ã€ŠFaery Knight - A Mirai Suenaga Adventureã€‹


 Preface and Prologue

    Preface

    For me, ¡°Faery Knight¡± is quite simply an attempt at something new.

    It began as an idea back in 2013 while I was writing ¡°Maiden of the Line¡±.

    At the time, I learnt of Danny Choo¡¯s Mirai Millennium project. I found the concept to be atypical of anime. However, as I continued to write ¡°Maiden of the Line¡±, I began toying with the notion of taking his creation of Mirai Suenaga, and putting her into something that was anime-ish, while being a little different. I was also surprised to learn that doujinshi work could be monetized and Danny Choo wasn¡¯t going to came after you.

    With all this in mind, I decided to blend the world I had created for Ekarynne Sangreal, the heroine of ¡°Maiden of the Line¡±, with the concept of Mirai Millennium, and drop Mirai Suenaga into it. After ruminating over a title for weeks, I settled on something simple: ¡°Faery Knight¡±.

    However, it wasn¡¯t until 2015 that I began to fully flesh out the story. The reason was that I was waiting to see what would happen with Mirai Millennium. Would the anime eventually be produced? When nothing eventuated, I decided to start putting fingers to keyboard, and write a brief outline.

    With my entrance into Amazon Kindle, and the discovery of Royal Road Legend, my resolution to write the story progressed to a full fifty page outline. While working on the ongoing ¡°Pride X ReVamp¡± series and ¡°Princess Royale¡± saga, I began working on the concept design for Faery Knight. The building of models was next, and the cementing of what the Battle Faery was going to look like, in particular, Mirai¡¯s Rhoswen (meaning White Rose). I wanted it simple, skeletal, yet not oversized. I based on it the designs I¡¯d already completed of the Warlords from ¡°The Seals of Arcala¡±.

    With this and other concepts now in place, the next step was to write the first draft and post it on Royal Road Legend.

    With any luck it will eventually get Danny Choo¡¯s attention¡­in a positive way.

    More information regarding the series will be posted intermittently on my blog page, http://www.pridesfamiliarsmaidens.com</a>

    With these words, I present to you the first draft of Volume One in the ¡°Faery Knight¡± series.

    I truly hope you enjoy it.

    Simkin Hart

    April, 2016

    <hr />

    Prologue

    The rubble finally grew still but a thick mist of dust and pulverized permacrete wafted through the air.

    She pulled herself upright after crawling out from beneath the fallen blocks.

    When she stood up, much of her body caked in a thin, powdery layer of ruin, she looked back and saw that the wall she, her sister, her parents, and scores of people had been huddling against was gone.

    The interior of the evacuated shopping complex lay devastated before her eyes.

    There hadn¡¯t been enough space in the shelter for her and her family, and countless others. So the people had broken into the mall, and sought refuge from the fierce fighting taking place throughout the city-state. Her father had said the alert was issued too late, and when it finally came, the people didn¡¯t have enough time to reach the shelters. But the truth was there weren¡¯t enough shelters, and so the people had looked for safety where they could find it.

    The mall was a mess. It was devastated by the battle that was taking place ¨C a battle between something that resembled a fast moving tank on legs, and a giant clad in ornate armor wielding a glowing emerald sword that was longer than a man was tall.

    Even at her age of seven, she knew what that giant was, and she knew it was something to fear.

    A Genjitsu.

    An illusionary creature.

    Something that moved like it was alive and yet wasn¡¯t.

    Something that came from the Seeds that travelled between worlds connected by the Galactic Ley Lines.

    An enemy of humanity.

    The armored giant swung the immense curved sword in a downward arc. The weapon came down upon the tank, slicing its armor, turning it green and brittle. The tank fired its last shots, its specialized rounds loaded with anti-Etherite blowing chunks out of the giant¡¯s armored torso, then fell silent and still as the glowing emerald sword sliced through its body, turning the composite armor into soft Etherite that would crumble and decay within days.

