"Huh? Y-You're asking me?"
Durandal seemed to still be lost in the "wonders" of the Space-Time Prism, only snapping out of it when Lynelle called her name a second time, looking up with a slightly dazed expression.
"Well... I don't know how others see it, but I think Black Abyss White Flower is quite beautiful? The color scheme is a bit plain, and the spear's size isn't really what a normal girl would find easy to handle, but for me, it should work just fine."
Durandal scratched her head awkwardly, seeming not fully clear-headed, and was momentarily at a loss for how to phrase things.
After all, thanks to a certain young lady who wished to remain anonymous, Durandal had been somewhat... cultivated in matters of emotion—meaning, she was completely inexperienced when it came to winning other girls' favor.
Luckily, she had Lynelle by her side, whose emotional intelligence was off the charts.
Ahem... "See? Even a blockhead like Durandal can clearly say she likes you, so others must like you even more~ Don't worry, you're quite popular with everyone."
Shooting a faintly exasperated glance at the utterly clueless dumb goose who seemed like she rolled off the same production line as Fu Hua, Lynelle hurriedly smoothed things over, finally managing to soothe Black Abyss White Flower's slightly hurt feelings.
"So... the idea of giving psychological counseling to a weapon is actually real..."
Watching from the side, Durandal was practically turning into a dumb goose herself.
Especially seeing how, under Lynelle's stroking, Black Abyss White Flower seemed to vibrate with pleasure, looking absolutely delighted, as if its machine spirit was overjoyed.
Durandal was deeply shocked, even starting to wonder if she should learn Lynelle's peculiar "technique" herself.
But... even if she learned how to comfort a weapon, how would she ever practice it?
It's not like a weapon can give feedback on how it feels.
Unless... have Rita stand in as the weapon for testing? But if she used that as an excuse to grope Rita all over, wouldn't Rita find it annoying or just plain weird?
Perhaps because she'd already been "greatly shocked" once by the Space-Time Prism before seeing Lynelle comfort Black Abyss White Flower, Durandal felt her brain might not be working clearly right now, leading her to entertain such strange thoughts.
"Alright, misunderstanding resolved, here you go~"
Before Durandal could sort through the many "new insights" her brain had just received, Lynelle unceremoniously shoved Black Abyss White Flower back into her hands.
"Huh?"
"Don't be surprised. Black Abyss White Flower just mistook me for an old friend. But I've already apologized to her properly on that friend's behalf~"
Lynelle flashed a sly smile. "If I held onto Abyss Flower any longer, your spear might just run off with me, you know?"
"Not that you seem to mind much, but I bet Otto would have words for you if he found out, right?"
"...No."
To Lynelle's surprise, Durandal seemed to have been struck by a thought from her words, a flicker of complicated emotion passing through her eyes.
Ahem, "I mean, I do mind. Black Abyss White Flower... I won't let her go."
Though curious about what had just crossed Durandal's mind, Lynelle wasn't one of the Memokeepers from the Remembrance, with no habit of snooping through others' memories, so she just shook her head helplessly.
"Alright then~ So, do we keep fighting, or call it quits here?"
"If you leave now, I can pretend you were never here."
Durandal hesitated for a moment before saying earnestly.
"?"
Now it was Lynelle's turn to be surprised.
No way, sis, are you really Durandal?
I just helped you calm your weapon down, and now you've instantly turned into some black-whistling referee from another series?
If I'd really never shown up, fine, but we just had a full-on fight on the central floating island! If Otto found out you let me go, wouldn't he be furious?
"Though I appreciate your generosity, I have things I must do as well~"
Lynelle fell silent for a moment, then showed a bright smile. "Besides, I'd never let a cute girl face trouble on my account. So..."
"Let's start over, shall we?"
"Things you must do...?"
Durandal's expression was hesitant. She glanced once more at the Space-Time Prism in her hand, then walked over to Lynelle and placed the prism back into her palm.
At the same time, Lynelle seemed to hear a whisper, soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Then you really shouldn't stay here."
"?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Lynelle's face. She whipped her head around to look at Durandal, but found the girl still wearing that same serene, unreadable expression.
"Well then..."
Durandal raised her spear again—but not Black Abyss White Flower this time. It was the fiery lance formed by her Dea Anchora battlesuit.
Appearing in her other hand was a massive bow, several inches taller than the girl herself.
"Be careful. From here on, I'm going all out."
"A sniper's duel... that's my specialty."
Seeing Durandal draw this weapon, a flash of understanding lit up Lynelle's eyes.
After their earlier clash, she was sure Durandal knew full well that even if she unleashed her ultimate move, Lynelle could completely block it.
So in that case, opting not to use Black Abyss White Flower for a pinpoint assault but instead choosing this flashy, wide-area ability was clearly meant to create a disturbance, to find a way to make Lynelle leave.
This proved that the whisper she'd heard wasn't her imagination.
But... why? Why would Durandal suddenly change her attitude? Just because of Black Abyss White Flower?
Though she didn't understand the reason, it didn't stop Lynelle from accepting Durandal's goodwill.
Meeting the other's relieved gaze, Lynelle decisively drew the string of her Whisper of the Past bow to a full crescent, while a black-and-white "arrow" slowly condensed upon the bowstring.
"Black Abyss White Flower — Broken Phantasm!"
"This strike shall pierce the stars!"
A golden-flamed lance and a lance wreathed in withering black mist shot from their respective bows, colliding in an instant. A violent wave of energy erupted from the point of impact, spreading outward.
"Now now, ladies... if this continues, my Schicksal Headquarters really will suffer a crash."
Almost the very moment their attacks collided, a crimson "blood sphere" suddenly dissolved the flawless dome Lynelle had erected around the periphery at an incredible speed, rapidly expanding to envelop the wildly scattering energy from the two clashing blows.
"Otto...?"
Both Lynelle and Durandal looked toward the source of the blood sphere.
"Indeed, it is I."
Otto gave a courteous bow toward Lynelle.
"Long time no see, Miss Lynelle. I'm relieved to see you're as spirited as ever."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.