Void's Garden could be roughly divided into five main areas.
First came the central area, where the central school building and the headquarters overseeing anti-annihilation factor operations were located.
Next came the eastern area, densely packed with the school's annexes, its medical buildings, and various research facilities.
After that was the western area, largely taken up by most of the school's training facilities and grounds.
Then there was the northern area, most of it off-limits to the general public and that included facilities like the headmistress's residence and several
private institutions.
Finally, the southern area was filled with dormitories and various commercial facilities.
Naturally, Mushiki had assumed he would be expected to return to the northern area at the end of the school day.
Nonetheless—
"Kuroe? What is this place?" he asked as he took in the building in front of him.
"As you can see, it's the Garden's first girls' dormitory building," Kuroe answered flatly.
Right. After finishing his first day of classes, he had found Kuroe waiting for him in front of the central school building, and now she had led him all the way to this dormitory in the school's southern precinct.
It was a large, three-storied structure, with an understated yet sophisticated appearance. It looked more like a low-rise apartment building than a student dormitory.
"Unless I'm mistaken, aren't girls' dormitories places where female students live together?"
"Just so. And right now, Lady Saika is both a girl and a student."
"That's true, I guess, but you know… Are you sure you don't have any other reasons for suggesting this?"
"You're very perceptive, Lady Saika." Kuroe, growing weary of this roundabout conversation, continued in a hushed voice: "I won't be able to protect you well in the mansion, Mushiki. In other words, the safest place for you is the same dormitory as Knight Fuyajoh."
"…I see."
Indeed, it would be his residence rather than the school facilities where he would end up spending most of his time at the Garden. No matter how many knights he had by his side during the day, it wouldn't mean anything if he was left completely undefended while asleep at night.
"But won't that pose another problem? I mean, I know I'm now an S-class beauty, the envy of the world, but—"
"There's no need to go that far." Kuroe gave him an unamused look.
"Right," Mushiki murmured. "Still, I'm a guy on the inside. Wouldn't it be wrong for me to stay in the girls' dormitory?"
"I understand what you're saying, but this is an emergency situation. After all, if you should be killed, Mushiki, that would also mean Lady Saika's demise. And her death would mean the end of the world."
"That's…true, I guess, but still…"
Despite saying that, Mushiki felt a sense of unease hearing Kuroe's words.
He understood that if he was killed, Saika would also die. But to him, equating that to the end of the world seemed a bit extreme.
It was true that, without her, the world might face a crisis. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but think that Kuroe had implied just now something much more—that the moment Lady Saika died, the whole world would be destroyed along with her.
"In any event, don't worry." Whether or not she had read his thoughts, Kuroe looked unconcerned and continued: "Usually, we assign two students to a room, but I've arranged for you to have your own private quarters."
"I see. That makes sense."
"You're a man, after all, so there are a lot of things we need to take into account."
"I wouldn't go that far…"
"Oh? Are you saying we needn't worry, then?"
"…I appreciate the concern, I guess…" Defeated, Mushiki averted his eyes.
Kuroe let out a deep sigh and, with a shrug, added: "In that case, follow me."
With that, she led him through the doors of the girls' dormitory.
Though still somewhat nervous, Mushiki followed after her and stepped into this world of women.
First they passed through an electronic authentication system, then into the lobby. The building decor and the facilities were startlingly luxurious for a student dormitory.
"By the way, Mushiki, how was school today?" Kuroe asked in a whisper.
He gave her a small nod. "Right. I was a little nervous, but everyone else seemed even more on edge, so that helped me keep my cool, I think… I'm guessing it will probably take me a while to use magic properly, though…"
"Did you run into any problems?"
"…Um, I guess you could say that…"
"I saw a request had been put in for repairs to classroom 2-A."
"…Yeah. My bad…," Mushiki answered, his gaze fixed on the floor ahead of him.
"…" Kuroe gave him a cold stare.
Despite all that, she had suspected from the very beginning that things wouldn't go entirely smoothly. She let out an exasperated sigh but said nothing more as they made their way down the corridor until she came to a stop outside another door.
"This is your room."
She had led him to a room on the third floor, around ten tatami mats in size and fitted with an extravagant bed, desk, closet, and dressing table all lined up in a row. The overall impression wasn't all that different from Saika's bedroom in which he had first awakened in his merged form.
"This is amazing. I know it's a student dorm, but it's so extravagant…"
"The other rooms are fitted with regular furniture. As this will be Lady Saika's quarters for the time being, I arranged to have it properly prepared for her in advance," Kuroe said before motioning to one item after the next. "We've brought you changes of clothes and a number of personal items, though we've kept them to the bare minimum required. If there is anything here that you don't know how to use, please let me know. I'll be staying in the room to your right, number 316."
"Ah. So you're moving into the dorm, too, then?"
"Of course. Taking care of Lady Saika is my responsibility. Just so you know, the room to your left, number 314, belongs to Knight Fuyajoh. In the event of an emergency, she should be able to offer immediate assistance. Now, that's it for our tour. Let's move on."
She opened the door and ushered Mushiki back out into the corridor.
"Where are we going now?" he asked.
"The first floor… In a sense, it would be no exaggeration to say that this is the most important issue for us to address during your stay in the dormitory."
"The most important issue…? Wh-what is it?"
"Look ahead."
As they stepped through the hall—
"M-Madam Witch?!"
"Huh?"
Turning a corner, they came across Ruri and Hizumi coming from the other direction.
Both stared back wide-eyed at this unexpected and sudden situation. Their reactions were understandable, though, seeing as Saika had popped up out of nowhere in the middle of their everyday dormitory.
Ruri turned to Hizumi, her face awash with a look of disbelief. "H-Hizumi. Pinch me. As hard as you can. I'm definitely dreaming here. This is just too unreal. I mean, this is the stuff of love comedies, having the person of your dreams transfer into your class and then start living in your very own dorm, right? At this rate, I'm going to turn into one of those lucky pervert cartoon characters… Hurry…! Before I defile Madam Witch with my thoughts…!"
"C-calm down, Ruri. I can see her, too."
"Ha-ha-ha. There you go joking again." With a dry smile, Ruri pinched herself on the cheek and turned back to Mushiki. "What?! That's the real Madam Witch?!" She cried out in astonishment, falling to the ground and landing hard on her posterior.
Mushiki did his best to address her in a refined voice. "Ah, we meet again, Ruri, Hizumi… I'm a student now, you know? So I was thinking I would move to the dormitory for a while."
"R-r-really?! Really?! Wh-which room…?!"
"Number 315."
"Next doooooor?!" Ruri all but screamed her soul out, collapsing to the floor flat on her back.
Hizumi rushed to her side. "Ruri?! Are you all right?!"
"I—I might be done for… Clearly, I've already received my allotment of happiness in this life… When I die, tell my brother…tell him I lived to the best of my ability…and that I loved him with all my heart."
With that, her strength left her, and she fell limp. Her expression, however, remained one of utmost joy.
"R-Ruriii!" Hizumi cried out as she held her in her arms.
Mushiki, too, was naturally a little worried and looked into his sister's face.
"…Is she okay?"
"Oh, yes. She does this from time to time. She should be back to normal in a little while," Hizumi replied, her voice suddenly collected and cool.
