2 - The Odd Observer

“Well, it wasn’t your fault. You were just counter-attacking after being challenged to a duel, that’s all,” said Miss Mitsuko to Akuto in the school infirmary.

“I didn’t actually counter-attack, though...”

“It’s just a formality. If we don’t put it like that, then you’ll be charged the cost for rebuilding the classroom. Hmm, but in truth, you don’t understand anything that happened, right?” Miss Mitsuko said, looking troubled.

Just as she said, Akuto had absolutely no idea what had happened. As he racked his brains with a perplexed expression, Miss Mitsuko continued.

“Mana fills the air, and you create effects by shaping that air. Energy is poured into the Earth from the power plant at the center of the imperial capital, and mana resonates with that energy. That’s why on the surface, mana appears to be energy... This is all common magic knowledge, correct?”

Akuto already knew that much.

“But there’s more that you don’t know about mana and energy. After all, that’s what you came to this academy to study. You see, mana can be stored inside the bodies of living things, and energy can be extracted from them. It’s pure calorie consumption, essentially. The amount of mana stored differs from person to person. The more mana in your body, the easier it is to produce a large effect, even if it’s based on the mana present in the atmosphere. A person’s will is conveyed from the electricity in their brain. That electricity manipulates the mana in a person’s body, and resounds with the mana outside their body. This is the composition of magic. This is also the reason people have different levels of magic ability. The true indicators of magical ability are a strong will that is capable of managing the electricity in the brain and the amount of mana stored in one’s body. This information isn’t kept secret, but most ordinary people go their whole lives without knowing this.”

“Then, that means I caused that explosion?”

“You catch on quick, huh. That wooden sword collects mana to increases its durability, but you gathered too much mana and it discharged with an explosion.”

“So basically, I manipulated a non-standard amount of mana... An amount that a wooden sword used for martial arts couldn’t handle, is what you’re saying?

“That’s it. Incidentally, I also have to include that you destroyed my mana field. I’m not a teacher here just for show you know. In the past, people have said I have abilities only found in a person every ten years... It’s unbelievable that I would be bested by a student... Oh well, it’s in the past. You’re quite an unusual case.” Miss Mitsuko’s forced and hollow laughter didn’t even come close to sounding natural. It seemed that Akuto truly did hold an impossible amount of power inside of him.

“It’s a miracle that no one was injured. Somehow, it appears that you managed to unconsciously control the release of your energy, but...”

“But the next time things might not go so smoothly, is what you’re saying?” Akuto followed his words with a heavy sigh.

“That’s right. Our students quarrel a lot, too... So, I’m saying that we don’t know what will happen if you get into a fight.”

“Telling you that I won’t fight anyone probably isn’t enough of a guarantee, is it?” Even if Akuto didn’t want to fight anyone, there would definitely be students who would try to attack him anyway. Particularly, Junko. Akuto felt dejected.

“That’s not going to work. We’d need you to train and learn how to control your magic power. You also need to grow as a person so you can stop provoking people...” Miss Mitsuko trailed off into silence, like she was expecting a reply from Akuto. Sensing the answer that she was waiting for, he nodded.

“I understand. Please call for an observer.” Akuto sighed. Someone could observe Akuto as a student here, just as the principal had said. His daily life would be under surveillance, but it seemed that they would also act as his bodyguard.

—Things weren’t supposed to end up like this...

Akuto let out another sigh.

According to the message that Miss Mitsuko had received, it sounded like the observer would already arrive tomorrow.

“Hmm, this might sound harsh, but until the observer arrives, be on your best behavior, okay? Until then, if anything else happens, get in touch with me immediately,” she said, then put her contact address into Akuto’s student handbook.

“Finally... Hey,” Miss Mitsuko added on, her eyes suddenly sparkling. “I was wondering if you’d sign a contract with me now, so I can have your body after your death?”

“Absolutely not.”

○

Breathing a sigh of relief, Akuto returned to the dorm. But now, even the dorm had stopped being a place where he could relax. As soon as he entered, Hiroshi ran up to him and greeted him by bowing so low that it seemed like he was going to lick Akuto’s shoes.

“Wai— Wait a sec, Miwa—”

“That’s no good, boss! Please, call me Hiroshi!” Hiroshi voluntarily acted as Akuto’s herald as he showed him into the dorm.

“Out of the way! Make way for the future Demon King!” Hiroshi threatened the onlooking students in the dorm.

—I need to do something about this guy...

“Hey, can you cut that out?” Akuto said, and Hiroshi turned around as if he was deeply shocked.

“B-But boss, why?!”

“What are you trying to do, make everyone scared of me?”

“I-I see! I thought you wanted to rule through fear, but I was wrong, wasn’t I?! I shoulda known! You’re intending on gradually gaining control of the students’ hearts, then!”

—Even if that was true, why the heck would you say that in front of everyone?

“Uh, that’s not it. Anyway, can you stop with the special treatment?”

“I see, so you’re going to take hold of this academy from the position of a normal student, I get it!” Hiroshi’s eyes were sparkling and he was panting with excitement.

—What does he mean by “take hold?”

But knowing better than to voice his question, Akuto didn’t say anything about it and spoke emphatically to Hiroshi.

“Look, I’m trying to live a normal life. It’ll make trouble for me if you don’t treat me normally. And I already stand out as it is, so if you don’t stop threatening the people around us like that—” But while Akuto tried to explain, he suddenly heard a shout come from down the hall.

“Are you the guy who blew up his classroom?”

Two students walked up to Akuto, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiroshi’s face pale in response.

—That’s why I told you to stop saying stuff like that...

The two students were large, and their sneering expressions made it clear they were the local delinquents of this elite academy. While they seemed to be bad characters, Akuto was no stranger to having an accidental warped and twisted first impression, so he couldn’t fault another person for being the same.

