Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 7.5 E-Book

Takehaya

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 268

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 7.5

Leseprobe

Outside of Reason

The flow of space and time is similar to that of a river.

The river may start from a small source, but as the volume of water increases, it flows on and meanders as it pleases, splitting here and there for one reason or another. And at the same time, some rivers that have split apart sometimes rejoin down the line. But nonetheless, it flows onward, slowly spreading across and nourishing the soil of the earth.

Space and time work much the same way. Eons ago, there was but one universe, and that universe split over and over again with the passage of time. Sometimes the trigger was something as simple as the flipping of a coin. Perhaps that coin toss would have a significant effect on the outcome of a football game, for example. Heads and tails would thus lead to different realities, splitting space-time then and there, creating a parallel universe.

But still, just as with the river, it is possible for those split universes to rejoin. If the tossed coin landed in a wishing well, the outcome wouldn’t matter. The result would be buried by countless other coins and lose its meaning as it vanished into the quantum theory of probability. The two diverging universes of heads and tails would then reconcile into a single reality, and it is not uncommon for a universe to reconverge on such a minute chance. Even if a large rock blocks the flow of a river, the river splits to move around it on either side and reunites shortly thereafter. As the universe splits and reunites, history is knitted together, and we live in one of the strings of that knitted history.

Koutarou, however, was thrown out of that string.

The reason for that was the Super Space-time Repulsion Shell that Clan was intent on using to get her revenge against him. Knowing the destruction the shell was capable of, Koutarou split it in half to prevent Clan from being able to fire it. When he did, however, the energy stored in the warhead was unleashed. It detonated, and though it only expanded to a fraction of the area it would have at full power, it was still enough to swallow up Clan, her spaceship the Cradle, and Koutarou, throwing them out of space-time.

And worst of all, since the shell released its energy in such an uncontrolled fashion, Koutarou and Clan were tossed to the most problematic place possible. They ended up at the very beginning of the universe. In terms of the river of space-time, they were all the way at its source.

Outside the bounds of the universe was not a hospitable environment. Matter didn’t exist there, let alone living creatures. The laws of physics were barely even extant, meaning it could only loosely be defined as a “place” per se. More complicated still, Koutarou and Clan had been thrown to the source of the universe itself where countless realities and unlimited possibilities were all still compressed into one. Yet for all its limitless potential, time there was frozen. Although everything was possible, nothing could be done. Although it was the beginning, nothing was starting. It was the only place like it in the vast, unending knitting of the universe.

The moment they arrived there, Koutarou and Clan should have been infinitely compressed, ending up as something far smaller than even an elementary particle, and then merged with the nascent universe and its unlimited possibilities.

However, that didn’t happen.

What saved them was the consciousness that existed there. Since that consciousness was the absolute ruler in this strange place, it sensed Koutarou and Clan’s arrival ahead of time and protected them to keep them from vanishing the instant they appeared.

“What is...”

But what the consciousness first felt was a great sense of hesitation. Nothing but that consciousness existed in this place. That had always been the case, and always should have been the case. Here, space was compressed and time frozen, so this was the first time the consciousness had ever felt the presence of someone else. So while it was greatly surprised, it was also greatly curious about Koutarou and Clan.

“Who is this boy...?”

The consciousness was particularly interested in Koutarou. What appeared before this consciousness at the beginning of the universe were three objects: Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle. Koutarou stood out among them for the extraordinary amount of potential contained within him. If it had just been a matter of energy, the Cradle was easily the most remarkable object there, but the consciousness took a special interest in Koutarou. It was more than just energy. It was the very essence of possibility.

“Nothing but me can exist here... So why is this boy here?”

The consciousness showered Koutarou with attention and examined his body and mind. An existence other than itself. An existence from another time and place. To the consciousness at the beginning of the universe, there was nothing more interesting than that.

Yet when its powers touched Koutarou to examine him, the consciousness hesitated again. This time, however, it was because it realized something strange about itself.

“Boy...? Why am I calling this object ‘boy’?”

The consciousness was puzzled as to why it had called Koutarou “boy.” It wasn’t a term the consciousness had ever used or known before.

“No, more importantly, ‘I’? That’s right, that’s what I call myself!”