While Mushiki did his best to feign composure, he couldn't help but be a little concerned.
"Excuse me," Hizumi said, grabbing the limp Ruri and dragging her roughly away in a manner that made her look an awful lot like a serial killer disposing of a corpse.
After watching the two disappear into Room 314, Mushiki glanced at Kuroe. "She is an S-class mage, right?"
"She is…" Kuroe let out a faint cough in an attempt to collect herself. "Let's continue on. We don't have a lot of time left."
"Ah, right. So what's this important problem we need to think about?" Mushiki asked.
Kuroe gave him a serious look. "The bathing area."
A few minutes later, Kuroe led Mushiki into the changing room adjacent to the large bathroom on the first floor of the dormitory building.
It was an expansive space, lined with shelves along the walls stacked with several baskets. At the back of the room was a row of washbasins—and farther in, a set of large glass doors leading into the bathing area.
"The most important problem…is this?" Mushiki asked in all seriousness.
That being said, it wasn't all that difficult to understand what Kuroe had meant by that. Yesterday, Kuroe had washed him while he had been occupied watching a video recording of Saika to familiarize himself with her character, so this would be his first time properly bathing since ending up in her body.
"Yes. There is a sign out front saying that the bathing area is currently off-limits due to a gas inspection. Let's finish up in here while we still have time. As I'm sure you can imagine, we can't allow the other female students to enter while you're present."
"Ah… Right. I'm glad you thought about all this, Kuroe."
For her part, Kuroe let out a soft snort, watching him through narrowed eyes. "I'm not doing this out of concern for the students. The fate of the entire world is at stake. We can't afford to worry about one or two naked bodies. But what we absolutely need to avoid right now is any chance that your true identity could be revealed."
"Huh?"
"We can talk about the details inside. We don't have a lot of time to spare, so let's keep any vulnerable moments to a minimum," Kuroe said, urging him to get started.
Still somewhat uncertain, Mushiki pulled out a clothes basket—only to stop midway.
"Kuroe?" he asked.
"What is it? Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?"
"If we're taking a bath…that means undressing, right?"
"…Well, yes."
"Of course, there's no way Saika's beautiful body could be lacking in any way. She's a supreme work of art. There shouldn't be any shame in showing it off, no? Besides, I'm a man, a high schooler at the peak of puberty. To be honest with you, I would kill to get a look at this body. I want to etch that sight into my very mind. And if I'm going to wash myself, naturally that means I'm going to be touching things that are normally out of reach. My heart's racing with excitement here."
"I think it would be best if you didn't speak such thoughts aloud," Kuroe said with a raised eyebrow.
Mushiki, however, ignored her, his voice feverish: "But, but…! Even if she's basically unconscious, Saika's body still belongs to her. I can't look at it, I can't touch it, I can't feel it up…not without her permission…!"
"Your behavior doesn't exactly add up, you realize?" Kuroe said, sounding disgusted. Nonetheless, she did eventually give him a small nod. "Given the circumstances, I'm sure Lady Saika will allow you to some extent… But I can't say I don't understand where you're coming from. I'm surprised. You're quite the gentleman inside."
"Thank you. Yep, I'd rather build up this relationship properly than take advantage of her in some underhanded way. Discretion is important."
"Are you trying to see how fast you can get me to retract my previous statement?" Kuroe paused before letting out a deep sigh as she retrieved what looked like a long piece of black cloth from her pocket. "But I understand. I will try to accommodate you as best I can."
"What's that?" Mushiki asked.
"Excuse me," Kuroe said in response before covering his eyes with the strip of cloth.
Mushiki was taken aback at being blindfolded all of a sudden, but it wasn't long before he understood Kuroe's intentions.
Right. This way, he wouldn't be able to steal a glimpse of Saika's naked body.
"Ah… But isn't it dangerous to take a bath blindfolded…? I mean, what if I slip and fall?"
"You needn't worry about that. We'll bathe together, and I'll take care of everything. Washing your hair, your body, changing you into your clothes."
"I think that's another problem, though…"
"There's no problem. I've served Lady Saika this way before."
"Huh…?! H-hold on, tell me more!"
"I doubt there will be any issue, but all the same, I'll have to strongly decline. Now, let me undress you."
Before he knew it, Kuroe had already reached out, her hands gliding over his body as she removed his uniform piece by piece.
"Kyargh… Th-that was a little fast…" He gasped at this unexpected feeling.
It was a new experience for him, being stripped naked by someone else. Moreover, being blindfolded, he couldn't know where her hands would go next. His heart raced as this unforeseen danger game began.
Kuroe showed no sign of slowing down or stopping.
Before he knew it, the moment of truth was upon him. He sensed her hand circling around his back, then he heard a soft click, and the band that had been wrapped tightly around his chest came undone.
"Whoa…"
Barely a second had passed since he realized that the bra had been unhooked. The two weights at his chest were so substantial that he almost reached out to support them with his hands.
"…Kuroe," he called out, trying to calm his ragged breathing.
"What?"
"Sure, I can't see them…but this still feels wrong."
"…Maybe I should have knocked you out?" Kuroe remarked, her cold tone suggesting that she may in fact have actually considered that option.
She grasped his neck in her hand, leaving Mushiki with the unmistakable impression that if he was to say any more, she might follow through on that threat and clamp down on his carotid artery, so he kept his response to an unsteady shake of his head.
Then, from in front of him, he made out a faint rustling sound.
Naturally, his eyebrows pulled up in suspicion.
"…Um, Kuroe? What was that?"
"I'm just getting ready. Don't mind me," she said as something soft pressed against his arm.
"Hyargh?!" he cried out, a tremor coursing through his body.
"Excuse me," Kuroe's cool voice sounded. "I'm pressing my body against yours to guide you into the bathing area."
"A-ah… R-right… I-I'm not imagining this, am I? Have you taken off your clothes, too?"
"Of course."
"…Why?"
"What an odd question. They would get wet otherwise."
That isn't the point, Mushiki felt like saying, but his throat clamped up.
Kuroe clung even more snugly to him than she had a moment ago.
"Hey, Kuroe? Um, aren't you a little close…?"
"You can't see at the moment. I can't allow you to trip and hurt yourself. Now, come this way."
Mushiki had no idea what on earth was going on anymore, so he allowed her to lead him into the bathing area and sit him down on a stool.
"Now then, I'm going to pour some warm water over your shoulders."
"O-okay…"
No sooner did he finish responding than she did just that. The temperature was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold.
After repeating this several times, she began to wash his hair with a practiced hand.
His hair hadn't been anywhere near this long in his original body, so it was an uncanny feeling.
"…Speaking of which, about that previous topic," said Kuroe as she washed his hair, having just remembered something.
"Previous topic…? You mean about me returning to my original body? Or that I shouldn't enter the girls' bathing area?"
"Both."
"What do you mean?"
She lathered his hair in foam and began to gently massage his scalp. "I've never seen another example of a merged human being, so I'm only speculating here, but I think the reason why your body transformed back into your original form had something to do with the amount of magical energy being released."
"Magical energy…? You mean, because it's leaking all over the place…?"
