a bit more than expected."
"Ahahaha… S-Sorry…" Nagi replied as Wendy nodded understandingly.
"...Mm. You run here?" A hint of curiosity filled her voice, one which Fu Hua seemed surprised by.
"Yes, but usually earlier. I had to adjust to his schedule for now," Fu Hua replied.
"F-For now!?"
"I see…" Wendy replied, her voice trailing off as she considered something. Whatever it was, Fu Hua didn't wait to learn as she turned to Nagi.
"How are you feeling now? Do you need to visit the doctor?"
"Perfectly fine now that mana is flowing again."
"You're certain?"
"I think so."
"Good," she said as she adjusted her glasses. "For now, I will let you rest. I believe that was enough hardship for you today, given…" She cleared her throat. "Your previous state."
Nagi's face turned red as he shyly turned away. "E-Ehe… t-thank you…" Fu Hua nodded and turned away.
"I'll be heading off now. Take the rest of the day easy, Nagi. If anything feels off at any moment, head to the doctor's immediately."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Fu Hua nodded again, before walking off back towards the dorm. Wendy lifted her hand toward her as if to say something, only to lower it back seconds later.
"Did you need to ask her something?" Nagi asked, walking up to her side. Wendy glanced at him and shook her head
"Nah. Just curious about something," she replied. "What was all that about?"
"Oh, all that? Aha… l-long story short..." Nagi let out an awkward laugh. "I uh… am… not exactly physically fit." Wendy's eyes widened before her earlier smirk returned.
"Maybe C-Rank is too high for you."
"Okay, screw you!" Wendy's smirk widened as Nagi gritted his teeth. Eventually, he gave in, letting his head fall low as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Since when were you so devious…?"
"Mm. Always."
"Riiight…" Nagi sighed. "So what are you doing out?"
"Was going to go for a run," Wendy replied. "Till I saw you dying on the ground."
"I was not dying!" Wendy raised an eyebrow." A-Anyways! Well… if you want, you could probably join us in the future. If, I… can actually survive a run, anyways."
"...Mm." Wendy tilted her head. "Maybe." She shrugged and stepped past him. "So… are we still set for today?"
"To go out with Ana? Should be!"
Wendy nodded. "Then… see you there." Without another word, she took off running, leaving Nagi standing alone in his sweat-drenched clothes. He stood there quietly for a few seconds, watching as she went.
"...I can never get a read on that girl," he decided at last. "Well, whatever. Guess I should go get changed, huh?"
Soukai City. A large, pleasant city located between China and Japan that stood on neutral territory, maintained, governed, and protected by Schicksal. Despite its eastern locale, the city itself was a hodge-podge of cultures all across the world due to its relation with Saint Freya. The diverse Valkyrie population had a habit of bringing home little pieces of home along with them on their voyage to the academy.
It was here amidst the surprisingly diverse population that Izanagi found himself, shyly trailing behind Ana and Wendy. Just shortly past 12 at noon, the three had gathered and made their way into town to follow up on their weekend plans. Though Nagi had intended to try and take the lead, the young man ran face-first into two insurmountable roadblocks.
Firstly, he had overestimated his growing social confidence. When faced with big crowds and busy streets, the young man had to spend all his energy just to avoid imploding from anxiety.
Secondly, upon arriving in the city, the trio had the unfortunate realization that Nagi knew next to nothing about the city itself. Street names, locations, it was all little more than gibberish to the young man. With Wendy being only a bit more knowledgeable than Nagi, Ana was left as the most capable of the three for navigation.
"And… here, I think?" Ana said in the present, looking between a map in her hands and the cafe before her. Vice and Virtue it was named, colloquially known by the locals as VV Cafe. It was a small but comfortable-looking establishment, with a customer body that sat right between busy and desolate. "Shall we?" Ana asked as she gestured to the front door with a pleasant smile.
"We shall!" Nagi replied, stepping forward and holding the door open for both of them. The three made their way in and found some seats, collectively letting out a sigh as they sat down. "S-Sorry… I didn't think about… well, you know."
"It's fine," Ana replied, waving away his words. "It's a learning experience for all of us."