The consciousness’s realization concerning Koutarou led to the realization of self-awareness. Up until now, it had never had a clear recognition of itself. Up until now, it had been the only existence present, so there was never any need to differentiate between itself and any other being. However, the appearance of Koutarou and Clan changed that, and thanks to them, the consciousness gained a clear sense of itself.

“This knowledge is flowing from this boy!”

Contact with Koutarou brought further realization still. As the consciousness came into contact with Koutarou’s mind, there was a peculiar sense of familiarity. Koutarou seemed to recognize the consciousness. He knew it, and by observing his mind, his knowledge, and his memories, the consciousness was able to learn things about itself that had henceforth been unknowable.

“This boy has met me before in his past!”

A small white light appeared next to Koutarou. It was the first form Koutarou had come to know the consciousness by. The light then gradually grew larger, and once it reached a sufficient size, it began concentrating and reshaping itself. It grew more and more distinct, finally taking the shape of an entity.

“At that time, this is the appearance I had. That’s why I have been given this form now...”

The light next to Koutarou now appeared as a girl with calm and gentle eyes. The consciousness’s contact with Koutarou had given it clear shape, but that wasn’t all. Meeting with Koutarou had given the consciousness—no, the girl—self-awareness, awareness of time and space, and even language. It changed the girl’s entire existence.

“This object’s tag is Satomi Koutarou... I see, so you’re called Koutarou...”

And once she learned of herself, she learned of Koutarou. She could now understand such things because the changes within herself had given her perspective.

“There are several descriptors in the ID... In terms of parameters, you seem to be a normal human, but you embody incommensurable possibilities...”

She was analyzing the most basic information that made Koutarou who he was. There were physical characteristics like his weight and height, but she could also read his genetic data and what kind of life he had lived up until that. Any and all information regarding Koutarou was flowing directly into her.

“But it seems the memory area is being protected... The me that Koutarou met in his past must have made it so his memory couldn’t be read...”

A portion of the information contained inside Koutarou’s mind was encrypted, preventing it from being accessed by anyone. The girl was very interested in what she could learn from the information behind this mysterious door, but she had no way of unlocking it. That aside, she was able to learn what she wanted to know most of all.

“I see... Eventually stars and life will fill even this empty place... I won’t always be all alone...”

And that was that she wouldn’t always be alone.

Before Koutarou and Clan had appeared, she had never clearly been able to identify the emotion known as loneliness. She’d just felt the vague pain of being alone, and even worse, the pain of knowing she would always be alone. It was torturous. In this place where time was frozen, it was hard to express just how long she’d lived like that. However, to describe it in terms a human could understand, it was something like several hundred lifetimes.

That’s why she rejoiced at the information she gained through Koutarou. At some point in the future, the universe would be born. Stars would shine, and life would prosper. It gave her hope that she wouldn’t always be alone after all.

“...H-Huh...?”

That was when Koutarou, who had been unconscious all this time, opened his eyes. Having just woken up, he was unable to comprehend the situation he was in and blankly stared at his surroundings. Seeing that, the girl gently smiled at him.

“Koutarou.”

Drawn by her voice, Koutarou turned towards her.

“You’re...”

Hearing her voice and seeing her face, Koutarou was gripped by a mysterious feeling.

I know this girl...

That was a sense of intimacy with the girl in front of him. As if they had always lived together. It was very similar to the feelings Koutarou had for the invader girls.

But something’s weird... I don’t know this girl at all...

However, it was just a feeling. Koutarou had no memories of this girl that he could recall, and the disconnect between what he was thinking and feeling stumped him.

“Nice to meet you, Koutarou. But you’ve met me before, so maybe saying it’s been a while would be better.”

When the girl spoke those words, a memory suddenly flashed in Koutarou’s mind. A dim underground room. Stone pavement. Several pillars surrounding a statue. And the girl that seemed to appear from the figure of the statue.

What is this memory from...?

Really, they were fragments of a memory. What the girl said to him had conjured them up from the depths of his mind.

“Guh...”

However, when he tried to put those fragments together to remember, a dull pain ran through Koutarou’s head.

Who is this girl...? What am I forgetting...? And what’s with this headache...?

The girl was certainly familiar, but he couldn’t remember any of the details. The more he racked his brain, the worse his headache got. If he’d just stopped trying to remember, the headache would have stopped too, but since he felt this was important, he wasn’t about to give up on it.