"Yes. The situation has yet to be brought under control, so Lady Saika's magic continued to be released from your body little by little." Kuroe stopped there, rinsed off the shampoo, and then began to carefully apply a treatment to his hair. "Lady Saika has an enormous reserve of magical energy, and there is certainly no chance of it being exhausted this way… However, when the amount being released increases past a certain level, there is a chance that the body will respond with a defensive reaction."
"A defensive reaction…?"
"To put it simply, I believe that when the body detects a serious abnormality, it automatically enters a state of low magical energy consumption. Effectively, a kind of safe mode."
"Ah…"
Underneath the blindfold, Mushiki blinked several times.
Right now, the body of the most powerful mage in the world had been combined with that of a complete amateur, resulting in this distorted state.
As such, if those elements that comprised Mushiki were to manifest more strongly, the natural result would be that the total amount of magical energy being consumed would decrease.
"I see… That's a good analogy, huh?" He sighed in understanding. "So when you made my body transform back into Saika's…"
"You mean the kiss?"
With Kuroe putting that so bluntly, Mushiki found himself momentarily at a loss for words. "Yeah. What was that?"
"I offered you more magical energy. That seemed like the most efficient solution," she said indifferently.
Maybe this all meant nothing to her? Mushiki felt somewhat embarrassed that he seemed to be the only one bothered by her behavior, so he tried to change the topic.
"…So it's all about the amount of magical energy being released? I guess I did let a lot out in the classroom earlier, and there was a bit of a close call during the practical class afterward… Ah, and there was that fight with Anviet yesterday, too. A guess it all just piled up, huh?"
"Well, they probably contributed to it, but I'm referring more to moments when you aren't using magic. I suspect the immediate trigger might have been something else entirely."
"Huh?" Mushiki's expression at this was one of genuine puzzlement.
But then, as though to wash that look from his face, Kuroe ran the shower over his head once more.
"One's state of mind has a considerable effect on the flow of one's magical energy and its total amount. Determination, anger, excitement—emotions like those can often grant a mage more power than they would otherwise possess."
"So what you're saying is…," Mushiki said hesitantly.
"When you were in the girls' locker room," Kuroe said dispassionately, "perhaps your excitement, so to speak, triggered an increase in the flow of your magical energy."
"…Ahem…"
Mushiki could let out only a pained moan. Kuroe's accusation had struck too close to home.
"Hey… Um, I mean, I didn't really…you know…"
"If you say so," Kuroe said.
Mushiki felt somewhat pathetic but continued on. "In other words, that sign in front of the bathing area…?"
"Yes. You wouldn't be able to last seeing other women in their underwear, let alone naked. If you did see anyone in such a state, you would be outed immediately."
"…" Mushiki, still overwhelmed by a sense of self-disgust, fell silent.
At that moment, Kuroe said something amusing: "You mentioned you fell in love with Lady Saika at first sight, didn't you? It's interesting, don't you think, how men are capable of being aroused by a woman irrespective of her age? Then again, maybe that's proof of a healthy physiology."
"Oh, I've got my heart set on her!"
"Is that so? I suppose I can rest at ease, then," Kuroe responded.
The next moment, without any warning, there came an audible plopping sound as something soft pressed against Mushiki's—or strictly speaking, Saika's—breast.
"Kyah!"
The sudden, furtive graze prompted him to let out a loud screech as he arched his back.
That mysterious touch paid him no mind as it crawled across his neck, his abdomen, his buttocks, and everywhere else across his body without even the faintest hint of restraint.
"K-Kuroe…"
"Is something the matter? I'm not Lady Saika, you realize?"
"No, n-n-no. That isn't what I—"
Mushiki stammered, doing his best to pull himself free from her roving hands.
Nonetheless, those hands knew no restraint as they traveled across his skin, and Mushiki soon found himself succumbing to their touch.
"O-ooohhh…"
"Hmm." Seeing his reaction, Kuroe let out a small growl. "Mushiki. We may have a problem here."
"Wh-what problem…?"
"You look just like Lady Saika, but you're too talkative, and your reactions are too innocent. I have to admit: I'm having a little too much fun here."
"What…?!" Mushiki cried out, but Kuroe's hands didn't stop what they were doing.
She continued to rub the sponge across his skin in every possible direction. "Now then, raise your arms. I'll leave your whole body shining."
"Hold on a min— K-kyaaarrrggghhh?!"
Mushiki's wailing voice echoed throughout the expansive bathing area.
"…?!"
All of a sudden, Ruri, lying on her bed in Room 314 of the first girls' dormitory building at Void's Garden, opened her eyes and sat up.
"Ah, you're awake. Are you okay…? Wh-what's wrong, Ruri?" asked Hizumi, who had been reading a book in her chair, her expression serious.
"…Did you hear something just now?"
"…What do you mean?"
"It was…almost like Madam Witch's voice, like she had just discovered a sensation she's never felt before…something halfway between shame and pleasure…I guess?"
As Ruri attempted to translate the vague information she had heard into meaning, Hizumi gave her a confused look. "Huh? I didn't hear anything… Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"
"Yeah. It was faint, but I definitely…" She cut off there before raising her face, as though having heard it again. "…?! Hold on. Did you hear it…?"
"Eh…? Madam Witch's voice?"
"I don't think so… It was lower this time… I can't believe it… It's like it's being violated by incessant pleasure… But that's not all… There's something almost nostalgic about it… It reminds me of my brother…" She forced her eyes shut as she attempted to convey those vague sensations.
Hizumi covered her mouth with her hand. "Ruri, do you miss your brother so much that you're hallucinating about him…?"
"Wh-what? No way…!"
"But didn't you say after our practical class that you thought you heard his voice somewhere…? But how could he even be in the Garden in the first place? It's a little strange, don't you think?"
"W-well, that's…" Ruri drew her brow together in a frown. "It is strange… There's no way I could mistake my own brother's voice…"
◇ ◇ ◇
"Good morning, Mushiki."
"…Good morning, Kuroe," he responded when he awoke the following morning, his mind in a haze. "Um, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why are you lying on top of me?"
"So you don't escape," Kuroe answered flatly.
"Is there some reason why I would want to escape?" he asked apprehensively.
Yes, Mushiki was currently in his room in the girls' dormitory at Void's Garden. Lying in bed, in Saika's body.
The events of the previous day must have left him exhausted, as he had fallen asleep almost immediately, and yet…
When he woke up, there in front of him was Kuroe, even though she ought to have been in her room next to his.
She was lying directly on top of him, straddling his abdomen with her thighs as she stared down at Mushiki's face. If he wasn't mistaken, this position was known as the mount. If this had happened to him while in a fight, he would have been left helpless.
"Calm down, please," he cried out. "I don't know what ongoing feud you have with Saika, but violence isn't the answer."
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
"No matter how gorgeous Saika's looks, envy never did anyone any favors!"
"I suddenly feel like capitalizing on this position," Kuroe growled as she rolled her shoulders.
Mushiki let out a choked squeal. "I'm kidding. Now, let's get down to business, please?"
"Get down to business?" Kuroe repeated before giving him a small nod and lifting her hands.
Then, in one continuous movement, she began to untie the ribbon that she wore around her neck.
"…? Kuroe?" Mushiki asked uncertainly.
Without answering him, she undid the buttons on her clothes one by one.
She was practically undressing while sitting directly on top of him.