“I apologize for the trouble I have caused. It was only an accident,” Akuto said. At this, and the two started laughing mockingly.

“‘I apologize for the trouble I caused!’” The two imitated Akuto’s voice as they spoke, getting up in his face.

“Anyone with a little bit of sense can blow up a classroom. So don’t be so full of yourself.”

—Ugh...This is such a pain. I wonder why they’re getting so worked up over their petty sense of pride. Why are people this stupid even alive? I wonder if they’re ever embarrassed by the fact they’re still breathing?

Akuto thought this to himself candidly. But then without thinking of the consequences, it was Akuto in his irritation who tried to show off in front of them.

“If that’s the case, then go ahead and have yourselves an explosion contest tomorrow. However, I want to study in peace so I’d like it if you could do it far away from me.”

The two seemed a little flustered by Akuto’s daring. But they still came up with a retort while laughing scornfully.

“You mean to tell me a guy who causes trouble like that wants to ‘study in peace?’”

“I’m famous, so people can’t get enough of me. Just like you two. There’s a lot of guys like you who want my autograph, but aren’t honest enough with themselves. So they try to pick a fight instead.”

The faces of the two students changed color upon hearing Akuto’s sarcastic remarks.

“This ain’t the time to be talking all cocky like that. You know what’s gonna happen to you with that attitude, right?”

“Let’s see... Since there’s two of you, does that mean you’re gonna start showing me your two-person comedy routine?”

“You ass—” The two of them bristled in anger, but when Akuto raised his hand slightly to ready himself to fight, they flinched and backed off.

“A-Anyway, don’t go actin’ all high and mighty, is what we’re sayin’.” They turned around on their heels and walked away.

—At an elite school like this, THOSE are supposed to be the tough guys? They’ve got their heads up their asses! These kinds of fools have pathetic personalities that’ll only lead to them being used by others. I wonder what would happen if I decided I was going to manipulate them.

After Akuto finished his train of thought, he realized for himself how dangerous his thinking was. It was Hiroshi’s words that pulled Akuto back to reality.

“That was incredible, boss!”

“Like I said, cut it out with that stuff...”

“Huh? But those two, they were upperclassmen!”

“I think it’s pointless to get hung up on stuff like that. It just means they were born a year earlier, that’s all. Though, I do think it’s important to be polite and courteous.”

Akuto spoke without thinking, and looking at Hiroshi, immediately knew that he had screwed up. Hiroshi’s face was bright red, and he stared at Akuto with a look of respect.

—I see... Basically, deep in my heart, I have contempt for others my age who have no responsibility or proper understanding of social customs. When that attitude of mine comes to the surface, some people admire it, I guess... All the more so when I back it up with violence.

Akuto calmly introspected, but while he was now aware of the problem, he still had no idea what to do.

—I shouldn’t have only focused on school and work while I was back home...

“Well, anyway, it’s time for us to go our separate ways. I’m going to stay in my room until it’s time to eat,” Akuto said, trying to escape.

“Huh? That can’t be, boss. I thought I’d show you around the dorm and the school,” Hiroshi said, looking dejected. Upon hearing this, Akuto had another idea.

—Wait, if I understand my own shortcomings, then that means I can apologize to Hattori. She is like a mass of responsibility and social awareness. That’s what made me like her, after all. It should be fine if I just properly explain myself.

“In that case, can you tell me how I can enter the girls’ dorm?” Akuto asked. His intentions were completely innocent, though his request indicated the contrary. “I’m sure there are procedures to go through. I still haven’t apologized to Hattori.”

Hiroshi clapped his hand, looking pleased.

“Just as I thought, you really are amazing, boss! I can show you the girls’ dorm. You don’t need to follow any procedures or anything!”

“Thank you.”

“Now this is getting me excited!”

—Excited? Just from going to the girls’ dorm?

Although Akuto was a little confused by the fuss Hiroshi was making, as if they were going on a school trip, he followed his lead.

Hiroshi exited the dorm and began to walk along the exterior wall. The surrounding area consisted of a small grove of trees, and while there was a pathway, it didn’t seem to be used often as there was no light source to guide them.

“I thought there was a hallway that separated the two dorms,” Akuto said. The boys’ and girls’ dorms were in two conjoined fortresses, so there should have been a pathway connecting the two.

“You’re going to the class rep’s room, right? In that case it’s better to come from outside,” Hiroshi assured Akuto, grinning.

“Why?”

“Because her room is along the wall on the second floor.” Hiroshi took out his student handbook and opened it. A layout of the girls’ dorm room assignments appeared on the screen.

“The layout of the girls’ dorm is distributed to everyone?”

“Just to the girls.”

“Huh?”

“I worked hard to get my hands on it. C’mon, you know how it is! The information I have is popular with the other guys.”

—I have no idea what he’s talking about...

Akuto tilted his head in thought. After walking close to ten minutes through the woods, he saw that they had passed into the girls’ section of the dorm.

“We have to be careful from here on out.” Hiroshi lowered his voice and crouched.

“Wait, are we doing something—”

“Shh!” Hiroshi put his finger up to his lips and shushed Akuto.

“I didn’t ask you to help me sneak in,” Akuto said in a panic.

“Yeah but, you’re meeting the class rep, right? If you went in from the front, it would be a big scene!” Hiroshi grinned, as if he was proud of his cleverness.

“Yeah... That’s true.” Akuto was satisfied with the answer. Junko probably wouldn’t accept his apology if it was in front of everyone.

“That, and when a boy and a girl are meeting, it’s customary for the boy to go to the girl’s window.”

“Ah, I see. This will make less trouble than going in through the front.”

“Yeah, well... Okay, it’s that window.” Hiroshi pointed upwards. The wall stuck out around the side of the window, and along the way there were plenty of bricks that he could grab onto. So climbing up seemed to be feasible, at least.