    With the tank defeated, the giant turned and began searching for new quarry.

    Its helmeted head turned about, searching its surroundings, and using the Ether flowing through the mall to seek out signs of life like a dog senses smells.

    Mirai could sense the Ether as well, and she could use it too.

    In a hurry, she used her Empath Weaver talent to ward the flows away from her body, and away from the collapsed wall. If she could hide the people¡¯s feelings flowing out of the rubble and carried along by the Ether, she could hide them from the Genjitsu.

    However, she didn¡¯t notice there were people elsewhere in the large department store ¨C people that were on their feet and running away, their emotions saturating the Ether.

    Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t stop their feelings from reaching the giant.

    It turned¡­and saw her.

    No¡­it saw the survivors fleeing in every direction.

    And Mirai understood then and there that if she didn¡¯t run, she would die.

    But she couldn¡¯t run.

    Her sister, and her family were somewhere in the rubble.

    She couldn¡¯t run and leave them behind, so motivated by her heart, she crawled back under the blocks and reached out for her sister and parents.

    Using the Ether, Mirai was guided to Haruka and grabbed a hold of her younger sister¡¯s small hand. She crawled out of the rubble, dragging Haruka with her. Peeking over the blocks, she saw the giant chasing a group of people down the length of the shopping arcade.

    She didn¡¯t wait to see what would happen, because she knew those people would die. So she ducked back under the rubble and again used the Ether to search for her parents in the darkness.

    But there was no sign of them in the Ether.

    The flows had other emotions imprinted on them, but they did not belong to her parents.

    She searched again, pushing her Empath talent to its limit, sniffing out the emotions and feelings texturing the flowing Ether.

    But the imprint she was looking for wasn¡¯t there.

    The life that her parents exuded out into the Ether wasn¡¯t there.

    An invisible fist closed around her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

    At the age of seven, Mirai Suenaga understood a horrible truth.

    Her parents were dead, and she and her sister were alone in the world.

    A loud scream tore at her emotions and fear rushed through her. It wasn¡¯t her fear. It was her sister¡¯s fear, stamped into the flowing Ether.

    Mirai crawled out from under the immense broken slabs that was once a large wall, and saw Haruka staring into the shopping complex. She turned and looked behind her, and saw the glowing ghostly Genjitsu, striding toward her.

    The fifteen foot tall giant appeared larger, thicker, less translucent than before, and Mirai remembered her studies.

    Second Incarnation.

    The Genjitsu¡¯s body was made of Ether. It started as a Seed, an almond shaped metal capsule that wove the Ether around itself, forming a body and armor that was at first faint and ghostly yet hard as wood. The longer the Seed survived before being destroyed, more time it had to weave the Ether, turning that ghostly body even harder while assuming a new shape.

    The Seed that formed the core of this Genjitsu had been here long enough to reach Second Incarnation, and the giant now had four arms at its disposal, a curved sword and a long spear.

    It was now stronger, and harder to defeat.

    Mirai turned, grabbed Haruka¡¯s hand, and ran away from the giant.

    She ran deep into the immense department store.

    She could hear the thundering steps as the giant Genjitsu pursued her, and she could hear the sound of its destructive passage through the store.

    Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the giant¡¯s head tearing a wide gash through the ceiling, ripping fixtures, lights, air conditioning conduits, and cabling along the way.

    Haruka stumbled and almost fell, nearly pulling Mirai down with her, but the two girls ran on.

    Having shopped here many times with her mother, Mirai was familiar with the store''s layout, and knew there was an exit at the back end. If she could reach the exit, if she could get out of the giant¡¯s sight, then she could use the Ether to hide herself from its senses.

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    She knew the Genjitsu wasn¡¯t alive. There were no feeling emanating from it. It was something created by the alien Seed inside the giant¡¯s body. But it could read the Ether, just like women of Empathic talent ¨C just like Mirai and her mother before her.