"What…what are you doing, Kuroe?!" he demanded, panicked.
"Don't look away," she answered, sounding indifferent as she continued to undo the fastenings. "Look closely."
It wasn't long before all those buttons were undone, and her clothes, until then fitting her perfectly, had become rather sloppy in appearance.
Next, she brought her hand to her neckline, exposing her left shoulder—and the gorgeous, fair skin that lay beneath her blouse.
"…?!"
At that moment, Mushiki found himself squeezing his eyes tightly shut.
"Oh. That isn't fair, Mushiki. Look at me."
"Get dressed, then!"
She tried to get him to look at her by pulling at his eyelids and tickling his neck, but when those attempts had little effect, she let out a small sigh. "I suppose you leave me with no choice. Let's switch to Plan B."
"…?! Kuroe?!"
Having forced his eyes shut, he couldn't actually see her, but it was clear that she was now leaning directly over him. His nose filled with the faint aroma of her scented shampoo.
Mushiki stiffened. What on earth was he supposed to do in this situation?! But before an answer could reveal itself, Kuroe caught him unawares, whispering softly into his ears. "Cupcakes are Lady Saika's favorite food."
"What…?!"
Kuroe's sweet breath. A whisper that tickled his eardrums. Then the shocking revelation.
The moment that his mind processed everything, Mushiki's heart contracted.
Her onslaught didn't end there. Stroking his ears with her fingers, she continued. "When she washes herself, she always begins with her butt cheeks."
"…!"
To top it all off, Kuroe then delivered the final blow. "Lady's Saika's bust-waist-hip measurements…are eighty-eight, fifty-nine, and eighty-six."
"…?!"
A sudden heat was building up inside him, his breathing becoming ragged. He felt a slight dizziness coming on, his eyes losing focus. Then his whole body began to emanate a light glow, and—
"…Huh?"
The exclamation came from the voice of a man.
Yes, at that moment, Mushiki's body had just transformed from Saika's back to his own.
"Hmm. It looks like my attempt to prompt a state conversion was successful," Kuroe said coolly as she pulled herself back up.
Mushiki scratched at his cheek in consternation. "Um, Kuroe, was that…?"
"Yes. I was trying to excite you to trigger a transformation… Although, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly," she said, still staring at her exposed left shoulder.
"…"
For some reason, Mushiki felt strangely embarrassed and self-conscious. But why? It wasn't like he had done it on purpose or that he had had any ulterior motives.
Nonetheless, he didn't fail to notice it. Kuroe, now fixing her clothes, let out a small sigh.
"…Is it me, or do you look relieved, Kuroe?"
"…Do I?" she answered sternly.
Mushiki watched on doubtfully.
Kuroe cleared her throat as she stood up from the bed and changed the topic. "But that isn't important. We don't have much time. You'll have to get ready before the other students wake up."
"Get ready…? For what?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she replied quizzically, as though the answer ought to have been a matter of course.
◇ ◇ ◇
"And so, beginning today, we have two new additions to our class—Mushiki Kuga and Kuroe Karasuma."
A few hours after waking up in his dormitory room, Mushiki, now dressed in a boy's Garden uniform, found himself standing in the exact same place in the exact same classroom as the day before.
Though, not everything was the same as yesterday.
In appearance, he was no longer Saika Kuozaki but rather had returned to his own body. For that reason, his introduction was delivered with a different sense of urgency than the day before. The class gave curious stares, attempting to size him up.
"…"
No, that change wasn't the problem here.
Mushiki turned to the girl beside him (similarly dressed in a school uniform of her own) and whispered, "Kuroe?"
"What is it?"
"Um… Why did I have to transfer in as me this time? And you're joining the class, too?"
Still facing the room and standing with her back straight, Kuroe answered, "Considering what happened yesterday, there's no telling what might trigger another state conversion—or when."
"So I'm like a ticking time bomb or something?"
"That's an apt expression," Kuroe answered coolly. "If by chance someone was to spot you in your own body, Mushiki, it would pose a significant problem for us. This Garden is supposed to be hidden from the outside world. Any outsider who managed to slip in would be subjected to a thorough inquisition." She stopped briefly before continuing. "This way, if you are enrolled in the school as Mushiki Kuga, even if only nominally, we can reduce the severity of such a situation. You won't be an unidentified intruder who has somehow managed to infiltrate the campus, but rather a delinquent student skipping class… As for my being here, this will allow me to trigger another state conversion on short notice should it prove necessary."
"…Right." Mushiki nodded before realizing a fatal flaw in her plan. "But if something was to happen in the girls' locker room, like it almost did yesterday, everyone would think I did that."
"Well…"
"Well?"
"Try not to let that happen."
"Can you stop acting so nonchalant, please?" Mushiki whispered, worried that the two of them had been talking at the front of the room for too long.
The homeroom teacher, Tomoe Kurieda, looked toward them in apparent exasperation. "Mushiki? Karasuma? What are you both talking about? I'm not at all impressed. The two of you whispering in class on your very first day…," she said, crossing her arms.
"Ah, sor—" But before he could finish that apology, he stopped himself. "…? Ms. Kurieda, right?"
Tomoe's appearance should have been exactly the same as it had been the day before, but there was something different about her face, gestures, and voice.
Yesterday, she had worn a frightened expression, hunching over and curling up like a quivering Chihuahua.
Now, however, her bearing was one of confidence, her posture serving to emphasize her incredible proportions. Her graceful and leisurely demeanor called to mind the supple image of a female panther.
"Hmm…? Have we met before? Oh-ho, or are you trying a pickup line on me in front of the whole class?"
"Um, er, that isn't what I meant…" Mushiki shook his head in an attempt to defuse the situation.
Tomoe, however, licked her lips, narrowed her eyes, and stroked Mushiki's chin with the tip of her finger… "Oh-ho… That is a rather generic pickup strategy, but I don't mind. You've got some audacity. I'll play along. Come see me in the staff room after school. I'll give you one of my special extracurricular lessons," she said in a sexy whisper.
Mushiki's eyes all but popped from their sockets at this stark difference in her attitude.
At that moment, Kuroe glanced deliberately toward the door at the side of the room. "Oh! Good morning, Lady Saika."
"Kyaaarrrggghhh…?! N-n-no, it isn't what it looks like, Madam Witch…! It's all a misunderstanding! I would never, ever try to seduce a pretty young boy while on duty…!"
All of a sudden, Tomoe, who had until just then been emitting a sicklyscent of self-confidence and seductive sex appeal, fell to the floor with tears in her eyes, pressing her forehead against the ground as though begging for her very life.
"Oops, excuse me. I must have mistaken someone else for her."
"U-ugh… Be more careful in the future, please. You made my heart skip a beat just then. You could have shaved years off my life span… Anyway, Kuga, see me after—"
"Ah. I think it might be Lady Saika, after all."
"Kyaaarrrggghhh! I'm kidding! You know I have a weak heart, Madam Witch! I would never say something like that seriously! It's just one of my little jokes… Ohhh! I'm sure I'll live an even longer life by worshipping you, Madam Witch…! Thank you, thank you!"
Once again, Tomoe was lying flat on the floor like an obsequious grasshopper.
Kuroe stared down at her coldly before glancing back at Mushiki. "Don't worry. Lady Saika will be absent today."