“You’re saying I have to climb up there?”

“That’s right. After all, boss, you still can’t use flight magic, right?” Hiroshi replied matter-of-factly. “When you go to a girl’s room, the custom is to give three short taps on the window, followed by three longer ones.”

“So that’s how, huh...” Akuto nodded, and Hiroshi patted him on the back.

“Alright then, knock ’em dead, boss!”

“Huh? Uh...” Akuto was puzzled, but Hiroshi ran off with a chipper “bye” and a wave of his hand.

—What the actual hell... Well, if that’s the way it’s done, then that’s what I’ve got to do.

Akuto grabbed onto the wall. The window was only on the second floor, so he was able to climb up to it without much difficulty. Akuto began to peek inside but hesitated a moment.

—It would be rude to peek in if she’s in the middle of changing or something...

So Akuto removed his hand from the wall and knocked on the window.

Knock, knock, knock. Thud, thud, thud.

There were a few moments of silence before the window opened with a violent bang. Even from where he was, Akuto could feel a gust of wind caused by the slam of the window opening. Although he was looking from the side of the window, Akuto could still feel the murderous intent behind it.

—She’s pretty angry. All I can do is apologize as sincerely as possible.

But when he saw the look of rage on her face when she looked out of the window, he was surprised by exactly how angry she still was.

“How dare you! You bastard, how far will you go to shame me?!” Junko was beyond anger — her voice sounded like a wail of lamentation.

“Wait, wait, wait! I came to apologize!”

“Why the hell would you come to apologize by using the signal a man would use to sneak into his lover’s bedroom?!”

—That’s what the two sets of three knocks meant?!

Akuto realized to his horror.

“W-Wait, I was tricked into thinking that was the proper etiquette for the situation!”

“That’s because everyone is misunderstanding our relationship! You’ve made a fool of me! Now there’s only one thing I can do! To clear this all up, I’ll crush you!” Junko took out her wooden sword.

“I-I’m sorry, it’s totally my fault! I didn’t intend—”

“Then what did you intend to do, Demon King?!”

Akuto crawled around the wall of the girls’ dorm as he dodged Junko’s sword.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, I’m not the Demon King or anyth—”

“If you want to prove you’re not the Demon King, then let me crush you! If you lose, then that would mean that you aren’t the Demon King!”

Akuto knew that she was probably right, but he couldn’t afford to let himself to be beaten to a pulp by a wooden sword with such a strong intent to kill behind it.

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s a misunderstanding! I like you and—”

“I said to stop saying things like that!” Junko shouted. The students in the other rooms nearby heard the uproar and began throwing open their windows one after another.

“Oh, that’s the transfer student!”

“Yeah... Having lover’s quarrel with Junko?”

“Is it true they tried to commit lover’s suicide in the classroom?”

The girls began gossiping from their windows. Akuto realized that this was getting pretty bad, and skirted down the wall.

“I-It’s a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding! Once you’ve calmed down, I’ll come back to apologize!” As he said this, Akuto turned around and looked up. Flying into his field of view was a pair of pure white underwear, and not just normal underwear, but the loincloth that only the truest of Suhara followers wore.

Naturally, Junko had jumped down from the window without at all caring about her skirt flying up.

“Hiyaaaaah!”

“Crap!” Akuto just barely dodged the aerial attack by rolling into the woods behind him.

“C-Calm down!” Akuto pleaded, running away as he evaded the slashing attacks coming from behind him.

“Don’t waste your breath!” There was still murderous intent behind Junko’s sword.

—At this rate, one of us is going to get hurt...

Akuto then remembered that Miss Mitsuko had told him to contact her if there was an emergency. Taking out his student handbook, Akuto swiftly selected Miss Mitsuko’s contact address and held the handbook up to his cheek.

“Hm? Some kind of trouble?”

“Y-Yes, Miss Mitsuko! I’m under attack by Hattori!”

“Why did you go see her...” Miss Mitsuko replied, sounding exasperated.

“I thought it would work out somehow!”

“...Well, alright. Don’t let go of your student handbook, okay? Your observer just arrived. If you have your handbook, they can trace your mana and head over to you.”

“That’s great.” Panting, Akuto looked behind him.

Junko seemed to be well-trained, and was vigorously following behind Akuto. He himself was an excellent runner due to his delivery job, so he was quite impressed by Junko’s stamina.

“...How long until they get here?”

“Who knows... I think it’ll be soon, though. They should be able to teleport there, right?” Miss Mitsuko said, and terminated the telepathic link.

“M-Miss Mitsuko...” As Akuto called out to her, the ground under his feet suddenly disappeared.

“Huh?” Suddenly, he was floating... and then falling. Naturally when you’re in the middle of the woods, the trees can prevent you from seeing cliffs.

Akuto felt his body slamming into things as he fell through the brush with rusting and crackling sounds. Before long, he felt his back impact the ground with a loud thud. For a moment, his breathing stopped and he felt numb. After that, a dull pain attacked his entire body.

“Uh...augh...”

Groaning as he inhaled, Akuto looked around the area to try and grasp the situation. It seemed that he was in some kind of bamboo grove. It looked like there was a break in the forest of beech trees or whatever else was at the top of the cliff, and bamboo was growing here in a colony.

—If the bamboo had been cut, I probably would have been stabbed. I was lucky. And at least now I’ve gotten away from Hattori. The observer will be able to find me if I stay here, I guess...

Be that as it may, it seemed likely that Junko would find him quickly if he stayed there. Akuto checked that his wounds weren’t too severe and then moved farther into the bamboo grove.

—Jeez. This sure escalated quickly. It’s so frustrating that I’m stuck until the observer arrives.

Inwardly complaining, Akuto continued wandering aimlessly.

