by Takehaya
“Hey, Aika-san, are you―”
“Satomi-kun, are you―”
Koutarou and Maki were about to say the same thing, but they cut themselves off simultaneously.
There’s no way something that dreamlike is possible.
They both knew they were thinking the same thing.
After the explosion died down and the remaining smoke had been blown away by the wind, the demon still hovered overhead. The white demon, however, was no longer white. Its entire body had been scorched black. It was wounded, but still flapped its powerful wings and came down for a firm landing.
“Kil! Need to kil Vadra whil stil weak! If no kil, I be kiled! I be ruined!”
“Satomi-kun... Looks like he still wants to fight.”
Seeing that, Maki held the staff with both hands.
Vadra again... Just what is this demon so scared of?
That word the demon kept using bothered Maki, but she knew it wouldn’t tell her anything even if she asked. So she drove the question out of her head and focused on the fight ahead.
“It would’ve been easier if he just ran away...”
Koutarou could sense the demon’s bloodlust now as well. He was hoping that the demon would just retreat after the explosion, but it seemed to be dead set on killing Koutarou and Maki, leaving him no choice but to reluctantly ready Signaltin.
“Flame Weapon. Flame Protection. Elemental Shield.”
“Aika-san, you’re thinking of doing something cruel again, aren’t you?”
“Heehee, but you make a great accomplice, Satomi-san.”
“Then I’ll try to live up to your expectations.”
Koutarou’s sword was covered in flame once more and now there were two yellow lights protecting him. Seeing that, the demon bared its fangs and roared at Koutarou.
“Goooaaaaaaaa!”
“Here I go, Aika-san!”
“Quick Cast Acceleration.”
As Koutarou started running, Maki started her incantation. Following suit, the demon made a move too. Seeing Koutarou’s flaming sword, the demon decided to fight up close. He’d learned his lesson the hard way. If he tried to fly away again, things might end up just like last time.
“Here it comes!”
As Koutarou shouted, light enveloped his body and his running speed dramatically increased. Maki had cast a spell that increased his physical ability.
“Dieeeee!”
Even though the demon was moving in to attack, he wasn’t just using his claws. He created shards of ice and repeatedly fired them at Koutarou like a machine gun. He would use openings in the barrage to reach through and swipe at Koutarou.
“Hah!”
Koutarou slid under the shards of ice. As he got close, the demon reached down for an attack.
“Satomi-kun, jump!”
Koutarou channeled all his strength into his legs, and at the same time, the snow beneath his feet shifted upward. Normally, Snowtrap was a spell used to throw a target off balance, but Maki was using it as a catapult to send Koutarou flying. With that, Koutarou was able to spring right on top of the demon from a sliding position. Thanks to that, the demon’s claws missed.
“Guguguh! Yu fel fo it!”
However, the demon had already predicted that Koutarou would dodge, so he ignored Koutarou and made a move for Maki. He was going to kill the magician helping from the sidelines first.
“Yu wil die firs!”
The demon roared again, and Koutarou and Maki’s minds went into overdrive. They shouted to and over each other in a rapid succession of thoughts.
“Aika-san―”
“Quick Cast Force Field!”
“―some footing! And―”
A defensive spell appeared in front of Koutarou like a platform. He kicked off of it and changed his direction in the air.
“It’s okay! I―”
“Dieeeeeeee!”
But the demon was already right next to Maki. Koutarou would never be able to make it in time from his position. The demon flashed a twisted smile. Ready to enjoy the coming slaughter, he slashed his claws at Maki.
“Use that!”
“Already on it!”
In that instant, Koutarou appeared between Maki and the demon.
“Vadra?!”
The demon quickly changed his target and went to attack Koutarou instead. His claws whistled through the air as they came flying at Koutarou.
“What?!”
However, when the claws struck Koutarou, they passed right through him. It was almost as if he was a mirage.
“Well done, No. 2!”
Using that opening, Maki distanced herself from the demon. When she did, the Koutarou who was in front of the demon vanished. It was the slightly slimmer, more handsome Koutarou illusion Maki had created. The demon might have been able to see through it ordinarily, but that was an incredibly difficult thing to do in the heat of battle. The end result was that the demon was fooled and Maki was able to get away from him.
“Damit!”
But the demon didn’t miss a beat. He came right for Maki again. However, Maki cast a new spell to keep him at bay.
“Quick Cast Fire Wall!”
“Yu fol!”
A wall of flame appeared in front of the demon and blocked his way forward. The demon took a moment to cover its body in a thick layer of ice and then charged through without hesitation. The flames Maki had created didn’t have the power to burn the demon through the ice. They melted the ice, but the demon came through on the other side of the wall of flames mostly unscathed.
“Guhahaha! Tis tim yu wil die!”
The demon was convinced of Maki’s demise. There was no way her small body could withstand a powerful blow from the demon, and now Koutarou was on the other side of the wall of flame. She’d ended up separating herself from her backup. And with the illusion gone, there was nothing left to stand in the demon’s way. Maki’s death now seemed certain.
“Guaaa?!”
However...