With that announcement, the other students, watching on with bated breaths, let out sighs of relief. They were probably all on tenterhooks, wondering when Saika would arrive to join them.
Tomoe was the only one who didn't seem to hear her, still bowing her head low to the ground.
"Well, the teacher doesn't look ready to get up yet. Let's take our seats," Kuroe suggested.
"…Right."
Following Kuroe's lead did seem to be the best way forward here, so Mushiki left Tomoe, still cowering on the floor at the prospect of Saika's reappearance, to the back of the room.
Only then did he notice it.
While most students were watching Tomoe's scandalous behavior with some combination of forced smiles and abject shock, one was staring straight at Mushiki, her face awash with pure astonishment.
"Wh-wh-what…?"
It was the genius mage, the knight serving directly under the school's headmistress, and Mushiki's younger sister, who had last seen him back when their parents separated.
With a rattling clatter, Ruri Fuyajoh rose to her feet and pointed at him.
"…What are you doing here, Mushiki…?!" she cried.
The suddenness of her outburst prompted the remaining students to turn her way in surprise, then to follow her outstretched hand until their eyes rested on Mushiki.
"Huh…? Do you know him?"
"Didn't we see him in the corridor this morning, though?"
As various voices echoed throughout the room, Hizumi's eyes opened wide in sudden remembrance. "I thought I recognized that name… Don't tell me; is he your brother, Ruri…?"
That exclamation only added fuel to the fire that had already engulfed the room.
"Eh? Didn't you say your brother was born in April?"
"But Ruri was born in March, so even though he's almost a year older than her, that would put them in the same year level."
"He's the one you gave a picture frame made of seashells to for his fifth birthday?"
"The one with the charming little mole on his neck?"
"Huh? How do all these people I've never even met before know so much about me?" Mushiki exclaimed, the sound of his voice adding to the chorus coming as a surprise even to himself.
Then, as though offering an answer to that question, all eyes turned to Ruri… Apparently, she was the source of that information.
"…"
Nonetheless, Ruri, seemingly unable to hear those around her, took one shaky step after another toward Mushiki.
Only then, fixing him in her fiery gaze, did she say: "I'll ask you again. What are you doing at the Garden? No…first of all, how did you even find out about this place? Were you scouted by the administrative department? Or did another Fuyajoh put this idea in your head?" Using an aggressive voice, she interrogated him.
Menace, power, resolution—there were many words for it, but she exuded an invisible sense of pressure that had been handed down across the generations, and at that moment, Mushiki was experiencing it firsthand. Perhaps his classmates had sensed it, too, as they remained completely silent.
The atmosphere in the room was indeed different from yesterday and the excitement when Saika had joined the class. It was as though some ancient instinct, lost amid the peace of modern civilization, had just been reawakened. It was a feeling of being confronted by an apex predator, a commanding force that would take no half answers.
At that moment, Ruri felt so real that even Mushiki, with all his ignorance and inexperience, could sense it.
"Ruri…"
Of course, he could hardly give her an honest answer with everyone watching. It would be a betrayal to Saika and could even put his own life in jeopardy.
It was clear that she wouldn't accept any lies, and something told him that she would see straight through any attempt at deception.
As such, he decided to lay bare his true feelings free from deceit and came out with the words he had been unable to give voice to in Saika's body: "I'm so happy to see you again, Ruri."
"Ngh?!" She spun around, letting out a crazed cry.
Her face had turned bright red, her eyes swimming like a pair of migratory fish.
Nevertheless, she soon regained her mental fortitude, straightening her back as she took in a deep breath. Perhaps she was sweating a little, as her bangs stuck to her forehead.
"…Y-you can't fool me. Give me a proper answer—"
"Look at you. You've grown into a real beauty, Ruri."
"Guew-eh-geh-heh…!" She choked, her appearance at that moment somewhat far from beautiful.
Mushiki rushed over, sitting her back down and patting her on the back. "Are you all right? There's no need to rush, so just—"
"…!"
A moment later, she suddenly jerked away, jumping up and fleeing from his outstretched hand.
Then, glaring at him, her face as red as a tomato and with tears streaming down her eyes, she cried, "D-don't think you've won! I won't accept this! I swear, I'm going to get you kicked out of this Garden! I swear it! Aaauuuggghhh!"
With that, she bolted for the entrance and disappeared into the hallway.
A pensive air filled the classroom, until finally the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom.
Around ten minutes later, once Tomoe Kurieda finally regained her composure, the first class of the day started.
"In other words, just because a new discovery has ushered in a new generation doesn't mean that old techniques are rendered meaningless. Rather…"
As with the day before, Tomoe was making use of the electronic blackboard as she continued her lecture on the history of magic.
No, actually, there was something different from the previous day, unflattering though it might be to point out. Unlike yesterday, when she had been visibly intimidated by Saika's presence, she now came across as truly imposing.
She had puffed out her chest with confidence, and her words were flowing one after the next without a hint of hesitation. She even had the presence of mind to joke with the students sometimes, inviting every now and then the occasional laugh. This, no doubt, was her usual teaching style.
The overall mood in the classroom was much more relaxed this time around.
Mushiki was naturally attracting some attention, but all the same, his classmates seemed considerably more at ease. That said, a few continued to watch his every move.
Well, there was one female student who kept glowering at him.
Yes, while Ruri had fled from the classroom, she returned to her seat in time for first period.
The siblings had managed to become the center of attention, but with Ruri's steely mental fortitude, she didn't seem to be particularly bothered by it.
"…Mushiki." Perhaps that stare was getting to her, though, as with Tomoe still lecturing at the front of the room, Kuroe whispered across to him.
"What now, Kuroe?"
"You did mention that you and Knight Fuyajoh are brother and sister, but was your relationship an acrimonious one, by any chance?"
"No, I wouldn't say that… We got along well."
"Then why is she glaring at you like that?"
"Well…," Mushiki murmured, at a loss for an answer.
At that moment, Tomoe, standing beside the teacher's table, pointed straight at him. "Kuga! I can see that you're excited about your first class, but no private conversations while I'm talking, okay?"
"Ah… Sorry."
"Hmm, you're a hopeless one, aren't you? Yep, you're going to need some discipline, I think. A firm hand. After school—"
"Look," Kuroe said, pointing into the hallway as though having just noticed something.
Tomoe fell silent, glancing nervously behind her. "Eh… It isn't her, is it?" Fear having taken hold of her, she glanced carefully through the entrance, inspected the corridor, then returned to her position by the electronic blackboard with a look of relief.
Then, after taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned back to Mushiki. "Well, never mind. So, Kuga. If you have time to chat, that must mean you already understand what we're here to learn, no? Why don't you try answering a few questions, then?"
"Um, but I don't really understand…," he answered without delay.
Tomoe nonetheless let out a fearless laugh. "In that case, I wish you could at least act a little more worried for me, though…"
"Sorry," Mushiki said. "But I still don't really understand what magic actually is in the first place…"
With that admission, he heard the others throughout the room exhaling in exasperation or otherwise letting out amused chuckles.
The meaning behind those words was almost identical to what he had said the day before, but the reactions now were at stark odds to when Saika had asked a similar question.