“Don’t try to force yourself to remember, Koutarou...” The girl gave Koutarou a sympathetic look. “Your memories have been locked away.”

The girl smiled gently and softly put her hand on Koutarou’s forehead. Her hand was small, and it was slightly colder than Koutarou. The chill sensation of her touch peeled Koutarou’s mind away from his search for his memories.

“...Locked away?”

“Yes. It’s a complex lock that not even I could undo.”

Solving an encryption was overwhelmingly more difficult than creating one. And the odds of solving it were next to impossible if the creator was a more knowledgeable version of yourself from the future.

“Now sleep, Koutarou. You have someplace to go...”

“Someplace to go?”

An important notice had been included in the information she gained from Koutarou. It was a message she had written to herself from the future pertaining to a specific time and place Koutarou needed to be.

“I’m sure someone is waiting for you there.”

With those words, Koutarou’s consciousness gradually grew faint. One of the girl’s powers was the ability to put him to sleep. However, Koutarou felt no fear as his mind drifted off. That was because the girl was gently smiling in front of him.

“Why are you crying...?”

As his consciousness faded, Koutarou noticed that the girl was crying. Although she was maintaining her smile, tears wet her cheeks.

“It’s because I’m so happy I got to meet you. I had always been alone up until now.”

What had saved the girl from her eternal solitude was her meeting Koutarou. There was no easy way to convey the joy this encounter had brought her. Smiles or words alone wouldn’t be enough.

“It’s also because our parting is so sad. From here on, I’m going to be alone for a while longer.”

There was someplace Koutarou had to go. There was something the girl had to remain to do. Because of that, she would be alone again until the universe was born, and stars and life formed. That saddened her to the point she was incapable of holding back her tears.

“When you’re sad, you have to start by changing yourself... That’s what my old man always says...”

“Heehee, that’s what I’ve just realized.”

As Koutarou’s field of vision faded to white, the girl wiped her tears away.

Good...

Seeing the girl reveal a smile after wiping away her tears, Koutarou felt a little relieved. He then relaxed and surrendered himself to the drowsiness creeping over him. Koutarou chose not to struggle, but instead asked the girl one last question.

“Will... we meet again...?”

This gentle and warm, yet lonely girl... Koutarou couldn’t help wanting to see her again.

“Yes, without fail,” she responded happily.

Then there was a pause.

“But when that time comes, will you want me to exist...?” she asked, the unease audible in her voice.

Is she feeling lonely again...?

Worried, Koutarou now desperately fought to keep his eyes open so he could still talk to her.

“If I didn’t... I wouldn’t have asked... if we would meet... again...”

“...Thank you, Koutarou. Indeed, let us meet again...”

Koutarou hit his limit.

Ah... I forgot to ask for her name...

That was Koutarou’s last thought as he fell asleep. And once she made sure that he was asleep, the girl used her powers to envelop Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle in a bright light.

“Goodbye... Let us meet again someday...”

The girl then sent Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle away, far from this frozen place at the beginning of everything. After staring at where Koutarou had been for a while, the girl then put her hands together in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

“I hope the first star shines blue... just like Koutarou’s armor...”

The girl then began knitting time and space, all while dreaming of meeting Koutarou again somewhere several billion years in the future.

Foreign Lands

Koutarou woke up in the thick of a forest.

“Wh-What happened...?”

After shaking his head a couple of times, he stood up.

“Owowow...”

As he moved, pain began shooting through his body. The injuries he sustained while fighting Clan had finally caught up to him. But thanks to that pain, Koutarou was wide awake now. While grimacing in pain, he took a moment to assess his wounds.

I thought I’d be a lot worse for wear, but this isn’t so bad...

Koutarou remembered taking several beam and laser shots during his last charge on the Cradle. But unlike how he remembered it, he hadn’t suffered any serious injury from it. Although it hurt to move certain parts of his body, the worst he had to show for it was light bruising.

“Wait, that’s right! Clan and the Cradle!”

Koutarou put his unexpectedly light injuries out of his mind when he remembered there was something else he should be much more worried about.

“Where’s that girl and her spaceship?!”

Koutarou hurriedly looked around. Clan might still be targeting him, so he couldn’t let his guard down.

I’m in a forest? No, I guess this is more like in the mountains...?

For the first time, Koutarou really took a moment to observe his surroundings. Around him was an abundance of trees all illuminated by the light of the evening sun, and the ground beneath him was at a slight incline. Based on the scenery, he realized he must be somewhere in the mountains and that he was alone.