"Mm," Wendy replied, nodding in agreement. Nagi pursed his lips but found that he couldn't disagree.
"Y-Yeah…"
"So!" Ana continued without missing a beat. "How has school been for you two? Has this week treated you both well? If I remember correctly, you both started this week." Ana paused for a moment, only to shoot a narrow glare at Nagi. "Ahem. Delinquency aside." Nagi flinched.
"Y-You're not gonna let me live that down, are you…" Nagi muttered, only to receive a menacing smile from the girl in question. "Well, it's been… honestly pretty eventful."
"I'm not surprised," Ana replied, nodding along. "First weeks tend to be hectic, especially part-way through the semester."
"Y-Yeah… I think the most surprising thing is the class monitor tutoring me," Nagi replied. Ana's eyes widened.
"Miss Hua?" Nagi nodded. "R-Really? I've never really spoken with her, but she's always given off an anti-social presence to me…" Ana raised a hand to her chin, regarding Nagi thoughtfully. "How'd you convince her? I'd have thought she'd have just marked you off as a troublemaker."
"...With great charm and charisma," Nagi replied, looking off to the side. Wendy leaned in, staring at him from the side.
"You begged, didn't you," Wendy accused. His face flushed a bright red.
"I-I did not!" Nagi exclaimed back at her, slamming his hands on the table in frustration. Wendy didn't reply. Instead, she just grinned a smug grin that left Nagi wanting to bang his head on the table. "I… tried to be very insistent. But I was not begging!"
"Right." Wendy remained unconvinced. Ana giggled at the exchange, before turning to Wendy..
"How about you, Wendy? How has your week been?"
"Ah…" Caught off guard by the sudden question, Wendy paused. "...It's been fine." Ana and Nagi waited for Wendy to continue, but she made no effort to expand on her thoughts.
"W-Well… have you made any friends? Met any interesting people? Like any of your classes?" Ana broached. Wendy shrugged.
"Not really. You two are neat. Classes are fine."
"...H-How about your hobbies?"
"Mm. Not much to talk about."
Y-You don't say! Nagi thought to himself. Deciding he couldn't bear to let the awkward exchange continue, he reached down into his bag and pulled out a laptop. Wendy and Ana watched as he spun it around to face them. "So! Rather than small talk, why don't we see what there is to do in town?"
"Y-Yes, that sounds good!" Ana agreed, hastily changing the topic. Wendy nodded in agreement. With a small smile, Nagi pulled up a browser tab and quickly inputted his search.
"So… how do we wanna do this? First come first serve? Toss in ideas?"
"I don't think we need to be so rigid with the process," Ana replied. "I wanted to visit the town library; from what I've heard, they have a selection of books and languages from all over. I think it'd be fun to see what that's like."
"Mm. I heard there was a gaming center in town," Wendy followed. "I wanted to try Laser Tag. Um. If that's okay."
"Oh, laser tag?" Ana asked, her curiosity piqued. "That's the one with guns, right?"
"Mm. Sort of." Wendy tilted her head. "Laser guns. Not real guns."
"I've never been to a gaming center before… And…" Ana's expression turned dreamy for a brief second, disappearing as quickly as it had come. "W-Well, I wouldn't be against trying a new kind of gun. Even if it's not a real one!" Nagi nodded along as he typed the two suggestions into a notepad.
"And you?" Wendy asked, shooting the question back at him.
"Me? Oh, uh…" Nagi cleared his throat. "I kinda wanted to focus on what you two wanted for today!" Definitely not cuz I had no ideas… he thought, keeping said thoughts to himself with an awkward glance.
"Absolutely not!" Ana, however, did not agree. "This day is for all three of us! You shouldn't exclude yourself for a silly reason like that." Wendy nodded in agreement. "So, I'll ask again, what do you want to do?"
"W-Well…" Nagi gulped and quickly pulled up a tab of things to do. A quick scan produced a decent enough result. "T-There's… apparently an art museum in town. That sounds neat… but, um. Might be boring for you two…"
"No, that sounds fine!" Ana disagreed once again. "On the contrary, that was actually on my list, too."
