Wiiing…
As soon as I stepped onto Millennium Campus, a drone came flying toward me, performing an astral flight as if it had been waiting for me.
Himari, too, made me feel like she was a young lady despite her exceptional intelligence when I saw her like this.
Walking through the late spring campus behind the drone that seemed to be guiding me somewhere, I couldn’t help but notice how the flowers of laughter bloomed all around.
It was a bit… no, quite a lot too hot for late spring, though.
Still, while I thought that it was a nice sight in many ways, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would be if I were just an ordinary student among those people…
Of course, I certainly don’t mean to say that I’m dissatisfied with my current life. That would be extremely immoral.
Thoughts like ‘Did it really have to be Mika’s body?’ do exist in my mind, though it’s hard to deny that.
In that case, it could have been as difficult to meet ordinary students like me, Mika from T-party, or Nagisa… not to mention the kids I’ve become close to as reaching for the stars in the sky.
…Besides, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve experienced school life anyway.
So, maybe it suits me better to enjoy the happiness that’s only permitted to me while carrying the weight of my current position rather than just laughing and chatting ordinarily in that small crowd.
As I wandered around lost in idle thoughts, the drone, which was clearly sent by Himari, led me to the basement of a sparsely populated building. The moment I entered, the elevator door dinged open to welcome me.
That must mean it’s inviting me in.
Strangely enough, there were no buttons inside the elevator. As soon as it confirmed I had entered, the door automatically closed, and it began to descend at a rapid speed.
…This is getting serious.
Could this be the officially budgeted Supernatural Special Forces?
Ding!
By the time the door opened again, I felt like I had descended quite a way underground. And beyond the opened door…
“Whoa—?”
I was greeted by inky darkness.
No, I was about to be greeted.
This space should have been a complete void with not a single ray of light… except for the brilliantly shining halo of Himari, who was sitting there waiting for me.
“Um, Himari-chan, could you turn on the lights?”
I asked her with a smile, but Himari was undeterred.
“…This is the cradle of me, Akeboshi Himari, the owner of a perfect knowledge degree that has only existed for three people in the history of Millennium, as well as possessing beauty that shines just as brightly.”
I had forgotten how our poor Himari could be during our recent encounters when she was relatively quiet. She was this kind of girl—a pitiable one trapped in self-adoration.
Fortunately, since it was dark, the expression I was making wouldn’t reach her. There’s no pain like the truth, so I think “thank goodness” isn’t enough to express it.
“Yeah, got it. But, I’m really asking for you to turn on the lights.”
Clears throat. “Well then, welcome to my Supernatural Special Forces…!”
“N-no, Himari-chan, I really just want you to turn on the lights!”
…Isn’t it excessive to make me say it three times?
While grumbling internally, the surroundings suddenly brightened with a tick sound.
Now she isn’t even turning on the indicator blinker? I had kept my eyes closed in anticipation of this situation, though.
Slowly adjusting my eyes to the light, I surveyed the area, which was filled with what seemed to be cutting-edge equipment. It was indeed an area requiring significant budgeting since Rion was officially cooperating with Himari.
“That’s a bit harsh, Mika-chan. Couldn’t you play along just a little?”
“Hey, Ms. Sickly.”
“Sickly?! That title is somehow quite unpleasant!”
“Yeah, yeah, Ms. Sickly Girl. Where’s Amy-chan?”
“Somewhat better, but the context still remains unchanged, doesn’t it…? To answer that question, Amy left early today.”
Huh? Why’s there an early dismissal all of a sudden? That’s a bit sudden.
“Did you not notice anything strange on your way here?”
“…Unlike Himari-chan, who’s alone here gloomily staring at the screen, everyone outside is laughing and chatting?”
“No. What I wanted to point out was today’s temperature. It’s unusually high for May, at around 30 degrees Celsius. Although the cloud cover makes the perceived temperature lower, it’s definitely an unseasonably hot day that exceeds the average temperature by a wide margin. And I’m not at all gloomy, so I request you to correct that.”
“Yeah, alone here feeling lonely—”
“Yes, with Mika-chan coming, it’s no longer lonely. So please stop teasing me. It seems like Amy-chan has always been sensitive to heat, so she might have taken the chance to leave early because of that.”