"Come on, seriously? How did an amateur like this even get into our prestigious Garden?" said a tall male student with an exaggerated shrug (incidentally, the very same student who had described Saika's similar query as deep and profound).
"Oh dear… Does he really think he's on the same level as the rest of us?" A bespectacled female student added (the same one who had held her head in her hands in acute distress when he had asked about magic and magical energy).
"Heh… Look how dumb and naive he is. This'll be interesting," said a male student sitting by the window as he brushed a hand through his long bangs (he had praised Saika's question as thought-provoking and insightful).
And finally…
"…Ah?"
Perhaps in response to those other reactions, a chilling voice echoed throughout the room.
Ruri glanced around with bloodshot eyes, her brow wrinkled, veins throbbing on her forehead.
"…?!"
Pinned down by her gaze, the students who had been laughing at Mushiki's expense fell suddenly silent.
Nonetheless, Ruri herself said nothing more.
Having announced that she would throw him out of the Garden, she could hardly come to his defense now. That said, she wouldn't stand to hear anyone other than herself speak ill of him, either. Or so it seemed to Mushiki. She was almost like a rival character in a boys' comic book.
"R-Ruri? Ruri…?" Hizumi asked, flustered as she tapped her on the shoulder.
Finally, bringing her anger back under control, Ruri let out a loud snort and turned back to the front of the room.
"…Er, um… I-is it okay to continue the lesson…?" Tomoe, having no doubt sensed the fraught atmosphere, was visibly sweating.
"Of course," Ruri answered matter-of-factly. "Hurry along, please. This is your job, isn't it?"
"Uh…"
After that snide remark, pulling a long face, Tomoe reluctantly turned back to the class.
◇ ◇ ◇
After somehow pulling through that distressing lecture, third period finally rolled around, and Mushiki headed to the training hall at the central school building with the rest of his class. Like fifth and sixth periods yesterday, it was time for another of Anviet's practical skills classes.
Having changed into his gym clothes, Mushiki shrugged lightly as he stepped foot into the hall.
Like his uniform, the outfit Kuroe had picked out for him fit perfectly. He had no idea when she had managed to take his measurements, but she was clearly very diligent.
"I was a little concerned about letting you out of my sight, but it looks like I needn't have worried," sounded a voice from behind him.
Mushiki glanced over his shoulder and laid eyes on Kuroe, dressed in the same style of gym clothes as him.
"Huh? But a state conversion from Saika's body to mine should only happen when I release too much magical energy, right?"
"I expect so, but this is the first time I've ever actually dealt with two people merged into one. You never know."
Mushiki could only force a smile at that off-putting remark. "Well… I'll be okay. I mean, I'm using the men's locker room this time. Seriously, it's wonderful. With no girls around, you really can relax in there."
"That statement could invite a misunderstanding," Kuroe said, watching him through narrowed eyes.
At that moment, Anviet came in from the back of the training hall. "All right, let's get started. Gather round, you hear?" he said as though weighed down, beckoning lazily.
As a group, the students lined up in front of him.
"Okay, then. Once you're finished with the prep exercises, we're gonna continue with the same practice we started yesterday. We've got a lot of targets, so we'll divide into groups, and…" His voice dropped off there.
For a second, Mushiki wondered whether something had gone wrong, but it wasn't long before he realized what exactly it was.
Among the students, Ruri was holding her hand raised high into the air.
"Can I ask something, Mr. Svarner?"
"Ngh. Fuyajoh? What do you want?"
"We have two new transfer students today. This will be their first practical class."
"Transfer students…? Ah, right, I did hear somethin' about that…," Anviet said as he rubbed the back of his head. He surveyed the assembled students before locking onto Mushiki and Kuroe. "You two… Huh? Aren't you Kuozaki's servant or somethin'? What are you doin' here?"
Kuroe paid his scowl little mind as she nodded back to him in greeting.
Looking like he had no interest in continuing that conversation, Anviet let out a loud snort and turned next to Mushiki. "And you are…?"
"Mushiki Kuga."
"Ah, right, got it. Let's see how memorable you are," Anviet said with a dismissive wave of his hand before turning back to Ruri. "There. Are you happy now? Newbies, if you don't know how to do the prep exercises, get one of these guys to teach you. As for the real trainin'…if you can handle it, good. If you can't, watch the others first. Observation is part of the learnin' process."
"Can I ask permission for something?" Ruri asked.
"Permission? What for?" Anviet responded suspiciously.
Ruri then turned her piercing gaze toward Mushiki. "To fight Mushiki Kuga in a mock battle."
"…Hah?"
"…!"
Anviet furrowed his brow at this challenge, while the other students watched in utter astonishment. Kuroe's eyes likewise twitched in concern.
Ruri's comment back in the classroom echoed in Mushiki's mind. She had said that she would throw him out of the Garden, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps she meant to hurt him, to break his heart?
Had she chosen a mock battle in the middle of class over a duel or a sneak ambush out of a sense of discipline, or did she want her classmates to witness the mortification from this unseemly encounter?
Whatever the case, the situation in the training hall took a turn for the worse.
Even so…
"…Huh? What're you goin' on about? There's no way I'm lettin' you fight in here," Anviet said sternly but decisively.
Ruri must have convinced herself that he would go along with her proposal, as her eyes showed dissatisfaction. "Why not?" she asked.
"Why not…? Maybe because you're an S-class mage, and he's a newbie transfer student? You tell me, why would I allow it? Are you a battle maniac or somethin'…?"
"…"
Anviet's argument was a sound one, and Ruri could only bite her lip in frustration.
Somehow, Mushiki felt as if he could sense her bloodred gaze on him.
In truth, he felt a little sorry for her.
"Hey! Quit dawdlin' and get on those prep exercises! When you're done, run three laps around the trainin' ground and get your asses back here!"
Anviet shouted, interrupting the frayed atmosphere that had fallen over the hall.
The students, though still looking ill at ease, did as instructed.
Ruri likewise started her preparatory exercises, though her eyes were bloodshot. If anything, she pushed herself more than anyone else in the room. When she ran, her arms and legs swung beautifully. She may have been his own sister, but Mushiki caught his breath in admiration at her diligence and dedication.
After finishing the warm-up exercises, the students gathered around once more in the center of the hall.
By then, Anviet had readied close to a dozen ball-shaped targets complete with arms and legs.
"One at a time, got that? Up to your second substantiations. If you can't handle them alone, you can surround the targets in groups of two or three. And if you slack off, I'll be there to give you a good kick in the ass!"
"Right!"
Following those orders, the students turned to their targets of choice, giving them their full attention.
"…!"
As he watched, Mushiki found himself rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"Is something the matter, Mushiki?" Kuroe asked.
He blinked a few times before answering. "Ah, um… It's kind of vague, but I think I can see everyone's magical energy a little…"
Right. At this point in time, Mushiki wasn't in his Saika mode—and yet he could make out, albeit only vaguely, the magical energy emanating from his classmates' bodies.
Kuroe, however, didn't seem at all surprised as she nodded. "That isn't inconceivable. As I said before, the first hurdle to learning magic is being able to grasp a formerly unknown sense. But you, Mushiki, have already passed through that stage thanks to your merging with Lady Saika. Your mind is already that of a fully developed mage."