    Haruka was breathing heavily, unaccustomed to running so hard. Mirai knew that if she fell, they would have to hide, since she wasn¡¯t strong enough to carry her sister. How could she be? She was just a child, and Haruka was a year younger.

    But they were all they had, and she was determined to keep her sister safe.

    Then she remembered they were not alone.

    There was one more Suenaga, and that was her adopted big sister, Marisol.

    Marisol was strong, and beautiful, and she was gifted in a way Mirai wasn¡¯t.

    Marisol could fight the Genjitsu because she was gifted with an armor called a Diva.

    Marisol Suenaga was a Dea, and the Dea were goddesses that ruled the battlefield.

    The exit was up ahead.

    Pulling Haruka along with her, Mirai arrived at the door, turned the handle, and felt a wave of relief when she realized it was unlocked.

    Then she pulled the door open, and saw the city-state before her.

    The outer wall of the complex was gone. It was blown away by the battle between a group of legged tanks, and another Genjitsu. The tank lay in pieces, and the Genjitsu Seed was perforated with a half dozen holes. Emerald embers floated out of the Seed, and green sparks flashed through the holes in its body.

    With the wall gone, there were no emergency stairs to run down.

    However, that didn¡¯t stop her.

    Desperation fueled her recklessness.

    ¡°Jump,¡± she yelled at Haruka, and holding tightly onto her sister¡¯s hand, Mirai leapt onto the collapsed wall below her.

    The wall had come down at an angle, forming a slide that she and Haruka now descended. She could feel her dress tearing as her backside slid down the hard permacrete. Haruka screamed in both fear and pain, as the friction burned her rump.

    Sometimes wearing a dress wasn¡¯t the best idea, but there hadn¡¯t been time to change, and she had fled with her family with the clothes she was already wearing.

    They landed on an outcropping formed by more rubble.

    Ignoring the pain in her body, Mirai pulled Haruka to her feet, and jumped recklessly from one piece of debris to the other, until they landed on the broken street.

    She didn¡¯t need to turn to know the Genjitsu had emerged from the shopping complex.

    She could hear it crash through the exterior, and she could feel the maelstrom of Ether surrounding it.

    She ran with Haruka gasping for breath at her side.

    Eventually her sister¡¯s legs gave out, and Haruka collapsed, pulling Mirai down with her.

    Rising to her knees, her legs scraped and bloody, Mirai tried pulling Haruka to her feet, but it was futile. Her sister had been pushed beyond exhaustion.

    There was nothing she could do, and nowhere to run.

    The Genjitsu strode toward her, one thundering step after the other, and Mirai chose to meet it on her feet.

    There was one last thing she could try.

    She could use the Ether against it.

    Concentrating her talent ¨C a talent that had frightened her mother ¨C Mirai willed the Ether to form a dome around her and her sister. With each passing second she added  a new layer, turing the dome into something ghostly green as the dense Ether was now visible to the naked eye.

    The Genjitsu halted as though re-evaluating the situation, giving Mirai more time to condense the Ether into a thicker dome. After a few seconds, the Genjitsu resumed advancing, and hefted both the Etheric sword and spear it carried.

    Then it began to run.

    Its footfalls grew heavier and the ground trembled so much Mirai fell to her knees.

    It ran at full force covering the remaining distance in a heartbeat, and stabbed at the dome of Ether with the bladed spear tip.

    Mirai¡¯s Etheric dome held.

    Arms stretched before her, she pushed at the dome from the inside, willing the Ether to remain hard.

    The Genjitsu stabbed at the dome again and again, then slashed at it with the glowing emerald sword.

    Mirai felt the outer layers of the dome begin to fade away, as she lost her grip on the Ether that formed it.

    Little by little the dome was growing thinner, and the spear and sword penetrated deeper.

    She was bleeding now. She could feel the blood trickle from her nose, and down her cheeks as it welled up in her eyes.

    She was pushing herself beyond the limit of what her body was capable of, finding new limits, and pushing beyond them yet again.