"I'm not that interested, but I'll go," Wendy said with a shrug. Nagi's cheeks turned slightly red as he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Wendy stood to her feet. "Meanwhile, want drinks? I'm thirsty." She paused. "I can pay for you both."
"No need for that, Wendy," Ana replied, standing as well. "I'll pay, it's no problem."
"No, it's fine."
"No no no, I'm easily the most affluent out of the three of us! You don't have to pay while I'm right here." Ana let out an indignant sigh. "I could probably buy the whole cafe if I wanted!"
"...Mm. Fine, then," Wendy replied, taking a seat with a sheepish expression on her face. Subtle as it was, Nagi found he was getting better at reading her.
Somewhat, anyways… He thought, only to blink as Ana's words replayed in his mind. "S-Sorry, did you say you could buy the cafe…?"
"I did," Ana replied. "I mean, I don't know exactly how much it costs, but it wouldn't be all that much. Ah, assuming they'd even want to sell it, of course!" Ana nodded as she spoke, while both Nagi and Wendy stared at her in silence. "...W-What?"
"Rich girl," said Wendy as she gave Ana a narrow-eyed stare.
"Definitely a rich girl," Nagi agreed, nodding with her. Ana's cheeks turned red.
"W-What does that mean!?" She exclaimed. "D-Did I say something wrong…?"
Right after, Nagi and Wendy gave her their orders. Ana soon returned with the three drinks… and a veritable feast of snacks, pastries, and treats to go along with it. "Feel free to help yourselves! My treat." Ana proudly presented the miniature feast with a smile, as Nagi and Wendy stared at it in pure shock.
"...M-My wallet cries at the thought."
"...Mm."
"I-Is something wrong…?"
Rather than respond, Nagi reached for a cookie to pair with his drink—a simple hot chocolate—and took a bite. Wendy grabbed a croissant as she took a bite of her own. Ana watched curiously as the two snacked, before taking a small cake for herself with a shrug.
"The taste of wealth," Nagi muttered, earning a nod from Wendy. "...At least it tastes good."
"Mm."
Ana could only tilt her head curiously, entirely unaware of what they could possibly mean.
With their meal finished, the three left the cafe behind and made their way to the gaming center, following Wendy's directions this time. Despite her inexperience in Soukai, the girl was surprisingly adept at maneuvering through the urban landscape. Thanks to her keen eye, her strong sense of direction, and a few convenient shortcuts, they were able to cut the journey short by a good ten minutes. They arrived at the gaming center, a two-story hangout with a modern design, a place where both teens and adults could be found passing the time.
Nagi took a quick look at Wendy and found that the girl's eyes were sparkling. His eyes widened; Never before had he seen such an expressive look on Wendy's face. A glance in Ana's direction told him her reaction was the same, as the two of them watched Wendy rush inside.
"I didn't think she could even make that kind of face," said Nagi.
"Y-Yeah…" Ana muttered. She smiled a second later, a fond glint in her eye. "But I like it. Maybe if we're lucky, we can see her smile more?'
"Pfft." Nagi smiled in turn. "That'd be something, huh?"
"...What are you two waiting for?" Their conversation was interrupted when Wendy stuck her head back out the door, staring at them as she impatiently tapped her foot. Ana and Nagi shared a glance before following her in.
Like a puppy… Nagi thought to himself, holding back his laugh as Wendy stepped back inside. Immediately, the lobby jumped out at him with a variety of games: mini-golf, bumper karts, a standard array of arcade games, there was even an escape room and an axe-throwing activity. Though there were more games, the one that stood out most to him was to no surprise the laser tag room, with a giant, stylized sign directing all eyes toward it. It was Ana's turn now to look excited, her eyes gleaming at the sight of the art of the laser gun that was a part of the game's logo.
"So… you like all things gun-related, huh?"
"E-Eh?" Ana's face turned bright red at Nagi's comment. She quickly composed herself before turning away with an indignant huff. "I just… W-well… I'm a markswoman, so it's only natural I know my stuff!"