"What…?" He glanced down at his own hands. "Are you saying Saika has made my body mature, too?"
"In a manner of speaking," Kuroe said coolly before clearing her throat. "That being said, any other mage would be green with envy to have what you currently possess. After all, you have overcome the first hurdle unknowingly, all by drawing on the powers and abilities of the world's most powerful mage."
"…Does that mean I can actually use magic, then?"
"Something tells me it won't be that convenient… But you may at least be able to release some power. Why don't you give it a try?" With that, Kuroe pointed to a target on the far wall.
There, across the room, a small glowing ball complete with a pair of legs was standing there forlornly.
"Right. It might not work, but I'll give it a try."
Saying that, Mushiki faced his target and began to focus, doing his best to recall what it had felt like to wield magic in Saika's body.
"You, Munakata. You ain't channelin' your magical energy there properly. Don't think of your substantiations as weapons. Think of them as extensions of your limbs… And you, Mabuchi. If all you can pull off is your first substantiation, that'll do. You should still be able to get in a hit, so long as you focus. Find a way to get the result you want with the cards you have."
Anviet, his hands stuffed into his tracksuit pockets, was walking around the room giving each of the students advice in turn as they faced off against their targets.
One or two crests had appeared somewhere on each of the students' bodies, a telltale sign that they were activating their substantiation techniques.
It was a rare thing for a mage to be able to activate their second substantiation. How many of these kids would be able to unlock their third substantiations over the course of their lifetimes? Anviet wondered.
"…?!"
At that moment, as he surveyed the training hall, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He turned around.
It wasn't an exceptionally strong source of magical power that he had recognized, nor malevolent intent, but rather some sensation that he found difficult to put into words.
Nevertheless, his instincts as a mage, and his intuition as a knight, prevented him from regaining his composure.
"…"
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ruri. She, it seemed, had noticed it, too, and was scanning the room intently.
What the hell?
Anviet gulped, his eyes opening wide.
Across the hall were several students, most of them struggling to reach their targets.
One was surrounded by a plume of wind, her first substantiation.
Another was wielding the massive hammer that characterized his second substantiation.
And another…one of the new transfer students, simply stood there, hands raised, no crest whatsoever appearing on his body.
"…"
At this last sight, Anviet found himself scratching at his cheek. "No way," he murmured, when—
"What…?!"
A loud alarm had begun to sound throughout the Garden, followed by countless cracks erupting in the sky overhead.
"Huh…?!"
Mushiki, his eyes squeezed shut from concentrating, suddenly glanced upward as the alarm echoed around them.
At that moment, several deep fissures broke through the sky hanging over the training hall.
"Mushiki," Kuroe called out, running toward him.
"Kuroe!" he called back, flustered. "Is this…?!"
That sound. This phenomenon.
It was just like what had happened the first day of his arrival at the Garden.
"There's no doubt about it. It's an annihilation factor. But to appear without warning like this…"
As though to silence her, one of the fissures hanging overhead tore larger and larger—until before they knew it, a huge, hulking monster began to emerge from behind it.
Razor-sharp claws. A body lined with toughened scales. Wings reminiscent of a bat. A head lined with horns and fangs.
Annihilation Factor No. 206: Dragon.
It was the exact same kind of mythical beast that Anviet had defeated with a single blow.
However, there was something decidedly different this time—the sheer number of those creatures.
Back then, there had been only one, though that alone had been enough to reduce the city beyond the Garden's walls into a sea of flames.
But now…
"A hundred…two hundred…no, there's more of them…?!" A lone, dismayed voice reverberated through the training hall.
Indeed. Those dragons were now so numerous, all but shrouding the sky above, that it was impossible to ascertain their exact number.
That wasn't all.
Deep amid the throng, through a massive spatial fissure, a giant specimen reared its head.
As he took in that sight, Anviet stared back wide-eyed. "Hah?! Annihilation Factor No. 48: Fafnir?! What the hell is a double-digit monster doing here?! And with all these dragons?!"
"This is no time for your whining! Get the students out of here!" Ruri thundered.
Her voice now was no longer that of a student, but of a knight, one of the Garden's most capable guardians.
"Like I need you to tell me that! B-class mages and above, return fire! C-class and below, fall back to the central area!"
"R-right…!"
As instructed, most of the students hurried to evacuate the training ground, with only a small few remaining behind.
As though having anticipated the students' attempt to flee to safety, several dragons descended from above, planting themselves directly in their path.
"Wh-whoa!"
"Kyah?!"
The students cowered in terror as the dragons let out tremendous roars.
"Tch…"
But before the creatures could attack those who had attempted to flee, two halo rings shimmered to life on Anviet's back.
"Second Substantiation: Vajdola!"
Two vajras appeared by his side as he fired a barrage of thunderbolts.
At that moment, the first dragon's head as it closed in on the students was dismembered and sent flying. With a heavy crash, its hulking body sank to the floor, disappearing in a burst of light.
"Are you okay?!"
"Y-yes!"
"Then get the hell out of here!" Anviet roared.
The students, though panicked, took off once more.
There was no end to the number of dragons. One after another, they descended onto the training ground, clearly unwilling to let even a single person escape.
"Ugh…" Frowning, Anviet used another lightning bolt to send a dragon's head flying, before shredding its wings and punching a huge hole through its body.
Mushiki was reminded of a thunder-clad god of war as he watched Anviet rage.
There was an obvious difference in their respective power levels. One after the next, he crushed dragon after dragon underfoot.
The problem, however, was the overwhelming number of those annihilation factors. Searching for gaps in Anviet's defenses, the dragons continued to charge toward the students.
Mushiki and Kuroe were no exception.
"Whoa…?!"
"…! Ngh…"
Seeing the two, a huge dragon descended from the sky. Kuroe threw herself in front of him, as though to use herself as a shield.
"Kuroe!" Mushiki cried, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her toward himself as he turned his back to the creature.
"Mushiki…?!" Her voice, tinged with astonishment, echoed in his ears.
The impact he was expecting failed to reach him.
"Second Substantiation: Luminous Blade!"
Just as Ruri's voice sounded out, the dragon's massive body was sliced into pieces before it could touch him or the other students.
"Wha—?"
With dismembered pieces of the dragon still raining around her, Ruri landed directly in front of him.
Two patterns reminiscent of demon masks had appeared above her head, while in her hands she grasped a naginata, its blade gleaming like a demonic will-o'-the-wisp.
For a moment, Mushiki caught his breath at the divine majesty of that sight.
Ruri, however, wore a grim expression as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "This is a mage's battlefield. I don't know how you found out about the Garden, but give it up! You're no mage…! Get out of here! And don't ever get involved in our world again!" she ordered him.
Then, in a quiet voice, she addressed Kuroe. "And you, Kuroe, was it? I don't know what interest an attendant to Madam Witch might have with Mushiki, but you must know how to handle yourself, right? Look after him for me."
With that, she took off, leaving a trail of light as she stormed toward the remaining dragons.
"…Mushiki."
As he watched on in dismay as Ruri fought up above, Kuroe, her arms crossed, called out to him in a disgruntled voice.
Flustered, Mushiki released her from his arms.