Suddenly, he noticed a human figure in the grove. The setting sun was almost out of sight, so all Akuto could see was a silhouette. He braced himself for a moment, but the silhouette didn’t charge toward him to attack, so it probably wasn’t Junko. Akuto sighed with relief, and it seemed that the figure had heard him and noticed his presence.

“Who has come to visit me?” It was a young girl’s voice. The voice was exuberant and carefree.

“Who are you? You aren’t my observer, are you?” Akuto said, thinking that shouldn’t be the case, but he was met with an affirmation.

“Yes. I’m an observer.”

“Phew, that’s great. You came to me, right?” Akuto said, and then a lively voice echoed through the bamboo grove.

“That’s right. We don’t know if you came to me, or if I came to you, do we? Yes, it must be fate! Are you the prince? Could the wounds on your lovely face and body be from the thorn forest you crossed to come and see me?”

—Observers certainly have an interesting way of saying things. I guess she’s right, for me, that school is quite like a forest of thorns.

“Yes, you could say that. I’m in a huge mess, and I was waiting for you. From your voice you seem to be a girl, but since you’re an observer that means that you’ll protect me, right?”

“You want me to protect you? That’s true, protecting the prince has started to become the girl’s duty, hasn’t it? Besides, I’m an observer, right? I watch over this school and this world! The changing of the seasons, the changes in people! Yes... Isn’t the flow of history beautiful enough to leave you spellbound?”

“Does an observer need to be so poetic?”

—She’s somewhat strange...

“Yes, I’m an observer. I am your observer,” she said in a sing-song voice, or rather, she actually sang these words. Then the observer stepped forward in front of Akuto.

Long hair flowed through the wind in front of him. Akuto thought that she had stepped directly out of the evening sun. She had beautiful red hair, with several tufts on top of her head that were swaying back and forth as if her hair was a flickering flame.

“Okay prince, what should we do now?” She was wearing the Academy’s uniform. She slightly lifted her skirt, greeting Akuto.

“Er, can you stop with the prince stuff? Besides, it’s kind of dangerous right now. You know the situation, right?”

“There are quite a lot of situations at hand, you know. What I know is that you came here covered in wounds. Just from that alone, I know that there is danger.” Clenching her fist tightly, she raised her head.

Her face looked unusually calm despite how fired up she was. Despite her well-defined and strong features, she had a gentle air about her. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but her appearance gave off positive and comforting vibes. Her face made you feel sleepy just looking at it.

“Well it’s fine as long as you realize I’m in danger, but—” An echoing shout interrupted Akuto mid-sentence.

“I found you, bastard!”

Akuto braced himself.

“Oh my...” The red-haired girl raised a calm voice and looked back and forth between Akuto’s face and Junko, who had appeared in the bamboo grove. Then she turned to Akuto with a very soft smile.

“That’s the danger, isn’t it? If that’s the case, then I will protect you.”

—Wow, she seems pretty calm.

Up until then, Akuto had thought that she was somewhat strange, but with her attitude, he started to believe that she was an observer after all.

The girl stepped out in front of Junko, full of confidence. Courageously, she stood ready to defend with her magic wand.

“Out of the way! Idiot! What are you doing?!” Junko hurled insults at the girl.

The red-haired girl spread her arms out wide and replied with dauntless resolve.

“I won’t move! This person is precious to me!” It was a serious voice, as if she was about to protect her lover.

The color in Junko’s face changed from the original frenzied and enraged blood-red into a dark, hateful look. She looked towards Akuto and yelled.

“Bastard! Do you make a move on every woman you meet?!”

“You misunderstand, we just met each other for the first time!”

“Exactly! You would make a pass even at women you’ve met for the first time?!” Junko took up a fighting stance and brandished her wooden sword, then advanced towards Akuto. But the red-haired girl forced herself in Junko’s path.

“Move!”

“I won’t!”

Junko tried moving left and right, but no matter what, the girl stood in front of her. Looking impatient, Junko jumped backwards and took up a stance with her sword held at the ready in front of her.

“In that case I’ll slip past you!” Junko closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, and when she opened her eyes, it happened. Shockingly, Junko somehow split her body in two.

Akuto couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The only thing he could think was that there was a second Junko in front of him. Each of their movements were separate from each other, and it looked as if twins were moving in front of his eyes.

“This is the magic that has been passed down through my family! One of these bodies is fake, but even the fake still has the same power as my real body!” The two Junkos split up, one going right and one going left, and tried to run around the red-haired girl.

Akuto didn’t know what to do. He had no idea what the red-haired girl planned to do next. One of the two Junkos was sure to slip past her, but since Akuto didn’t know which one that would be, he couldn’t ready himself for the attack. He tried to keep his eyes on the two Junkos, while also keeping the red-haired girl in his sights.

—An observer should be a pro in combat, so she should make her move before me... Wait, huh?

The girl was turning her head from right to left, looking unsure what to do.

Both of the Junkos slipped past the girl in the blink of an eye. Then the two of them both sidestepped at the same time and fanned out in an equal distance on either side of Akuto. They intended to launch an attack at Akuto at the exact same time so he wouldn’t be able to dodge.

“Hyaaaaah!”

“Haaaaa!”

Yelling, they leapt at Akuto.

—Huh? Does this mean she isn’t my observer after all? That means I’m on my own. In that case, if I dodge the right...and block the left with my arm!

Coming to a decision, Akuto braced himself for the simultaneous attacks. As expected, due to her overwhelming rage, Junko’s movements were simple enough that Akuto was be able to predict the trajectory of her attacks.

—If I can just estimate the timing, I’ll be able to evad—

“Augh!”

As Akuto was trying to time the attacks, he suddenly lost his balance as he felt a yank at his legs. It was an “attack” from an unexpected angle, from the red-haired girl. She nearly bowled Akuto over as she suddenly clung to him.

