Well, well. Both a busy work schedule and a peaceful, ordinary life seem to pass by quickly. This week, my first back at school, also ended uneventfully.
I attended classes, studied hard, exercised, and trained. It was such a peaceful week that I almost forgot I wasn't just a normal student. Of course, the firearms and blade training were far from normal.
If anything of note happened, it would be that Natsuki-chan got mad at me for something I didn't do. Why would I engage in some impure relationship? I was just taking a nap. If she's going to get mad, she should get mad at me for skipping class.
And as for Mea, she's surprisingly adapted well to the class.
She's started making friends and seems to be enjoying school life.
As she declared, she's observing Yami. She's keeping her in her peripheral vision at all times, if not watching her every single move.
And somehow, we've gotten along well. I don't feel any hostility or ill will from her. In fact, she's so friendly and clingy that I'm starting to wonder if she actually wants to be friends.
Because of this, I'm getting a lot of unnecessary attention. It's only a matter of time before my reputation as a womanizer spreads throughout the school. I already walk to school with several girls every day, so it's not like it's a big deal at this point.
I always go out with girls. Incidents I get involved in always involve women. And the person I'm with today is also a woman.
Today, I came to the home of Hayate Yagami, the captain of Special Section 6, to pick up Einheart's completed device. Asuna is with me, per our agreement that I'm not to be left alone.
So the members are me, Einheart, and Asuna. And as an escort, Nove's sister, Chink Nakajima.
Chink-san is Nove-san's sister, but they couldn't be more different. Nove is a straightforward, tall, and cheerful woman, while Chink is short and quiet, with a doll-like long silver hair and an eyepatch.
Chink-san drove us here in her car, and I had the rude thought of wondering how she could even drive at that height. The car was self-driving.
Yagami-san's house is in a prime location on the academy island. It's a house built on the seaside with a beach nearby. This island is always like summer, but beaches are very rare since it's an artificial island. I can't imagine how much a house near one would cost.
This is the first time I've seen the ocean since coming to this island.
"I should have brought a swimsuit."
"I know. We're always fighting, so it would be nice to take a break once in a while. Maybe a trip?"
"Yeah. I'd like to go once everything is settled."
"...I wonder when everything will be settled?"
"Even if we went on a trip, we'd probably get caught up in an incident there."
"True."
While Chink-san rang the doorbell and waited for a response, we had a casual conversation near the entrance. But it was a little awkward. I knew why.
"Einheart, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing at all."
"Really?"
She's been like this all day. Ever since we met at the park and rode in the car to get here. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do anything.
At first, I thought she was just nervous about meeting Yagami-san for the first time. But she's clearly avoiding me.
It's frustrating because I have no idea why. And asking her point-blank might backfire.
I'll just leave her be for now.
Just as I made up my mind, someone answered the intercom. We followed Chink-san into the house.
A tall woman with pink ponytail welcomed us. She had sharp eyes and a straight back. In a word, she was a "cool woman." Why are all these cool women taller than me? She was wearing a tracksuit the same color as her hair, but it didn't look like loungewear. She looked like she was about to go for a workout.
I knew this person's name.
"Welcome, Chink."
"Signum, it's been a while. How have you been?"
She's a character from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, a Wolkenritter also known as the General of Blazing Fire. Signum.
"Are they...?"
"Yes. This is the one who's here to pick up the device."
"I am Einheart Stratos."
"I've heard about you. You're going to compete in the Inter-Middle, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Einheart looked straight at Signum and replied.
"Then you are my rival."
Rival? No, there's no way Signum would be competing. That would be bullying, and she's not the right age to be a competitor.
"To be precise, my students from the dojo. They're strong."
"Are you training now?"
"Yes. If you'd like, you can join us for a bit on your way back. It'll be a good way to break in your new device."
"If I have the chance, I'd love to."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
Signum, who had coolly brushed it off, put on her shoes.
"And you must be Yozuki Sho. And you are Yuuki Asuna, I believe?"
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. Did Sakura-chan tell you?"
It wasn't surprising that she knew my name. We cooperated on an investigation and went on a trip together. It would be foolish to be surprised that she knew my name.
"No, not exactly... Hmm, I'll give you a piece of advice."
She looked at me with a different kind of expression than the one she gave Einheart.
"Don't take what my master says too seriously. Just listen to it half-seriously and let the other half go. She's particularly excited today."
"Huh...?"
Signum gave me this hard-to-understand piece of advice and then left.
"W-What did she mean?"
"She meant to be careful, I think."
"Huh? Careful of what?"
"Of Yagami-san."
Asuna shook her head as if she didn't understand what I was saying.
"She won't do anything bad, probably."
She's not going to eat us. You don't have to look so anxious. Today's purpose is to pick up Einheart's device.
We followed Chink-san into the living room. Her steps were confident.
"Welcome, everyone. Come on, have a seat. Rein, Agito~ can you help me with the tea?"
"Yes!"
A woman who spoke with a fake Kansai dialect, and two girls who were too big and looked nothing like her—one with silver hair and the other with red hair—were there.
Tea and cookies were quickly laid out on the table. We all sat on the couch. Opposite us sat the three women.
This person is...
"Okay, let's start with introductions, shall we? I'm Hayate Yagami. I work for the Bureau. I'm the captain of Special Section 6."
"And! I'm Reinforce Zwei, Hayate-chan's Unison Device!"
"And I'm Agito!"