    But the Genjitsu wasn¡¯t a First Incarnation.

    As a Second Incarnation, it was now strong enough to blow away the tanks of the city-state¡¯s Self Defense Force.

    It was strong enough to trouble a Battle Faery.

    It was determined to crush Mirai.

    The dome broke apart and the Ether forming it swirled away like a green mist, dissipating into the air.

    Her body bereft of strength, Mirai collapsed to the ground, falling onto her chest. Unable to catch herself, her forehead banged hard onto the street.

    And so it was that lying face down she didn¡¯t see the Genjitsu raise its sword.

    She didn¡¯t see the spear held high, its bladed tip aimed at her back.

    The Genjitsu Seed that controlled the giant made of hardened Ether had recognized her as a threat greater than any physical weapon of destruction humanity had yet thrown against it.

    Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mirai understood this.

    Yes she also understood that this was the end for her, and for her sister, Haruka.

    She closed her eyes, and sent a prayer to the gods above to protect the souls of her sister, her family. And then she prayed that Marisol was still safe, somewhere out there, fighting the Genjitsu ¨C fighting to save people¡¯s lives.

    Mirai took a deep breath, and waited for the end, sensing through the Ether as the sword and spear came down.

    Then the Ether vanished as though it had never existed, and Mirai felt a gust of wind so strong it picked up her limp body and tossed her down the street. She glimpsed Haruka flying through the air, landing in a heap beside her.

    It wasn¡¯t just the wind that had launched her into the air.

    The ground had shaken as something incredibly heavy had landed upon the street.

    Because she was lying on her back, Mirai could see down the street, and witnessed an incredible sight.

    The Genjitsu had been split in half.

    The Ether that comprised its body was fading away, like smoke in the wind.

    In heartbeats its armor was unrecognizable.

    In seconds nothing remained of its body but the silver Seed, the meter long almond shaped core, floating a few feet above the ground. But the Seed had been cleaved in half down the middle, and it fell to the ground with a heavy metallic thud. A moment later, it exploded in a green cloud, as the pent up Ether within its small body burst free. The cloud vanished quickly as though swept aside by a gale force wind.

    Mirai understood why the Ether had vanished, and why the Ether inside the Seed had been swept away.

    It was caused by a void-field more powerful than anything she had ever felt before.

    The field completely cut her off from the Ether, and Mirai guessed it must have been hundreds of feet in radius, since she was lying on the ground quite some distance from the destroyed Genjitsu Seed.

    Her gaze settled on the black skeletal machine with six flat wings emerging from its back, fluttering gently while haloed in rings of blue-white light. It stood fifteen feet tall, and was more powerful than any machine humanity had built in its image. The Battle Faeries used by talented women with strong Empath Weaver talent were nothing more than cheap copies compared to the real deal.

    What stood in the middle of the street wasn¡¯t a copy.

    It wasn¡¯t a Battle Faery.

    It was a Diva.

    A gift to humanity from the alien Arcology that orbited the planet Pantheon¡¯s sole moon.

    The Diva was a black, skeletal, armored goddess of battle, and the person piloting it was a young teenage girl with long flowing black hair.

    Mirai recognized the girl, and whispered her name.

    ¡°¡­Marisol¡­.¡±

    Then she closed her eyes as fatigue overwhelmed her body.

    She had one last faint recollection of her name being called out, before slipping into cool, blessed darkness.

 Chapter 1 - Part I

    Chapter 1.

    (Part I)

    The morning sunrise barely clipped the tops of the buildings ahead of him.

    Getting up earlier than was usual for him, Eiji Seiun had debated his method of travel to the Asakusa Academy.

    He could either walk the two kilometers from the apartment he shared with his older sister, or he could take mag-lev that ran past the residential complex.

    In the end, he decided to walk and use the time to think of the day¡¯s problems lying in wait for him.