“Even though it’s burning at a low temperature and you’ve cast defensive spells, you’d make your ally walk through fire? And what’s more, you even used yourself as bait...”
“Heehee. But you came through for me anyway.”
Before the demon’s claws could reach Maki, Koutarou’s sword pierced the demon’s back. It was all part of an elaborate trap. Maki had intentionally reduced the temperature of her wall of flame to let the demon pass through. The demon would then think that Maki was a sitting duck by herself since Koutarou had no way to get to her. He would then ignore Koutarou and focus on just her.
However, because the wall of flame was burning at a relatively low temperature and Koutarou was being protected by Flame Protection and Elemental Shield, he easily broke through the wall himself and scored a direct hit on the demon’s wide open back. Even Koutarou’s sword being infused with fire was part of the trap. If the demon had jumped over the flaming wall and attacked from above, Maki would have been in danger. Keeping Koutarou’s sword enhanced with fire was to make the demon cautious of more overhead traps, making him reluctant to fly. All in all, without using a single advanced spell, Koutarou and Maki’s perfect teamwork had created an inescapable trap.
“I-Imposib! Ho ar yu aliv?! I kiled you! I shold hav kiled yu!”
With Signaltin thrust into his back, the demon’s inner mana was negated and his body began to crumble.
“Curse yu, Vadraaaaa!”
Even though the sword was weakened, the demon couldn’t withstand a direct hit like that. In just a few seconds, the demon’s entire body was reduced to a white pile of dust.
Inside the Pocket
Thursday, February 4th
The next day, Maki contacted her allies in Darkness Rainbow from her room at the hotel. The other classmates sharing the room with her had all left to go ski, so she made use of being alone in the room. Instead of using her small magical tool to talk with one person, she used the same magical tools she did at home t
o contact everyone at the same time.
“It was certainly a strong demon, but he was horribly frightened from the start. There was no way to make a contract with him. When I talked to him, he attacked me and I had to put him down.”
“Hmm, it’s rare to see you resolve things with force, Maki.”
“If there’s no room for negotiation, then you have no choice but to resort to force.”
“That’s true.”
Maki was reporting on the white demon, but not saying any more than she had to. Really, she’d only told them that the demon was scared and that she had ended up killing it. She didn’t tell them about being bested by the demon initially, being saved by Koutarou, or about helping to save Yurika.
“Navy, why was the demon so afraid?”
“I never found out. The only clue was that the demon kept repeating the word ‘Vadra.’”
In the end, Maki never got to the bottom of what had frightened the demon so badly. Since she was unable to properly talk to it, all she really had to go off of was what the demon kept shouting. The only thing she could really put together was that Vadra seemed to be a person, place, or thing.
“I see... Vadra, huh? I haven’t heard that word before.”
The girl in purple shook her head. She was the most knowledgeable leader of Darkness Rainbow, but not even she had heard the word before.
“Well, in the end it was just a lone demon. I think it’s better if we focus on Rainbow instead.”
Seemingly bored, the girl in red tried to move the conversation forward. To her, fighting was everything, so talking about something that had already been killed was a waste of time.
“You have a point.”
Maki agreed. She was happy to shift the discussion away from the demon as well since there was a lot to the story she wanted to keep hidden. Because the other girls remained quiet, Maki took the opportunity to change the topic.
“Well then, about the mana of room 106, the reason for the increase was because Yurika and Satomi Koutarou got their hands on some artifacts.”
“Artifacts?” the girl in red asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Maki said with a nod. “Yurika has obtained a new staff and Satomi Koutarou’s sword has been strengthened.”
“Navy-chan, how is Yurika-chan’s new staff? Was it cute?”
Hearing about a new staff, the girl in orange was the first to react. It piqued her interest just like when Maki completed her new staff.
“It had a design that wouldn’t live up to your expectations.”
“Whaaat?! Another serious and old-fashioned one?!”
“Navy, what is the staff’s ability?”
“It’s rather strange. Because of that, it doesn’t pose much of a threat on its own,” Maki began. “Yurika’s new staff has been created so even someone who isn’t a magician can use it. The staff essentially automates most of the spell casting process. It also has a large variety of spells keyed to it.”
“That sounds pretty special.”
“Yes. The power of each spell, however, is weaker than most.”
“Navy-chan, does that mean that even a complete amateur can become an average magician with that staff?”
“Yes, but since we’re already magicians, it wouldn’t have much effect. It’s not like we’d get twice as strong.”
“Then what’s the point? It’s not like we fight one on one.”
“We don’t. That’s why I’m not worried.”
Maki smiled at the girl in orange. If Yurika’s new staff had been limited to a few spells, they would’ve had to reconsider their strategy. Since the staff itself had so much mana, if that were concentrated into only a handful of spells, each one would be quite powerful. But since that wasn’t the case, Maki was able to casually chat about it.
“So, Maki, what about Satomi Koutarou? His weapon increased in power too, you said?”
“Yes. Its abilities are the same as before, but its performance has greatly improved. It’s like a completely different weapon. I don’t think I could beat him on my own.”