“I wonder which way Harukaze High School is...”

Koutarou scanned back through his memory while continuing to look around.

Let’s see. A forested mountain near school...

The last thing Koutarou could remember was cutting through Clan’s Super Space-time Repulsion Shell with the sword he’d borrowed from Theia. The next thing he knew, he’d woken up on the side of this mountain. He had the feeling he’d had a dream while he was unconscious, but in true dreamlike fashion, he couldn’t clearly remember it. He also didn’t spend too much time dwelling on it since he couldn’t imagine it had anything to do with his current situation. The best Koutarou could figure was that he must have been blown to a nearby mountain by the explosion from the repulsion shell.

“The closest forest is the one right above the school...”

Kisshouharukaze High School was situated halfway up a small mountain. A little farther up it was untouched forest. Koutarou’s work site was roughly in that area. The next mountain was several kilometers away, and he couldn’t imagine that he’d been blown that far off.

“So all I have to do is get down from here and I’ll be at school again.”

If he was in the forest above the school, all he had to do was climb down the mountain. Even if he didn’t know where he was, he would eventually reach the road. He’d clearly been unconscious until evening, so he knew everyone would be worried if he didn’t get back as soon as he could. With that in mind, Koutarou began heading down the mountainside.

For each step he took, he bent grass and snapped twigs underfoot. The heavy armor chinked and clunked as he walked along too.

“Jeez... This is all that girl’s fault. Next time I see her, I’ll— Wait, that’s...!”

Shortly after Koutarou began his trek down the mountain, he spotted a familiar face a ways off in a rocky area. It was Clan, who Koutarou was anxious to get ahold of for several reasons. Not far from her was her spaceship, the Cradle. It was on its side, revealing the belly of its hull.

“Clan! Us meeting here was the end of your luck!”

Koutarou was more than ready to give Clan a piece of his mind, so the moment he spotted her, he hurriedly climbed down towards the rocky area where she was. Despite his shouting, however, Clan remained motionless as she lay on the rocks with her eyes closed.

“Hey, Clan!”

Koutarou continued to yell as he made his way over to her.

“Huh?”

But Clan still wasn’t responding. She wasn’t even moving. Koutarou finally realized something was amiss and leaned down, bringing his face close to hers as he stared at her.

“...She’s unconscious.”

Clan may have been unconscious, but her complexion was fine, and she was breathing calmly and steadily. It didn’t seem like her life was in any danger.

“Hey, wake up, Clan! Now’s not the time to be sleeping!”

Koutarou began shaking Clan with enough force that her glasses almost fell off her face.

“Uhn, hnngh...”

But even then, Clan didn’t wake up. All she did was let out a pained groan and wrinkle her brow. She was out cold.

“Damn, no good...”

Based on Clan’s response, or lack thereof, Koutarou gave up on trying to wake her up. Even though she might have been an enemy, he couldn’t just continue shaking someone in pain.

“Now then, what to do...?”

Koutarou took his hands off Clan and put his mind to figuring out what to do. With Clan unconscious here, he couldn’t just leave her behind and head back to school.

Right, I should make a call first.

After thinking for a moment, Koutarou pulled out his cellphone and turned it on. He decided the best course of action now was to try to get in touch with someone. Since Clan had the most to do with Theia, he was planning on calling her first. He hoped that she would make the decision about what to do with Clan for him. With her spaceship here and everything, it wasn’t like he could figure out what to do with it on his own anyway.

“Huh? That’s weird.”

However, when he turned on his phone, it didn’t seem to be getting a signal. Seeing that, Koutarou shook it a couple of times. There was no way anywhere on this mountain so close to Harukaze High School didn’t get reception. Since the school was designated as an emergency shelter in the event of something like a natural disaster, extra antennas had been put up along the mountain. Even at the top of the mountain at Koutarou’s work site, he still usually got full bars. And since he wasn’t picking up any now, Koutarou figured it was more likely that his phone was broken.

“I guess shaking it won’t fix it.”

No matter how many times he shook his phone, he still couldn’t get a signal. After letting out a heavy sigh, he shoved the cellphone back inside his armor.

“Guess I have to bring her with me then...”