“I’ll protect you!”

“Whaaat?!”

Akuto was caught off guard by the unexpected move. He couldn’t do anything about it in the moment, so he was pushed to the ground and tumbled down along with the red-haired girl.

Junko’s swords relentlessly swung down from the right and left as the two remained collapsed on the ground, looking as if they were embracing one another. It was already too late to try and evade the attacks. Akuto tried to tear himself away from the red-haired girl, but she was desperately clinging to him.

—All I can do is stop the blow... But, if I can’t block it, then it’s going to hit this girl, so... In order to completely stop the attack... I have to break the swords.

Akuto made his decision. He would break the swords with his arms. He remembered the sensation in his arm from when he had gripped the sword in the classroom, the mass of heat he’d felt radiating into the sword. That sensation was still there, and he had a feeling he could do it even without holding a sword of his own.

—If I can control the power and cause an explosion...

Akuto took a moment to focus his mind.

—This time, I’ll use the same kind of power that entered my arm from the wooden sword before, and take it directly out of the empty air!

The swords came down at the same time on either side of him.

“Hah!” Akuto let out a shout and he raised both his arms up. He could feel a mass of heat and power begin to flow through his arms. He trapped the sensation and made it erupt from the center of his arms. A violent flow of power poured outward.

“Ah?!”

“Eh?!”

Both of the Junkos let out yelps of surprise as the light radiating from Akuto’s arms forced the swords back. Exerting even more power, the light grew exponentially brighter and smashed the wooden swords, and for a second he broke out into a smile.

—I did it...

But...

—Huh?! It won’t stop!

Akuto panicked, realizing that he had lost control of his power.

An explosion just as powerful at the one back in the classroom — no, even more powerful — burst forth from Akuto’s arms.

“Aaaahhh!” The real Junko let out a scream while her clone disintegrated into pieces and disappeared in the blast.

There was a swelling sphere of light, and then a loud, explosive bang. The cloud kicked up by the explosion was so huge that it could definitely be seen from far off in the distance.

When the flash of pure white had faded, Akuto looked upon a disastrous scene. It was like he was in a war zone, or at the impact point of a meteorite.

With Akuto at its center, a crater around ten meters in diameter had formed, and the surrounding bamboo had been cut down at the crater’s edge. Junko lay unconscious on the ground. Her uniform was torn to shreds, and she had clearly been injured in the blast.

“Crap...” Akuto muttered. It appeared that, unlike last time, he had been so completely focused on breaking the swords that he ended up engulfing Junko in the explosion. Regret surged through him.

As he tried to get up, Akuto realized that the red-haired girl was still sitting on top of him. It seemed she was dazed from the impact, but it appeared that Akuto’s movements had woken her. With a start, she surveyed the surrounding area.

“Th-This must be...!” The red-haired girl looked frightened.

“Yeah, s-sor—” Akuto opened his mouth to try and calm the red-haired girl down for the time being, but her reaction was completely unexpected.

“I’m sorry! Oh my! Goodness gracious! The power sleeping inside of me must have awakened! Faced with a crisis, my savage and ferocious power revealed itself!” As if she was the main character in a tragedy, she placed her hands on her cheeks and shook her head back in forth in lamentation. Dumbfounded, Akuto looked up at her.

“Uh... Um... That’s not quite...”

“Oh! Thank you, you gentle soul, for trying to console me! But it looks like I’ve hurt someone! My only choice is to live out my life as a priestess of Ko-Roh... It would take me the rest of my life to make up for this sin.”

“Sh-She isn’t dead yet... Hey, we have to go help her!” Akuto said in a fluster. At that moment, there was a strange phenomenon.

A few meters from where the two of them were lying, Akuto thought he saw the air shimmer like you would see on hot summer’s day. Then right before his eyes, the fluctuation began to take shape. It appeared that the air was solidifying into a transparent, four-sided object of some sort, like a sheet of glass.

Then, that sheet of glass opened like a door. As it opened, in a particularly surprising turn of events, a hand appeared and poked itself out from the door.

The hand was a girl’s hand — small and delicate-looking. Then, continuing after the hand, a lovely and petite young girl squeezed through the narrow door and appeared before Akuto.

It was as if the transparent space had forcefully materialized the girl. In other words, the girl had appeared out of thin air.

She seemed to be around the same age as Akuto and the others. Her slim body was wrapped in the Academy’s uniform. She had eye-catching green hair with matching green eyes. Her symmetrical features made her beautiful, but he couldn’t make out any sort of expression from her face. Akuto immediately recognized that she wasn’t human.

—A Liradan!

Akuto was amazed. She was an android known as a Liradan, rumored to only be owned by the rich and powerful of society. With bodies constructed from mana, they can act like humans and hold a will of their own, but the one thing they were incapable of was having emotions and feelings.

“Akuto Sai, correct? I am your observer, my identifier is ‘Korone.’ I was assigned this task by the god Markt three minutes ago.” Korone bowed to Akuto. Both her movements and the way her rich hair swayed was exactly the same as a human. But as she raised her head, her expression was still blank like a doll’s. Akuto wasn’t sure how to react.

—So THIS is the real observer...

As Akuto sat there dumbfounded, Korone looked to her left and right.

“Verifying that within the last three minutes an incident has occurred. In which case, I carry responsibility for this situation. With regards to your dispute with Junko Hattori, I will begin questioning the both of you, after she has recovered,” Korone said, and then she thrust a hand into the small purse that hung at the waist of her school uniform. From her purse, she took out a white implement that was shaped like a pistol.

“Although I have not received consent, based on medical law, I will begin administering treatment.” Korone walked over to Junko, who was groaning in pain, and pressed the tip of her gun-shaped tool against her. The instrument began to emit a light as it used mana to heal her. The stains of blood and dirt didn’t go away, but the wounds on Junko’s body gradually began to disappear.