"Nothing wrong with it~" Nagi replied with a grin. Ana's lips curled into a short-lived pout, only for her to sigh it off as the two continued onwards. Wendy stood waiting for the two of them in line, where they had a short wait to reach the counter. Right as they reached the cashier, Wendy started to pull out her wallet, only for Ana to move so quickly it was like she vanished, reappearing in front of Wendy.
"Three tickets for laser tag, please!" the vanilla-haired Valkyrie said, handing her card forward. Wendy blinked, before shooting a glare at Ana from behind. Ana gave her a playful smile in return as the cashier wordlessly took Ana's card. They returned it a moment later alongside the tickets.
"They'll explain the rules once you get inside," the cashier explained with a bored expression.
"Mm. Thanks," Wendy replied, both to Ana as she received her ticket and to the cashier for explaining. "You can let me pay a bit, at least…"
"I refuse! Today is my treat," Ana replied. "Speaking of, here's yours, Nagi."
"Oh, thanks…" Nagi took the ticket, looking up at Ana with an awkward smile. Never before have I met someone so happy to spend so much money… He thought, glancing at the exorbitant ticket prices. Well, if she doesn't mind, I don't.
A short while later, the three found themselves inside the waiting lobby for Laser Tag. About nine other people waited in the room to play along with them, with a tenth in the form of the lobby attendant. He recognized one or two of them as fellow students at Saint Freya's.
Much to his surprise, he recognized one of them. It was Bronya Zaychik, the Russian girl with the mecha that Nagi adored so much. She didn't seem to share in his recognition, sparing only a momentary glance in his direction.
Beyond that, the other attendees were at least seemingly normal civilians here for a day of fun. Nagi glanced at Ana and Wendy, whose excited faces spoke volumes, and threw another glance toward Bronya. Though her face was even more emotionless than Wendy's, Nagi couldn't help but feel a dangerous aura of competitiveness emanating from her.
It would be a slaughter.
"The rules are simple!" the lobby attendant spoke, pulling him from his thoughts. "Four teams of three, identified with the colors red, blue, green, and yellow! If you wanna shoot, two hands on the gun! If you get shot, you're disabled for about ten seconds, meaning you can't shoot or be shot! No physical conflict, this is a game, not a brawl! Shoot the glowing targets for extra points, team with the highest score wins! Any questions!?"
"The Bronya has a query." Nagi blinked, caught off guard by the gray-haired girl's monotone voice. Did she always speak like that? he wondered. The others in the room turned to her. "Does CQC fall under the categorization of 'physical conflict?'"
"I, um…" it was the attendant's turn to blink. "Well, yes, but I guess if you don't get too nuts it's fine…? No bruises and you should be solid." They paused. "But don't tell anyone I said that."
"Хорошо." Bronya nodded, followed by a thumbs up. Though Nagi couldn't read her expression, suddenly he found himself thinking she wouldn't be as hard to read as he thought.
"Good!" the attendant nodded and gave a thumbs up in return. "You'll filter in one team at a time, but first, we'll get you all suited up." The teams lined up, with Nagi's Green team third to last. Bronya's Red team was first, composed of another Saint Freya student and a random civilian. The other two teams were all civilians, meaning to Nagi that they were all fodder. But as the first two teams were suited up, Nagi slowly found himself realizing…
I'm the weak link.
His face turned slightly pale as he once more glanced at his companion's faces. Both of them, even Ana, shared a competitive glint in their eye, going over subtle strategies just out of earshot. With both of them being A-ranks compared to his C-rank, the difference in skill level was already immense, and they were both in their element. He shifted awkwardly in place as the second team finished suiting up and the attendant moved to his team.
"Here you go, miss," the attendant said to Wendy, who fit the acquired vest on easily. She stepped back as Ana stepped forward. The attendant quickly tried to slip the vest on her, too. However, the two were met with an unexpected obstacle as the vest stopped halfway through.
"U-Um… it's a bit tight…" Ana muttered. Nagi looked closer only to immediately avert his eyes. At that moment, he was glad the room was dark, for his face quickly began to burn a bright shade of red. The vest was poorly adjusted to Ana's chest as compared to Wendy's, a fact which the attendant quickly worked to correct.
"Oh, sorry about that! Forgot to fix the straps, how's that?"