Although he was worried about leaving the spaceship out in the open, he couldn’t just leave Clan in her current state. So Koutarou picked up Clan and carried her as he began climbing down the slope again.

Even though he was carrying Clan, Koutarou’s footsteps were light. Since the armor he had borrowed from Theia was power-assisted, it moved according to his movements. Because of that, it was essentially like the armor was carrying Clan. Koutarou barely felt any weight from her at all. It made it easier to check out his surroundings as he continued to move down the mountain.

“What kind of tree is that?”

As he looked around more, he started to notice strange things about the forest around him. This was the first time he realized that the trees here were unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Koutarou then cast a glance downward and realized the grass growing beneath his feet didn’t look familiar either.

“What a strange forest...”

With his head tilted, Koutarou continued climbing down the slope. Everything around him—plants, scenery, and all—was completely new to him. He felt like he was walking through a CG forest from a movie, but what he was seeing was absolutely real.

“To think there was someplace like this so close to school...”

I’ll have to tell Sanae and Yurika later. They’ll love this.

While Koutarou was thinking about that, he heard something just as he reached the open area where the Cradle was grounded.

“Cooo, cooo!”

A large bird flew past Koutarou with a shrill cry. It must have been at least thirty centimeters long.

“Wh-What is that?!”

The moment he saw it, Koutarou’s eyes locked on to it and his jaw dropped. At first glance it certainly looked like a bird, but upon closer inspection, it was a reptile with extremely birdlike features.

“It looks like a lizard you’d fight in a video game...”

It reminded Koutarou of some low-level monster from a game, and it was an apt description of the strange flying reptile. The reptile, however, completely ignored Koutarou as it flew off. By spreading its large wings, it grabbed the air like a bird and soared away in mere moments.

“Crap, I should have taken a picture.”

Discovering a new species would be a major achievement, so Koutarou regretted not taking a picture of it with his phone.

“Sheesh, all of this is her fault.”

Koutarou adjusted Clan’s position as she was about to slip off his back. Carrying her was keeping his hands occupied, so there was no way he would have been able to react fast enough to get a picture anyway. Even if he spotted another one, he still wouldn’t be able to photograph it. That slightly irritated Koutarou, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a woman screaming in the distance.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“...What was that?”

As Koutarou turned his head in the direction the scream had come from, he could hear other noises too, but nothing as clearly as the scream. The sounds were all being scattered through the forest, so he couldn’t even tell what was making them.

“Aaaaah!”

Then there was another scream. The voice seemed more desperate than before, but despite that, it wasn’t as loud as the first one had been.

“Sounds like trouble. I should go take a look.”

Koutarou swiftly made up his mind and rushed towards the middle of the empty area where the Cradle was.

“Looks like this is the entrance...”

Koutarou approached a hatch on the Cradle and put his hand on a nearby lever. As he pulled it, the hatch opened by sliding to the side. Past the hatch was a lustrous passageway, similar to the ones on Theia’s ship.

“Good!”

Relieved that the hatch had actually opened, Koutarou laid Clan down inside the ship. He then returned the lever to its original position to close the hatch.

“That solves the Clan problem for now.”

Koutarou put Clan on board the Cradle to keep her safe. There were unknown animals about, and he’d just heard screaming. Carrying her unconscious body around with him might be dangerous, but he couldn’t just dump her in the wild. Leaving her inside the Cradle seemed like the best possible option right now.

“Next is, um... What’d Ruth call it?”

Koutarou turned back towards the direction he’d heard the screams and began fiddling with the armor’s right arm, which functioned much the same way Theia and Ruth’s bracelets did.

“Activating battle mode or something, wasn’t it?”

After his faltering order, Koutarou began running much faster than he had before.

The armor Koutarou was wearing had several different modes for a variety of situations. Koutarou primarily used cruise mode and battle mode.

Cruise mode was the most convenient setting. In this mode, the suit’s energy distribution prioritized frequently used functions and equipment, and the computer performed calculations and made accommodations accordingly. By doing that, it efficiently supported the wearer. This was the mode Koutarou normally used, or rather the one he was made to use.

Battle mode had the opposite settings of cruise mode. Energy distribution and power assistance gave combat functions priority. Compared to cruise mode, it had far more power and mobility, but that largely came at the expense of nimbleness and comfort. Weapon usage, defensive measures, and flight capabilities were programmed to this mode. They were rarely used in everyday situations, but were necessary in emergencies.