“Treatment complete. I have observed trace amounts of foreign bodies and bacteria that have invaded your body. Moving forward, I predict that you will experience a sudden onset of fever and feelings of fatigue. I recommend that you rest,” Korone said as she stood up.

It appeared that somehow Junko had returned to consciousness. But when she looked towards Akuto, the attitude she had up until then changed completely. She had an anguished look on her face. Rivers of tears fell from her almond-shaped eyes.

“Oh...!” Akuto tried to call out to Junko, but she quickly covered up her shredded clothes with her hands and ran off crying.

“W-Wait!” Akuto tried to stand up, but the red-haired girl was still on top of his stomach. He lay down on the ground again, and remaining in this foolish position, looked up at the sky.

“I will question her about the events at a later time. First, I will start with you.” Korone peered into Akuto’s face from above.

“You’re the observer...?”

“Please call me Korone. I will be attending school as your classmate starting tomorrow, and I will defend you from situations like today’s. As I mentioned previously, I will be questioning you about this dispute. The understanding that I have of the situation is as follows: Junko Hattori became agitated from coming in contact with you, a quarrel ensued, you fled here, after which there was a struggle where you caused slight injury to Junko Hattori. Now, I would like to verify your intentions at the time of the struggle. Did you purposely intend to cause Junko Hattori harm? Please answer yes or no,” Korone said in a dispassionate tone of voice.

Akuto was annoyed by the overly business-like tone of her responses, but he resigned himself to the fact that this must just be how Liradans are.

“I had no intentions of harming her. I tried to break the sword and—” Akuto opened his mouth and began to talk, but suddenly from his side — or more precisely, from right on top of him — his words were cut short.

“You’re wrong! It was because my power awakened!” The red-haired girl, in the same tone of voice as before, again asserted her prior declaration.

“H-Hold on...” Akuto tried to interrupt her, but the girl wasn’t listening.

“I’m the one who caused that explosion! Oh no, what should I do? This is a sin, right? Yes, it’s definitely a sin! Hey, what do I have to do to be forgiven?”

“I will investigate fault after I receive witness testimony. While limited, I am able to communicate with the gods, and as such, I have limited special executive privilege.”

“Communicating with the gods! Oh no, that’s serious! That means that what you’re saying has to be true, doesn’t it? Can you forgive me for my mistake?”

“As noted, I will investigate fault after receiving witness testimony,” Korone replied solemnly. Apparently Korone simply wasn’t capable of having any attitude outside of her normal seriousness.

“That’s right! I tried to protect him, the prince, as his observer! Please believe me!” the red-haired girl pleaded.

“Th-That’s what I mean, wait a minute! You latch onto something and just don’t let go, do you...” Akuto tried to get a word in, but in the end it was a fruitless endeavor.

“He acknowledged me as his observer, and I protected him!”

“I can see an inconsistency between the situation and your testimony. In addition, it is inconsistent with Akuto Sai’s testimony. Testimonies given to me are recorded as formal statements. As such, they can be considered perjuries, so be careful,” Korone warned the girl. Then, the insides of Korone’s eyes flickered with light, and she spoke.

“Inquiry complete. Identity: First-Year High School Student, Class A, Keena Soga.”

“P-Perjury?! I’ve gone that far?! Oh no, what should I do, I have no idea! On top of injuring the class rep in that explosion, now I’ve committed yet another sin?! And how did you know my name?!”

The red-haired girl — Keena — appeared to be utterly confused. She twisted her body while she was on top of Akuto’s waist, so her skirt flipped up and she moved into a position where her panties were firmly rubbing up against Akuto.

“Wai...” Understandably, Akuto’s face grew red.

Then, it appeared that Keena realized what type of position she was in.

“A-Aiyaaaahhh!” Keena rolled off of Akuto with a flop. She fell onto the ground making a flashy M-shaped pose with her legs. When she realized that her panties were again exposed, she hid them with both her hands in a fluster.

“Unh...” Her face red with embarrassment, Keena looked up at Akuto with eyes that looked ready to cry.

“So-Sorr—” Akuto began to apologize when Keena suddenly ran off. “Wait, please!”

Akuto ran after her, trying to call for her to stop. They were in a bamboo grove, so while visibility wasn’t great, there wasn’t anywhere you could completely hide yourself. So it should have been easy for Akuto to pursue her. However, after Keena ran behind a thick area of bamboo, he realized that he couldn’t make out her shape at all. The bamboo shouldn’t have been enough to hide her completely. He walked around to the back of the crowded growth of bamboo but there still wasn’t any sign of Keena.

“What?”

But when Akuto looked at the ground, he was surprised. Left behind there was a complete school uniform. Akuto went to pick them up. They were the exact clothes Keena had been wearing up until then, as there was still some body heat left on them. Just a few feet in front of them, there was a shirt on the ground, and even further past there, her underwear.

—What the heck...

Akuto was puzzled. He got close to the panties, but of course he dared not pick them up. When he got a glimpse of the white underwear with some sort of character printed on the back, he immediately heard a small “Eek!” whispered from nearby.

“Huh?” Akuto instinctively looked around the area. No one was there.

But he noticed a small floating light in the air. It wasn’t giving off its own light, but it was an insect-sized object that was reflecting and sparkling in the light from the evening sun. It was floating just a little bit above Akuto’s line of sight.

—A stone? Akuto thought he was looking at a small, shiny stone flying in the sky, but in an instant that object flew off into the distance.

Korone came up behind Akuto.

“She disappeared. I thought about trying to chase after her, but I am no longer able to track her location,” she said. “Unfortunately, it seems that Keena Soga’s student handbook was left back at the dorm.”

“Right, you can pin down someone’s location as long as they have their handbook, can’t you?”