"Phew… that's better. Thank you." With a sigh of relief, Ana stepped off to Wendy's side, failing to notice the shaken stare Wendy gave her. Nagi quickly tried to compose himself as the attendant finally got to him. He opened his mouth to speak, only for the attendant to suddenly grin and pat his head.
"Little brother out with sis and friends, eh? Don't get too overwhelmed being surrounded by girls now, kiddo."
Nagi felt something inside of him shatter as he gave the attendant a blank look. In the corner of the room, he heard someone struggle to contain a laugh, but whoever it was, he failed to notice. All he could think about was the word kiddo replaying in his head over and over again. The attendant said something else in the meantime, but their words fell on deaf ears. Nagi was suited up and scooted on over to Ana and Wendy's side, his face pale and dejected.
"...N-Nagi, are you alright?" Ana asked.
"...My pride. All gone. In an instant."
"I'm surprised you still had any," Wendy commented, only for Ana to shoot her a glare. Wendy fell quiet for a moment. "...I can relate," she muttered soon after, shooting a glance at Ana in turn. Wendy patted Nagi's head softly as the attendant gathered everyone's attention. With that, The teams began filtering in, giving a brief pause between each entry from teams one through four. Nagi's team was third in.
The moment they stepped inside, Nagi could feel the shift in his companion's attitude. Gone were the youthful schoolmates that he had been with on the other side of the door, replaced by the A-Rank Valkyries who had earned their ranks through merit and experience. They moved quickly, taking a tactical position not already claimed by the first two teams. Nagi, caught off guard by their quickened pace, struggled to keep pace.
They're so intense!? He thought, stumbling as he was weighed down by the clunky vest. Ana and Wendy took a position as he tried to get into place. At just that moment…
"Game, start!" announced the intercom.
The fourth team had entered the arena, and the game was on. Nagi's eyes went wide, but before he could even react, Ana's hand shot forward and grabbed him by the vest, yanking him into cover.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he rolled onto the ground. Ana said nothing as she shifted out of her own cover, taking aim and firing a light-based shot across the arena before shifting back in place.
"You need to be faster," Ana replied, kneeling at his side. "Miss Zaychik nearly had you shot in the first second!"
"E-Eh!?" Nagi exclaimed. She already had me lined up, what the hell!? Ana nodded as Nagi's face turned pale. "Isn't this meant to be for fun!?"
"Yes, but…" Ana smiled. "This may as well be training too, you know?"
Nagi's eyes widened. Ana didn't wait for his reply as she rolled out of cover and set off, leaving him to his own devices. …T-Training, huh. He eyed his own weapon with pursed lips. Leave it to the Valkyries to take it so seriously… He took a deep breath and smacked his cheeks. Right! Let's not get left behind. He glanced around, only to see Wendy was nowhere in sight. He peeked out of cover, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Wendy moving wildly across the arena. Like some kind of parkour master, she danced across the arena with such impressive agility that Nagi struggled to keep up.
Left behind too far, anyway, Nagi thought with a deadpan expression. At long last, he hopped out from behind cover…
And found himself face to face with a blue team member. With a panicked yelp, Nagi quickly swung his gun forward as did the blue, but Nagi's gun did not fire. His hand was off position, resulting in his gun giving a loud buzz as it failed to shoot. Thinking quickly, he kicked off to his side as the blue member fired a shot, narrowly missing the young man as he rolled to his feet. He quickly readjusted himself, keeping low to the ground as he aimed another shot right into the blue member's vest. Their vest buzzed as they threw their arms up into the air in exasperation.
"Wha— Freaking Oddjob!" the blue member exclaimed, but Nagi didn't stop to listen, rushing forward to stay on the move. As he made his way up a nearby ramp, for the first time in his life, he found his size was a boon. The walls on the ramp were tall enough that Nagi didn't even have to crouch, letting him run unhindered across the arena. He made sure to shoot any glowing targets he saw as he maneuvered around, flashing with each successful hit.
After all, it wasn't like he was gonna contribute much through real combat. With a sheepish grin, he shot three untapped targets in a row. Shame they don't say how much the targets are worth.