What Maki had seen before was a sword made purely out of energy. What she saw this time around seemed to have the same abilities, but its power was on a new level.
“You don’t sound very worried though.”
The girl in red noticed that although Maki was telling them how strong Koutarou was, she didn’t sound particularly concerned. Maki honestly admitted to it.
“That’s true. I don’t think we need to regard Satomi Koutarou as dangerous.”
“What do you mean, Navy?” the girl in purple asked.
“I only understood this after my making contact with him this time, but... it seems like Yurika and Satomi Koutarou aren’t necessarily in a cooperative relationship.”
“Navy-chan, by that, do you mean to say they aren’t allies?”
“Yes,” Maki replied as she scanned the expressions of all six girls. “Last time their goals just happened to overlap, but in reality, Yurika hasn’t revealed her identity to Satomi Koutarou yet. Since Rainbow Heart forbids personal use of magic, she may never be able to. And if that never happens, they’ll never really be allies in any way that’s a threat to us.”
“Navy, that means...”
The girl in purple looked right at Maki as she seemed to realize what she was suggesting.
“That’s right, Purple,” Maki said with a nod. “If we handle things the right way, we might be able to avoid having to fight Satomi Koutarou.”
As Dark Navy, she would be able to avoid having to fight a powerful enemy. And as Aika Maki, she wouldn’t have to fight Satomi Koutarou. Maki was relieved her wishes as a girl and her duties as a magical girl wouldn’t conflict in that regard. However, the girl in red looked at Maki and flashed an impish grin.
“Hmm, last time you were going on about how you were going to kill him, but now you’re singing a different tune. Why is that?”
In her report just a few days ago, Maki had been adamant about killing Koutarou. Now she wanted to avoid a fight with him altogether. The girl in red was curious as to why, but she also wanted to tease Maki some.
Not good...
But it was that question that Maki had wanted to avoid the most. Not even she was certain of the reason herself. It wasn’t as simple as Koutarou saving her life. It was just that some vague part of her heart had accepted Koutarou. Explaining that to anyone else would be incredibly difficult, and it wasn’t something she wanted to discuss in the first place.
“I don’t live to fight like you do.”
To answer, Maki cautiously chose her words and spoke of her reasons as Dark Navy, careful not to mix in any of Aika Maki’s personal motivation.
“It’s only logical to avoid an opponent I know I can’t beat. Unlike certain parties present, I don’t believe that fighting is worth it if I know I’ll lose.”
“That’s harsh.” The girl in red smiled wryly. “But that does sound more like you. Hearing you go on and on about killing was strange.”
The girl in red saw no reason to push the subject any further. She had no reason to think that Maki’s feelings for Koutarou had changed. She assumed that Maki still despised Koutarou, she now simply wished to avoid a fight.
But the girl in red’s response somewhat stumped Maki.
“Like me”?
What did that mean? Just who was she really? Was it the Dark Navy that her allies knew? Or was it the Aika Maki that Koutarou knew?
“Navy, what are the chances of making him one of our allies?”
Maki was slipping deep into her thoughts when the girl in purple pulled her back to reality. She collected herself and directed her attention towards the girl in purple.
“Well...”
Maki pictured Koutarou in her mind. He was straightforward, clumsy, and stubborn. He did lie on occasion, but he would never betray someone’s trust. He was the only person that could release the burdens of Maki’s heart and make her feel free. Thinking of him now, Maki was careful not t
o let herself smile.
“I don’t think there’s much of a chance to make him a member.”
Based on Koutarou’s personality, Maki couldn’t imagine that he would agree with Darkness Rainbow’s motives. If anything, he would side with Rainbow Heart. More importantly, Maki wanted to keep Koutarou out of the fight between Darkness Rainbow and Rainbow Heart. She would rather have him as Aika Maki’s friend than Dark Navy’s ally.
“However, even if we can’t formally make him an ally, we should be able to gain an advantage if we appeal to him.”
After thinking for a while about how best to respond, Maki gave her answer as Dark Navy. It wasn’t exactly what Maki wanted, but she thought telling the truth would be the best way to convince her allies.
As long as I can keep Koutarou away from the room during the fight, he should be safe...
That was Maki’s main goal.
“That’s Maki for you. Clever and vicious.”
“Petty tricks like that don’t suit me, so you do it, Maki.”
“Navy, can we leave that part to you?”
Fortunately, the members of Darkness Rainbow didn’t doubt Maki or her report. All six of them readily agreed with her.
“Yes. I managed to gain some trust with Satomi Koutarou this time around, so I believe it would be best if I handled things from here.”
“Then please do, Navy.”
“I’ll do it concurrently with my information gathering.”
“Navy, do you have anything else to report?”
“I don’t. That’s all for now.”
“Then this meeting is now over. Also, Navy, please report any new developments to me.”
“I understand.”
As the meeting drew to a close, it seemed things had gone well. Darkness Rainbow now trusted Maki to handle the situation with Koutarou, which was exactly what she wanted since she was hoping to avoid any serious confrontation with him.
“See you later, Navy-chan.”
“Until next time.”