    On his way to the Academy, and dressed in the summer uniform for boys, Eiji looked up, ignored the glare through the gaps between buildings, and noticed the clouds tinged with the subtlest of emerald hues. That alone made him stop in his tracks and pull out his palm-slate from a trouser back pocket. Thumbing through the menus, he called up the weather report and then read the entry regarding the Ether¡¯s predicted levels for the day: high to very high.

    He thumbed through the rest of the weather notifications before pocketing his palm-slate, and resumed walking down the broad sidewalk.

    The Etheric Reflectors mounted atop every building in Pan Pacifica would be working overtime today warding away the Ether from the city-state¡¯s skyline. If the Ether¡¯s density was too high it affected complex photronic systems, contaminating them by transmuting the delicate material into Etherite, the emerald-like mineral that was a conductor of the Ether. For a civilization that depended on those advanced photronic systems, the Ether was a bane.

    Ever since the arrival of the Settlement Fleet to the terraformed world of Pantheon, some forty five years ago, humanity had been searching for ways to deal with the Ether. The Galactic Ley Line had led the fleet to the terraformed world of Pantheon, but it had also led to them a world of problems. The Ether, the energy the spilled from the Ley Line, was one of those. Eventually, scientists and engineers broke the problem down into two camps: the benefits and the non-benefits.

    When used in conjunction with Etherite, the Ether could power clean energy systems. With a higher energy conversion efficiency than solar energy, the latest transducers provided enough power to supply the entire city-state grid. The downside to this was the need to draw the Ether away from the city-state to power stations outside of the city limits, convert the energy to electrical power, then feed it back to Pan-Pacifica.

    In short, the Ether could be manipulated to benefit a modern civilization, but it was a shaky relationship.

    The biggest problem with the Ether was its transmutation property ¨C its ability to convert inorganic matter, regardless of its chemical composition or atomic structure, into the crystalline mineral aptly referred to as Etherite. The process was one that took thousands of years, and when done leisurely it produced a high quality Etherite that could then be refined for use in Etheric Reactors.

    Despite this, there were finite deposits of Etherite within the planet¡¯s crust. It wasn¡¯t as though Pantheon was covered in fields of glowing emerald Etherite. To get to it, deep mines had to be constructed. In addition, Etherite could not transmute water any more than it could affect organic matter.

    However, it did have an effect on humanity.

    It altered the Symbiote ¨C the Thread ¨C that existed in a harmonic relationship with its human host from cradle to the grave, and it separated the genders of men and women in a unique way.

    The evolved Thread gave women the ability to magically weave the Ether with their will. They also gained an empathic talent, allowing them to write or cleans emotions that were imprinted on the Ether.

    Men were not without their talent either, but in a society like Pantheon¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t as important. In fact, men got the short end of the straw when it came to talent. Maybe in another world or another time, men would have been able to use their Ether Kinetic ability to great use, but on Pantheon it was a wasted ability. While women gained the talent to weave the Ether, men could use the Ether as medium to express a telekinetic power that allowed them to move objects imbued with Etherite.

    Even now, as he walked down the street, Eiji could feel faint traces of Etherite in the sidewalk under his feet. It was a minute amount, like a handful of tiny grains of sand mixed into hundreds of cubic meters of permacrete, yet he could sense it because Eiji Seiun had an immense Ether Kinetic talent¡­that he couldn¡¯t put to use.

    No, that¡¯s not true. I could put it to use, but I lack the intention to do so.

    Using his Ether Kinetic ability wasn¡¯t something he needed to further his goals.

    His feet carried him subconsciously to the intersection, and stopped at the crossing.

    Morning traffic whizzed by, the sounds of electric motors in the air.

    An elderly woman stood at the crossing, a few feet to his left. Eiji glanced at her and two thoughts crossed his mind.

    The first was what the heck was she doing up so early in the morning?