The battle continued, with the arena segmented into little pockets of chaos and peace alike. Eventually, Nagi lost sight of Wendy, though whether that was because she stopped her leaping and climbing about or for some other reason, he wasn't sure. Nagi found that he himself was much better at this than he expected, his height making up for his lack of experience. Try as the other teams might, all it took was him crouching just a bit to protect his back and chest while allowing him a clear shot at their vests.
It wasn't foolproof, of course. Any time he encountered Bronya was a death sentence, resulting in his immediate knockout before he ever even realized she was there. Though there was no scoreboard, Nagi knew in his gut that Bronya alone was a force to be reckoned with, much less with two teammates to supplement her score. As such, he tried to make up for his constant knockouts by grabbing as many targets as possible, and, where he could, providing support to Ana and Wendy.
Not that either needed it. What few glances he caught of his companions cemented in his mind that they were well off on their own. Wendy's agility could make a monkey jealous as she dashed and darted around, her headcount rising wherever she appeared. On the other end, Ana's ridiculous aim combined with her refined tactics meant that she rarely was in the open, much less taking a hit. Even those who tried to rush her while disabled failed to get close.
Watching them work, Nagi felt his modest attempt at keeping up was greatly overshadowed. But that was expected, eh? He thought with a sheepish smile.
At that same second, Nagi's chest was struck with a ray of light. Off in the distance, Bronya could be seen with her rifle aimed right at him. He let out a groan as he slowed his pace, a glance in her direction revealing her smirking face. She's such a brat! He thought as he watched her leap out of cover down onto a lower floor. It was then that he spotted Ana moving in on Bronya from behind.
Bronya noticed her approach, though how exactly, he wasn't sure. With shocking dexterity, the gray-haired girl rolled to the side as Ana took a shot. In sync, Bronya took aim while Ana slipped back into cover.
The duel was on.
Both combatants kept the wall between them, circling around it as they shot at each other at every opportunity. The other combatants in the arena were either occupied or too far away to matter. But as Nagi's vest came back online, the young man took aim for vengeance. He lifted his rifle, lining it up to take the shot. Bronya spied him out of the corner of her eye as Nagi returned a vicious grin.
Bronya threw caution to the wind. She rushed out of cover towards Ana, breaking Nagi's line of sight as the young man tried to track her movements. His inexperience with a gun showed as he took two quick shots at Zaychik, both of which failed to hit their mark. Nagi opened his mouth to call out to Ana, but the marksman was prepared. She rolled out of cover with a shot already lined up on Bronya. She pulled the trigger.
Bronya, too, was prepared. Just as quickly as Ana lined up the shot, Bronya positioned her gun in front of her vest, blocking the shot. Though it resulted in a momentary knockout, it bought the gray-haired girl the chance to close the distance and was a far preferable alternative to a full knockout. She engaged Ana in close-quarters combat, thrusting her rifle forward toward Ana's vest.
Ana knocked the rifle away with her own gun just as Bronya took the shot. Nagi took aim from up above, but Bronya didn't relent, keeping Ana in between her and Nagi. From there, the fight continued as Bronya and Ana engaged in an intense one-on-one at close range. A nimble dodge to avoid a close-range shot, a well-timed kick to knock the other's gun off its mark. Try as he might, Nagi wasn't able to get a clean shot as the two dodged and danced, their movements too chaotic to allow an opening.
Bronya kicked high into the air, knocking Ana's gun from her hands and leaving her defenseless. Ana grimaced, sidestepping Bronya's follow-up shot as she took hold of Bronya's wrist. Ana threw Bronya to the ground and ripped the gun from her hands, but Bronya fluidly kicked out, sweeping Ana's legs out from under her. The second gun was thrown to the side, leaving both of them without a firearm. The first gun was nowhere to be seen, tossed off the nearby ledge.
A moment of stillness in the hectic arena. The two stared at each other, as if time had frozen still.
Both kicked off the ground, dashing toward the gun. Ana's height gave her the advantage as her arm reached the gun first. She took the rifle in her hands, shooting to her feet and training it on Bronya.
But that was as far as she went. Bronya's teammate, the other Schicksal student, stood there behind Bronya with their gun trained on Ana, a smirk on their face.