“Correct. However, it does not apply to cases where mana has been manipulated to keep its disturbance at a minimum. The reason I was delayed in coming here was because you manipulated your mana and tried to mask your presence.”

“I didn’t do anything like that.”

“You were trying to escape, so you must have done so without realizing it. Keena Soga is doing the same thing right now. I cannot trace her mana. In her case though, I’m sure it is deliberate.”

“Deliberate?”

“It seems that she can completely mask her mana.”

“That’s amazing. But then, why did she leave her clothes...”

“I do not understand the reason for that.”

“Right? Why did she do that, I wonder,” Akuto said, then grew silent for a while. Something about having a conversation with Korone felt unnatural and artificial.

“...Hey. What should I do for now?” he asked.

“Please go about your daily life normally,” Korone answered clearly.

“...Normally?”

“Yes. I have been instructed to ensure your safety and your free will, to the maximum of my abilities. That is what observing and guarding you entails.”

“And if I happen to do something bad?”

“I have been ordered to immediately give you a suitable punishment.” Korone said, matter-of-factly.

—I feel like she just told me something terrifying, but...

Yet due to the girl’s appearance, Akuto didn’t feel scared of her.

“Alright, so for this incident?”

“I’ve verified that you had no intention to harm Junko Hattori. I have the right to trace the mana inside your body. You have given me permission to do so. Through this, I was able to analyze the feelings that you held in your heart in the past few minutes.”

“You’re saying you can read my thoughts?”

“Only your emotions. Up until a few minutes ago, the largest emotion you had was one of confusion. Other emotions include compassion and sexual arousal.”

“Y-You don’t have to go that far!” Akuto raised his voice in spite of himself. But Korone remained calm.

“I cannot follow that order when it is a necessary part of my duties.”

“...Is that so.”

“Yes. But I have been ordered to ensure that you retain freedom in your daily life. It is most important to eliminate danger. From that point of view, I recommend that you exercise caution with regards to your relationship with Junko Hattori. With Keena Soga, she is considered to have violated the law. Since her role in this event is insignificant, I believe her to be of no relevance. But after this, if she continues to pretend to be your observer, then a suitable response will become necessary,” Korone said. Akuto wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“...I don’t really get it. But that girl is a classmate of mine, you said?”

“Yes. I’ve retrieved Keena Soga’s attendance records and it seems that she was absent today. I believe this is the reason that you two were not acquainted with one another.”

“Hmm, I wonder if I’ll see her tomorrow?”

“It is not possible for me to make those types of predictions.”

“No, I just mean... You know, her clothes. We will be able to get them to her?” Akuto pointed to the clothes that were spread out on the ground.

“All we need to do is bring them to the caretaker of the girls’ dormitory. If that task is difficult for you, then I will handle it.” Korone started to pick up and collect the clothes. “Well then, let us deliver these. Then I will escort you back to the dorm.”

Akuto nodded along with Korone’s words, but part of what she said stuck in the back of his mind.

—Escort me back to the dorm?

He was quickly given the answer to his question. After delivering the clothes to the girls’ dorm, Akuto returned to the boys’ dormitory, but Korone was stuck closely behind him.

As to be expected, the other male students in the dorm were in an uproar. It was shocking to see a girl walk proudly into the boys’ dorm. Even more, it was inconceivable for a rare beauty like a Liradan girl to enter the dorm unnoticed. The dorm halls were in a commotion as students exclaimed that Akuto was fooling around with another girl again.

“Um... This may be a foolish question to ask, but how far are you intending to follow me?” Akuto asked, and Korone answered without paying any attention to the gazes of those around them.

“If I see an indication that you intend to escape, then I will follow you into the restroom, and the bath. If there are no such signs, then I will guarantee your privacy, but I basically intend to live with you.”

The boys in the dorm made an even bigger commotion upon hearing their conversation. At this, Korone raised her hand and summoned the speaker. Her broadcast echoed throughout the dorm.

“To all of you in this dorm. Please pardon the interruption. I am an observer dispatched by the imperial government. Please call me Korone. I have been charged with observing Akuto Sai. I ask for your cooperation. Being a female modeled observer in a boys’ dorm is slightly inappropriate but, my appearance was chosen based on what form would give the observed, Akuto Sai, peace of mind. I will respect the privacy of all those who are not under my observation, so please do not worry. However, be extra careful about any violence or untoward behavior directed at a Liradan. I have been given the authority to resist or hand out immediate punishment, if necessary.”

This time, the dorm fell silent at Korone’s broadcast.

“Um... By ‘respect our privacy,’ are you saying that you’ll keep everything you see a secret?” A nearby boy mustered up the courage to ask Korone shyly.

Korone nodded.

“That’s correct. Even the observed, Akuto Sai, will have a part of his privacy guaranteed, so it shall be the same for him, as well. He and I will be sharing a room, but I will be keeping our lives in there a secret, so I ask for your understanding on this matter.” With that answer, the inside of the dorm again erupted in noise.

She had previously mentioned living with Akuto, but it seemed that she was in fact going to be living with him in the same room.

A strange mixture of envious and pitying gazes focused on Akuto.

“M-Man, you really are so cool, boss!” The only one excited in a positive way was Hiroshi, who seemed to have run away from the girls’ dorm in a panic earlier.

“‘So cool?’ Aren’t you misunderstanding this situation?”

“Even if she’s an observer, I can’t believe you have your own Liradan! You’re incredible, boss!”

Akuto denied this, but Hiroshi was too excited to listen.

Meanwhile during all the commotion, dinner time had arrived. During the meal, Korone stood completely still and unmoving behind Akuto.

“Um... Korone? Aren’t you going to sit?” Akuto asked, meekly. As expected, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“There are no seats, and I do not eat food, so no.” Korone answered. In the blink of an eye, Hiroshi stood up and brought over a spare chair.