    The second was that she was undoubtedly one of the First Settlers to have arrived at Pantheon forty-nine years ago after the long, cold sleep aboard the immense arks of the Settlement Fleet. He briefly wondered what it was like for her to have stepped onto a world unblemished by humanity.

    With faint unease, he looked up at the slowly brightening morning sky, and his gaze focused on the large, pale moon hanging there.

    Somewhere up there, orbiting Pantheon¡¯s celestial neighbor, was the alien Arcology responsible for terraforming the world and preparing it for humanity¡¯s arrival. Though he couldn¡¯t see it with the naked eye, the Arcology was an immense thirty kilometer long ship that was unlike anything humanity or the Archons had ever constructed. Yet humanity had encountered something like it a long time ago¡­in the midst of a giant nebula that was now thousands of light-years away.

    Eiji suppressed a shiver, relieved when the crossing began to chime a repeating melody that indicated it was safe to walk across the street. Actually, all the crossing light and tune indicated was that pedestrians had right of way for the moment. Whether it was safe to cross the street was another matter. In any regards, the traffic this early in the morning was extremely light for a city-state the size of Pan-Pacifica with three quarters of a million inhabitants, though at one time the population had been higher by thousands.

    When the Genjitsu Seeds fell en masse upon the world ten years ago, having travelled between worlds using the Galactic Ley Line, Pan-Pacifica was hardest hit out of Pantheon¡¯s seven city-states. A quarter of the city damaged and ten thousand lives lost, before Archon and human weaponry succeeded in terminating the last of the Genjitsu Seeds that crashed with destructive force into the city, and manifested into the giant Genjitsu warriors composed of the Ether made solid.

    However, it was not the first time the Seeds had fallen upon Pantheon. The Genjitsu had been dripping onto Pantheon for more than twenty-five years, and during that time the orbital defense batteries had destroyed the majority of the Seeds when they emerged out of the Ley Line and into real-space. Only a few hundred had ever made it to the planet''s surface, and they were defeated by the city-state Self Defense Force that included first, second, and third generation Battle Faeries in their ranks.

    What made the event ten years ago so memorable for all the wrong reasons was the sheer scale of the deluge. It wasn¡¯t a few dozen seeds crashing onto the planet at once, but a few thousand. The orbital defenses had been overwhelmed, and even the vaunted Divas and Asuras ¨C warlords created by the alien Arcology and gifted to a select few ¨C had been unable to stop the Seeds while still in space. What ensued was the wide scale destruction of the seven city-states, and the realization that enemy was serious about destroying humanity. The question of who the enemy was, and why they attacked was something best left to the survivors to argue.

    Eiji arrived at the opposite side of the street, and glanced over his left shoulder.

    There was no sign of the elderly lady.

    He looked behind him, and saw the old woman had only travelled halfway across the wide street.

    The crossing had changed its tune, issuing a soft warning melody that was designed to alert pedestrians to hurry and get off the street.

    Eiji turned away and started walking again.

    Why doesn¡¯t she use the overhead bridge? It has an escalator and moving walkway as well.

    With a sigh he stopped, then turned around and jogged back to the crossing.

    However, he found his help wasn¡¯t needed.

    A young girl with dark blonde hair, and dressed in an Asakusa Academy summer uniform, was helping the lady across the street, and they arrived shortly at the sidewalk just as the ¡°don¡¯t cross¡± chime sounded.

    He stopped walking, and stood a few feet away from the girl and old lady, latter busy thanking her while the girl politely advised her to take the bridge the next time.

    ¡°After all,¡± she said, ¡°that¡¯s why they were there.¡±

    Then she began advising the old lady about the latest model pedway floaters, that used a low power effect-field called a levitator-field to elevate the floater a few inches off the ground. Equipped with a variety of different seats to accommodate a variety of different backsides, the floater was the equivalent of the single seat scooter, but designed for pedestrian use.

    All this information she imparted with surprising precision upon the old woman by using her palm-slate. The girl described various different models to elderly lady, sounding more and more like a saleswoman looking for her next commission.