"Nothing personal~!" the student taunted as they pulled the trigger. Ana winced, preparing for her vest to buzz with the sound of defeat. But although Ana heard the sound of the buzz, it was not her vest that reacted. "W-Wha—!?"
Nagi smiled sheepishly as he released his trigger, having shot the Schicksal student before they could take Ana out. Maybe save the bragging for after you shoot. He thought to himself as he watched Ana shoot Bronya a moment later. Ana gave him a thumbs up as Bronya shot an annoyed glare in his direction, to which he replied with another grin.
It was then that the young man heard a buzz come from behind him. Nagi turned to find a yellow team member with their vest disabled, looking confused as they stared at Nagi. A short moment later, Wendy walked up behind them, a smug look on her face as she looked at Nagi.
"W-Where did you even come from!?" the team member exclaimed. Wendy just shrugged, before shooing them away. The yellow team member started to complain, but the rifle aimed at their chest brokered no quarter. They walked away grumbling, leaving Nagi and Wendy alone.
"So?" Wendy spoke. Nagi looked at her, confused, but Wendy didn't explain. She only continued to stare expectantly.
"Um. Thanks…?"
"Mm. Good boy."
"Huh!?" Wendy grinned as she turned away. Nagi's expression turned flustered, but Wendy shushed him.
"Game's not done yet—"
The pair's conversation was interrupted when a tremor shook the entire building. Nagi was thrown to the ground by the sudden trembling as Wendy caught herself on a nearby wall. Cries of shock rang out from down below them as the arena lights flickered off. The lights slowly returned as the tremors came to an end.
"O-Ow…" Nagi groaned, rubbing his head as he pushed himself up. "W-What happened…?"
"I… don't know," Wendy replied, straightening herself out. She helped Nagi to his feet as the two looked over the ledge. Ana and Bronya were still together, speaking too quietly for the two upstairs to hear. Their conversation came to a sudden end as they rushed off towards the arena's exit, followed by the Schicksal student.
"...Let's go." Wendy said before she ushed off down the stairs after them.
"H-Huh? Wait, what's going… ugh, wait for me!" Nagi let out a frustrated sigh as he ran after them, sparing only a moment to make sure the normal civilians left inside were unharmed. He bid them to remain in the arena for now before rushing out into the lobby. He broke out of the darkness of the laser tag, blinded by the light as he went. But in that moment of temporary blindness, the words he heard sent a cold chill down his spine.
"Project: Bunny— Fire!"
A wave of heat washed over him as Nagi was knocked down by the resulting shockwave. He covered his face as his eyes adjusted to the light. As his vision returned, he had to cover his mouth to stop himself from gagging on the spot.
A corpse was sprawled out in front of him. He hadn't seen it at first; if it weren't for the shockwave knocking him back, he would have tripped over the lifeless body. It was the face of the cashier who gave them their tickets, lying still in a pool of blood.
It was then that he saw them.
Monstrous beasts made of silicon and glowing with a vibrant pink energy. One of them had its body destroyed by a powerful impact, with what was left of it dissolving into particles of energy. To the side stood the Valkyries, with Bronya now attended to by her guardian mecha. Nagi's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking, his heart pounding. His skin went cold as he scanned the ruined lobby, a ruined mess compared to the inviting arcade that it was before.
But… here…? So close to Saint Freya…? Was the desperate thought that ran through his mind. His breathing quickened as one of the creatures, a floating, winged thing, turned to look at him. He knew, even though it had no eyes, that he was to be its next target. These creatures had only one name.
The enemy of civilization. The collapse of mankind. The beasts of corruption.
The Honkai.
Author's Notes:
Hello everyone! A bit longer of a wait than I hoped, but hey, at least this time I got the chapter out before 6 months passed! For all the buildup this story has, I think it was finally time to start a fire, which will hopefully really show in the next two chapters. Until then, I hope you enjoy the little shock at the end~
What were your thoughts on this chapter? How do you feel about Wendy and Ana's development so far? And finally, what were your favorite moments of the chapter? Make sure to share, cuz every comment helps!
Beyond that, I hope you all have a lovely day!