Kuroe's grim expression remained unchanged. Her brow still furrowed, she began to list her grievances. "What on earth were you thinking just then? How many times have I told you? Your body is Lady Saika's body. Your death would mean her death."
"Sorry. It just kind of happened."
"No, it didn't." Kuroe turned away, pouting. She looked legitimately angry this time.
Concerned, Mushiki glanced up once more. "B-but it worked out okay, huh? Anviet is here… And Ruri is pretty strong, too. Those dragons took me by surprise, but things are looking—"
"…" Though Mushiki had tried to make light of the situation, Kuroe wore a troubled look. "I wonder if it really will be that easy…"
"Huh?"
"The two of them are indeed a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, backup should be on the way soon. Eventually, they will be able to defeat all these annihilation factors… But there are so many of them. It's all but inevitable that they'll cause considerable damage."
"But once they're defeated, won't that undo all the destruction…?" Mushiki asked, remembering what had happened a few days prior.
Kuroe wrinkled her brow. "It's true—if the annihilation factors are defeated during the window for reversible destruction, this whole incident will be as if it never happened."
"Right. In that case—"
"However, that doesn't apply to those who have witnessed the annihilation factors themselves—mages, in other words."
"…! Are you saying if any mages die, that it will be permanent?" Mushiki demanded.
"That is exactly what I mean," Kuroe confirmed with a pained look. "There's only one person who could overcome this situation without suffering any casualties… Only one person who could eradicate all these dragons from the sky above us while sparing the mages down below."
Mushiki clenched his fists and muttered, "I can only think of one mage like that…"
"Aaauuuggghhh!"
With an ear-splitting cry, Ruri brought her naginata swinging down.
Her second substantiation, Luminous Blade. That sharp blade of light jutting out at the end of the weapon's long handle stretched like a whip, tracing an inexhaustible path as it lashed out at the annihilation factors emerging from all directions.
Not even those dragons with their tough hides and their all-consuming fiery breath posed much of a challenge for a Knight of the Garden. In fact, Ruri and Anviet had already defeated more than thirty of the creatures between them.
The problem, however, was their sheer number.
Countless dragons were still soaring above, attacking the Garden—and the outside world beyond its walls—one after the next. Through their collective efforts, the mages had somehow managed to pull through with minimal damage so far, but the surrounding city had already been reduced to smoldering ruins.
That horrendous sight could be restored so long as the annihilation factors were destroyed within the window for reversible destruction, but it was still a painful scene to see. Her brow furrowed in a deep frown, Ruri tightened her grip on her naginata.
Then, as though aiming for just that moment, a dragon lashed out with a plume of flames at the training ground, the air erupting with blistering heat.
"Tch…"
Ruri launched into the air, using her weapon to decapitate the fire-breathing monster. Even after its enormous head crashed into the ground, flames continued to scatter around it for a few seconds.
There were still several students lingering in the training hall, but they were keeping their distance from the other mages, and each seemed to be protecting themselves in their own way. As she evaluated the situation out of the corner of her eye, Ruri breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she noticed something.
Mushiki and Kuroe were nowhere to be seen.
"Mushiki…," she gasped, turning her gaze downward.
If he had managed to escape unharmed, that would be for the best. But her brother was an amateur, a newcomer fresh to the Garden. If he had been exposed to that sea of flames…
The most horrendous vision imaginable flashed before her eyes.
It only lasted for a brief moment, but in the heat of the battlefield, that was time enough to offer her foes a fatal opening.
"Gwah…?!"
By the time she saw it coming, the massive Fafnir-type annihilation factor had emerged from a long spatial fissure, the tall palisades of its fang-lined jaw opening wide.
She wouldn't be able to escape it. She clenched her teeth as she readied herself for the impact. She would have to manage, somehow, to withstand the blow so she could launch her own counterattack.
However—
"…Huh?"
The next moment, she found her eyes opening wide in shock.
The shot of pain she had been anticipating never came.
In its place, a tremendous sense of discomfort enveloped her entire body.
Indeed. Until just a short moment ago, her surroundings had been the training hall, the Garden, and a city reduced to a sea of flames.
Though what she saw laid out in front of her now…
…was a realm of frigid ice, with a powerful blizzard blowing all around.
"What…? This can't be…"
It was no joke or metaphor.
It was as if she had been transported in the blink of an eye, moved instantaneously from one place to another. If she were anyone else, she might have considered it a dream or an illusion.
However, Ruri was familiar with this phenomenon, this eerie sensation.
The supreme domain that transcends phenomena, that ultimately comprised matter through assimilation.
A fourth substantiation.
The ultimate form of magic, capable of forging a whole miniature world.
There was only one person who could pull off a feat of this magnitude…
"What a rude guest to attempt to wreak havoc in my Garden while I'm away."
"…!"
Ruri glanced up at the sound of that voice, calling out as though in response to her unspoken thoughts.
Then, as she took in the sight of the girl floating before her, her voice trembled. "Madam Witch…"
Indeed.
There, floating calmly before her with four whole crests activated above her head was the Witch of Resplendent Color, Saika Kuozaki.
For some reason, she was dressed in what looked like gym clothes—but Ruri was too shaken by emotion to think on it anymore.
Saika, aglow with the light of her crests, was staring down at the annihilation factors as they swarmed below.
"Kiss my feet… I will make all of you my brides," she said, slowly raising one hand into the air.
As she did, the storm raging around her began to pick up strength, a whirlwind building with her at its center.
"I-is that…?!"
"A tornado…?!"
The students were crying out in alarm below.
As though in response to their voices, a massive tornado swirling with piercing shards of ice struck the dragons all at once, centering around the Fafnir-type annihilation factor.
The hulking monsters were crushed beneath those icy fragments or else frozen by the subzero temperatures of the storm. Endless cries echoed through the sky but were soon drowned out by the blast of the icy tempest.
"Wh-whoooaaa?!"
"Kyaaarrrggghhh!"
Of course, it wasn't only the annihilation factors crying out, but the students, too.
Nonetheless—
"…!"
The next moment, Ruri blinked her eyes once more.
Just when she thought that the icy storm had engulfed her vision, the scenery around her changed all over again.
Yes, it was the same training ground where she and the others had been fighting just a moment earlier.
But now there wasn't a single dragon left to be seen—not even one.
The students were all safe and sound, though some were lying on their backs, their eyes unseeing, probably having fainted. Others crouched low, trembling in shock.
The whole incident couldn't have lasted more than a minute.
It truly was a miraculous outcome.
"Hmm… Sorry for causing a scene," Saika said playfully as she alighted on the ground.
No sooner did everyone realize what had happened than they erupted in cheers.
"…"
Touching her lips with her fingertips, Kuroe was wandering slowly across the training ground.
There was no longer any sign of the annihilation factors.
Mushiki, transformed into Lady Saika, had wiped them out with her fourth substantiation.
While it looked like he still couldn't exert proper control over his magic, it did seem that he was fully capable of wielding her powers without a problem. He was an unusual type of mage, that was certain.
Even so, from what Kuroe could tell, the students seemed to be unharmed. She couldn't find fault in the outcome.
"…Hmm."
Still…
She glanced overhead, her expression pained.
"Was that really a natural occurrence, so many annihilation factors emerging all at once…?"
Her doubtful murmur was soon drowned out by the cheers of the students behind her.