I nodded quietly at Himari’s explanation, which took away my small amusement by striking first.
According to Himari, our health-conscious beauty Amy couldn’t stand the heat, placing any hopes of her showing up late to rest.
“Since Mika-chan came all the way here, there shouldn’t be any problem if she’s absent… I guess that’s the thought process. So today, your role, Mika-chan, is like that of a knight protecting a sickly young lady. Something like that.”
“…That’s a bit offensive?”
“Amy’s efficiency in the field decreases exponentially as the temperature rises, so it’s actually fine for her to be absent. Since Mika-chan alone can handle pretty much any threat.”
…Something seems off.
I don’t know Amy that well, but she doesn’t seem like the type to just bail out for a bit of heat.
There’s definitely something here. My intuition screamed that that shameless smile of Himari’s was emitting a suspicious scent!
“Heueng… Is that really the case? Hmm?”
“Mika-chan, is it possible you’re doubting me? As a member of the Beauty Alliance, absolute trust in the other party is a basic prerequisite, after all.”
With her eyes closed, Himari wore a radiant smile as she said that, but come on, say something that makes sense.
I’m not saying I can’t trust Himari. But there’s clearly something fishy about this situation; even Seiya’s bulging eyes would agree!
“Ahaha. Himari-chan, if you wanted some alone time with me, you could’ve just said so?”
“W-what?! There’s no way I’d want to spend time alone with a lecher like Mika-chan! That’s utterly ridiculous!”
Huh? Her reaction… is more intense than I expected.
I asked playfully, not really anticipating a big reaction, but Himari responded beyond my imagination.
“What I’m saying is, you should know there’s a necessity to be aware that I, Akeboshi Himari, must not be subjected to anything by anyone! I am, so to speak, a treasure of Kivotos! So, it would be wise to refrain from misinterpreting my intentions.”
To speak my honest feelings, I’m still somewhat uncertain. If I were to ask whether it was serious enough of a reply, it just seems unlikely.
…Could it be that I teased her to that extent?
Perhaps that really could be the case. Usually, the one teasing tends to brush it off lightly, ignoring where the line was crossed.
“…I’m sorry, Himari-chan.”
“Huh…?”
“Your reaction is just too cute, so I got too excited. If you were offended, my bad. Well, anyway, I came for work today, so can we switch to that subject?”
“Ah, y-yes… Then, should we do as Mika-chan says?”
It seemed my genuinely unexpected apology caused Himari to nod with a slightly reluctant look before leading me in front of a large screen mounted on the wall.
“Rion’s from the Abydos Student Council… or was it the Countermeasure Committee? Through negotiations with that side, we succeeded in acquiring the remains of Vina, the AI presumed to be the Decagramaton that finds deities. And we conducted additional research focusing on that.”
With a gesture as if typing in the air, various data began to appear on the screen.
“Although we couldn’t obtain the results we hoped for, it wasn’t too hard to grasp the general operating principles of the Decagramaton. After all, this research was personally conducted by the unprecedented genius of human history, me! Ahem.”
In that brief moment, Himari managed to regain her usual demeanor and opened up a window, enlarging it.
“The reason I summoned you today is due to a small incident. Well, several incidents actually. First of all, the Hub, an AI from the communication network construction unit of the Millennium Autonomous District, was hacked by an AI presumed to be the Decagramaton and has gone missing.”
The story began with the fact that the high-spec computing institution Hub, which shares Millennium’s history, was hacked in less than a microsecond. The reason they suspect that AI is the Decagramaton and explaining its operating principles based on Vina had Himari looking at me with a considerably serious expression.
“Mika-chan, from now on we’re heading toward the ruins.”
“…Just the two of us?”
“W-why are you emphasizing that part again? Although I don’t deny that I, the sickly girl, am that attractive…”
“No, it was just what I was trying to say—that isn’t it a bit dangerous, the two of us? Right?”
“Mika-chan, do you perhaps lack confidence?”
“It’s not a lack of confidence; it’s just that, Himari-chan, those flashy titles tend to be useless once we’re actually at the scene…”
“…”
In the end, the decision was made for the two of us to head to the ruins. There’s surely no outing quite like this in the universe.