“Here you go!”

“Are you telling me to sit?” Korone asked, staring at the chair.

“Um... yes...?” Hiroshi replied, confused by her question.

Korone was silent. She was normally expressionless, but now a look of confusion could be seen on her face. After a few seconds, Korone opened her mouth.

“This is what’s known as ‘kindness,’ isn’t it?” she said, as if she was satisfied with her conclusion. “This is generally analyzed as an action done with an expectation of sexual compensation, but I do not have the authority to analyze your emotions. So under the presumption that this expectation does not apply, allow me to thank you. Thank you.” Korone bowed her head and sat in the chair.

A strained smile appeared on Hiroshi’s face.

“Um... You’re welcome...”

Dinner ended and Akuto withdrew to his room, but he felt uncomfortable and awkward as Korone followed behind him as if it was a matter of course.

“Um... Coming into my room is kind of...”

“Is that so. If it is your wish, then I won’t enter your room,” Korone said, more obediently than Akuto had expected. Akuto felt relieved.

“Ahh, in that case, I’ll ask that you do that. It’d be great if you slept somewhere else. If you talk to the dorm mother, she could probably set you up with a room.” Akuto opened the door and went inside. Korone didn’t follow him in.

“Okay then, see you tomorrow.” Akuto said goodbye to Korone and closed the door. He sat down on the bed and let out a sigh.

A lot had happened already, but he knew that he was in for even more trouble from here on out.

—Hattori... And Soga...

Now by himself, Akuto held his head in his hands. But suddenly he was hit by a strange sensation — he could feel that there was someone outside of his door. Not just outside of the door, but sitting there, and staring at it.

Akuto got up and opened the door.

Green hair and green eyes jumped out at him.

Korone was standing at attention directly outside of the door.

Expressionless and standing perfectly still.

Akuto closed the door.

He waited a few seconds, and then opened it again.

Korone was standing right outside of the door. She hadn’t even moved a muscle.

Akuto closed the door.

Then opened it.

Korone, standing at attention.

He closed the door.

Then he opened it.

Korone.

Unable to bear it any further, Akuto broke the silence.

“...Are you intending on staying here until morning?”

Korone nodded.

“Yes. I will observe you, without entering your room,” Korone said, matter-of-factly.

“Won’t you get tired?”

“I will not,” Korone said.

“...Alright. Come in.” Akuto had ran out of patience.

“Well then, I will come in.” Expressionless as ever, and not looking the least bit pleased, Korone entered the room.

“Ugh...” Letting out another sigh, Akuto once again sat down on his bed.

Korone stood in front of him and stared.

“......”

“..................”

“....................................”

“................................................”

“............................................................Hey?”

“Yes?”

“Won’t you get tired?”

“I will not.”

“You’re interfering with the free will of your observation target, so I’d appreciate it if you could act like a normal roommate,” Akuto said, forcing a smile.

Then Korone grew silent, lost in thought.

“................................................?”

“What’s wrong?” Akuto asked, and Korone looked startled.

“...Forgive me. I don’t know what exactly it means to be a ‘normal roommate.’”

“I guess there’s nothing you can do about that, huh. You don’t have emotions, right?”

“Incorrect.” Unexpectedly, Korone denied Akuto’s assumption.

“Huh?”

“I have emotions. Without them, I would be unable to analyze human emotions. To be precise, Liradans do not have an ego,” Korone said.

“Ego?”

“We only have our own identity and are self-aware during our mission. Whether or not expressing emotion is necessary is decided by the ego. If a mission goes on for a long time, then an ego becomes attached to us, and once that point is reached, we are able have functioning emotions.”

“You say some pretty hard to follow stuff...”

“It means that until I become accustomed to this situation, it will most likely be inconvenient for you,” Korone said with a nod.

“So you’re saying once you get used to me, you’ll be able to behave emotionally?” Akuto said with comprehension.

“That’s correct,” Korone acknowledged. “As such, first I would request some advice on how to behave.”

“Hmmm... Usually, you can sit in my chair or on my bed. When you don’t have anything to do, you can just sleep,” Akuto said.

“Understood.”

“I take my bath in the morning, so I’m going to sleep now. You can go to sleep, too.”

“I see.”

Akuto took off his coat and laid down on the bed. Then, Korone flopped down on the bed next to him.

Laying on his side, Korone’s face was right in front of his. The two of them stared hard at each other.

Korone smelled like a real girl. Akuto’s heart skipped a beat, but Korone’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“...Hey.”

“Yes?”

“It’s kind of hard to sleep with you there...”

“I see. Did you become sexually aroused?”

“Hey! Don’t read my emotions!”

At Akuto’s protest, Korone stood up gracefully and looked down on him, without changing her face in the slightest, and replied:

“That was a joke.”

“...Eh?” Akuto looked perplexed, but Korone gave him a sidelong glance and then looked up at the cabinet that was above his closet.

“Yes, it seems that there is nothing currently placed in that storage space, so I will sleep there.” Korone skillfully climbed up to the cabinet and slipped inside.

—I feel like I won’t be able to let my guard down even though she isn’t human...

All Akuto could do was sit there, bewildered. Then he thought to himself that she could just sleep there today for all he cared, and closed his eyes.

“............................................................”

But for some reason, he felt a restlessness in the air. He opened his eyes and looked up at the cabinet with a start. There, Akuto saw a thin opening in the cabinet door, and from that crack, Korone’s green eyes were staring intently towards him.

“...Hey?”

“Yes?”

“...You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“A little.”

“......”

“..................”

“....................................”

“................................................”

“............................................................Hey?”

“Yes?”

“Having fun?”

“A little.”

“...Well, good for you.”

“Yes.”

—I don’t get it... I just don’t get it...

Akuto covered his head with his comforter.