Koutarou was now using battle mode, which increased his running speed a great deal. Gravity was being controlled to reduce his weight, and on top of that, the power assistance supplemented his leg strength. Because of all that, Koutarou tore through the forest like some wild beast in its element.

“The source of the sound has been located, my lord. There is a 94 percent probability that there are eleven people present.”

“Whereabouts?”

Koutarou didn’t slow down even a little as the AI in the armor reported its findings to him. He conversed with it as he ran, but he wasn’t even out of breath thanks to the armor’s power assist.

“Forward at 1:30.”

“That doesn’t help me.”

“Ahead and a little to the right.”

“Got it.”

Heeding the computer’s instructions, Koutarou turned a little to the right as he ran. At the same time, two 3D images overlaid his vision. An upside-down triangle marked the sounds’ origin, and something like a filter indicated nearby heat sources.

“That’s very thorough.”

“Your praise honors me.”

Koutarou adjusted his direction so that the upside-down triangle was right in front of him, and he took a careful look at the heat sources that were registering near it. They still seemed to be some distance away. They were all clumped together, but based on the way the clump was moving, they certainly seemed to be human.

“There is a 90 percent probability that ten of the heat sources are chasing after the eleventh one.”

“That’s enough with the images! Let’s go!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

After ordering for the images to be removed, Koutarou started running even faster.

It seems like I’ve stumbled across an even bigger problem than I thought. Now then, what to do...?

Koutarou was overwhelmingly faster than the eleven in question. Because of that, he didn’t have much time to think about what he was going to do when he caught up to them.

A few seconds later, Koutarou was already upon them.

Well, I don’t know what’s up yet...

Koutarou didn’t join up with the group right away, but rather hid in a nearby bush to watch over the situation. He still didn’t know who had screamed or why.

The group was now gathered on a sheer cliff. Koutarou couldn’t see the bottom of it from where he was, but since he couldn’t see any trees peeking up over the lip of the precipice, he assumed it was probably quite a drop.

“Hmm... They’re surrounding that woman?”

Koutarou squinted his eyes. The evening sun was level with the cliff opposite where he was now, making it hard for him to see, but it looked like a lone girl was being surrounded by the other ten men.

“To think you won’t even scream or beg for your life in this situation...”

“If it’s a scream you want, I gave you one earlier.”

“A scream of surprise from falling off your horse is hardly worth bragging about.”

“Then I suppose you’re out of luck.”

The people were talking among themselves.

It’s not Japanese? What does all this mean...?

But Koutarou couldn’t understand what they were saying. He was sure that they weren’t speaking English, but he couldn’t imagine what language it might be. Despite the language barrier, however, he could hear the tension in their words.

“The processed footage is ready for viewing.”

“Please bring it up.”

When Koutarou gave the computer the order, another 3D image appeared in his field of vision. It was a recording of what he’d just seen, processed to remove the evening sun.

“What is...”

The moment Koutarou saw that footage, he was left quite perplexed. What he saw was a girl in a dress surrounded by men wielding swords and spears. The outfits they were wearing felt familiar. They looked somewhat like the costumes Koutarou and the others were using for aristocrats and soldiers in their play.

“Is this a continuation of the play? But why are they doing it in a place like this? It’s not like anyone could come see it here.”

Between the costumes and the staging in the woods by the school, Koutarou’s first thought was that this was some continuation of the play. He just didn’t understand why they were doing it here. Whether it was a performance or a rehearsal, he couldn’t think of a reason to do it on a mountain cliff.

As he tried to process this, the evening sun dipped below the cliff and Koutarou was finally able to see the faces of the people ahead of him without the assistance of the armor.

“Sakuraba-senpai?!”

The girl on the cliff looked just like Koutarou’s upperclassman Sakuraba Harumi.

“N-No, there’s no way! That’s not Sakuraba-senpai!”

But Koutarou quickly realized that it wasn’t her. Her costume and her part in the scene certainly made it seem like it was, but there was one major difference. Harumi had black hair, but the girl on top of the cliff had shining silver hair. It fluttered in the breeze, reflecting the orange glow of the fading sun.

“Alert: The weapons possessed by target group B are all capable of causing injury. Upgrading threat level from 1 to 2.”

“They’re real?!”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide in surprise after hearing the computer’s warning.