Yagami-san. She's a beautiful person, but her face somehow reminds me of a raccoon dog. No, that might just be my imagination and a preconceived notion.
Hayate Yagami is also a character from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. To be precise, she appears from the second season, but I'll avoid going into the detailed story.
She is one of the main characters of the series, along with Nanoha-san, who I've met, and Fate-san, who has been very kind to me recently.
She is the master of a highly advanced grimoire called the Book of the Night Sky and has four knights called the Wolkenritter, including Signum-san, as her personal military force.
Nanoha-san and Fate-san have already climbed the ranks at a very young age, but being a captain is a whole different level. It's an abnormal pace.
Because of this, she was called a "raccoon dog" in the story, which gave me unnecessary preconceived notions.
"I've been waiting for you all day."
"Yes... I'm sorry to have troubled you when you're so busy..."
Yagami-san laughed and waved her hand at Einheart, who was bowing her head.
"Don't do that."
"Making the device was so much fun!"
"You two made it?"
"Rein built the unit base, and..."
"...Hayate-chan did the finishing touches and adjustments to the AI system."
Agito and Rein chimed in.
"And the exterior was made by Agito."
So this family can put together a device in a single week? What kind of people are they?
"No, don't praise me so much."
Her tone was a little annoying, but what they did was truly amazing.
"By the way, I was very particular about the motif. I asked LuLu and Vivio about history and did some research!"
Agito, who was in charge of the noticeable exterior, seems to be quite the perfectionist. I'm surprised she'd be so dedicated to a job that wasn't really a job at all.
"Oh, yeah, at the end, I found a story that the first King of the Heavens, Emperor Klaus, kept leopards."
I've pretty much memorized all the history, too. My perfect memory is really convenient. Leopard, huh? I do remember a passage about that.
"Ah, yes."
Einheart nodded, a little more talkative than usual since it was about her ancestor.
"Snow leopards were excellent soldiers, so Klaus and the others treasured them."
"So, I decided to use the snow leopard as the motif!"
"In the shape of an animal that moves?"
"But, wouldn't it be difficult to carry around if it's too big?"
Even though there were examples like Rein and Agito, who are about the same height as an elementary school student, the story would be different if it was a leopard. It's more like a different language entirely.
"I thought about that carefully, so no problem!"
"I don't want to keep you waiting... so let's reveal it. Here it is."
Yagami-san placed a white box on the table. Einheart's device must be inside.
"Open it?"
"Yes."
Like a child who's been given a new toy, Einheart took the box without hesitation and opened it.
Inside was a device.
"...Huh?"
"...A cat."
"Well, this is what I expected."
But it seemed to be a big surprise for everyone else.
And for good reason.
Inside the box was a curled-up cat, sleeping soundly and purring.
It was a cat. A yellow cat with black stripes. It had a cartoonish face and short legs in proportion to its body and head. It was a stuffed animal. It was similar to the device Vivio-chan has.
But still, it's a cat. It's definitely a cat.
"Isn't this more of a cat than a leopard?"
It was Einheart who said what was on her mind.
"Well, the stuffed animal exterior is just a little prank. But the inside is solid, so don't worry."
The stuffed animal in the box wiggled.
Did it think Einheart was its parent because it was the first person it saw? Or did it know Einheart was its master even though it hadn't been registered yet?
It looked at Einheart with its big, round eyes and meowed.
"So cute..."
Asuna mumbled next to me.
"Go ahead and touch it, Einheart."
Einheart gently picked it up.
"Is it really okay for me to have such a cute little one?"
"Of course!"
"We created it for Einheart-san! Please take good care of it!"
"Oh, you haven't authenticated it yet... so please give it a name if you'd like."
"Yes."
"Let's do the authentication in the yard."
We all went outside.
As expected of someone who was appointed captain at such a young age, the size of her property was extraordinary. There were about 10 boys and girls sweating on the grounds.
They must be students from Signum-san's training dojo. They were all enjoying their training.
What a difference from the Assault Division. Why do people become so ugly as they get older?
Several pairs of eyes were on us as we came out of the house. Considering what we were about to do, those eyes would only increase.
Still, giving a device a name is tough. It's not something you can just decide on the spot. I'm the type to overthink things.
But Einheart only thought about it for about 10 seconds.
"Individual name registration."
An ancient Belkan magic circle appeared at Einheart's feet.
"Your name is 'Astion.' Your nickname is 'Tio.'"
At her words, to my surprise, the cat—Astion—smiled. She even paid attention to details like that?
"Astion, setup."
With those words, she was enveloped in light, and when it cleared, Einheart, who had transformed into an adult, stood there.
Her height and body had grown. I can't imagine how much she'll have to grow to get to this point. Magic is amazing.
"Oh? Einheart-chan, did your hairstyle change a little?"
"Oh, now that you mention it."
It did change. I'm not interested in that kind of stuff, so it's hard to describe it, but a part of her hair was twisted at the base of her left twin tail.
"Astion adjusted it for me! She said it looked better that way."
"Now then, shall we make some adjustments? It'll be quicker to do it while you're moving... Signum!"
She called Signum-san, who was teaching the kids from a distance.
"Is there something you need?"
"Can you lend me a few kids? I want to make some fine adjustments to her device."
"I see. Please wait a moment. I'll bring the perfect two."
And the two people Signum-san brought were...
"As I said before, they are my students who are competing in the Inter-Middle. I want you to show them the power of the King of the Heavens."
"I'm Miura Rinaldi. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Konno Yuuki. Nice to meet you!"
They were these two.
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