    Eiji¡¯s mind gradually grew blank as he watched and listened to her drone on, and a vacuous expression settled on the woman¡¯s face, clearly indicating that her mind had entered a different zone courtesy of the girl¡¯s incessant sales chatter.

    Even so, he wasn¡¯t able to help himself and his gaze quickly ran over the girl¡¯s shapely, yet lithe body, making the obvious stop at her impressive chest before hurriedly and quite guiltily moving along. His gaze chose to travel back down, and Eiji wondered why the female summer uniforms of Asakusa Academy were so short, although he wasn¡¯t complaining.

    He turned quickly on his heels, and walked away, feeling a little dirty for having scoped her out so early in the morning.

    Not my fault. It¡¯s an autonomic response. A primitive response encoded in the gene sequence of every human male. I¡¯m a victim of evolution. Blame god for giving girls breasts and long legs. Blame the Thread inside their bodies for making them even sexier. Thus, I enter my plea of not guilty.

    He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, fearing they would start to sweat.

    What the Heck is she doing here? She normally doesn¡¯t come to the Academy this way?

    True, he¡¯d not been expecting to run into her, and he knew she wasn¡¯t the kind of girl who liked getting up early. Then again, the next three days were special occasions, and today marked the start of the Summer Faery Knight Tournament held at Asakusa Academy.

    Wait¡ªwas she planning to walk with me to school?

    The thought sent a warm shiver down his back, which embarrassingly settled in his groin.

    He groaned quietly.

    I really can¡¯t get used to her now¡­not since I realized how I felt about her¡­.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the source of his emotional distress ran up to him and fell into step beside him.

    ¡°Morning, Eiji,¡± she politely greeted him with a melodious voice.

    ¡°Morning¡­.¡±

    They walked in silence for a little while, until he couldn¡¯t contain himself and asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you travelled this way to the Academy.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­no¡­not normally. I thought I¡¯d try something different today.¡±

    A faintly nervous giggle escaped her lips. Her voice was undeniably soft and tender, making his heart skip a couple of beats. In his pockets, his hands were definitely breaking into a nervous sweat.

    I can¡¯t keep going like this. She¡¯s bound to notice sooner rather than later.

    Hiding his hands was one thing. Hiding his feelings was another. The Ether was carrying the emotions his body was imprinting on the flows, and he knew the girl¡¯s talent as an Empath Weaver was at the top of the charts. There was little chance she would fail to read his feelings on the Ether.

    The Ether wasn¡¯t just a bane on complex systems. It was the enemy of every high-school boy carrying a crush.

    While a girl could hide her feelings by cleansing the flows with her Empathic talent, a boy couldn¡¯t so he was essentially like an open book revealing every dirty little thought in his head. It was a constant source of conflict for the guys who were unable to hide their feelings from the Ether or the girls in class. This was especially a problem for guys harboring feelings for their heart¡¯s desire.

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    Eiji sighed inwardly.

    There was no doubt the girls were troubled by all the male desires wafting in the Ether during class, like pheromones in the air. More than a few times a boy had been slapped for thinking something about a girl and was then betrayed to her by the Ether. Though the issue of separate classes had been proposed throughout the decades, in the end, classrooms were still co-educational, and girls and the Ether continued to torment the male student body. However, girls did have the option to weave the Ether into a protective layer around their bodies that prevented emotions flowing in the Ether from reaching them. In effect, girls could cocoon themselves with the Ether, and thus isolate themselves from outside feelings imprinted on the flows.

    That was something men couldn¡¯t do.

    Eiji sighed outwardly this time, and focused on trying to calm down.

    Easier said than done, he told himself.

    ¡°Eiji, you¡¯ve been bad.¡±

    His heart jumped at her faintly scolding tone, and he shot her a glance. Did she notice? Yes, of course she did. Great, the big reveal yet again in the morning.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, noticing he sounded nervous.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t help that nice old lady to cross the street.¡±

    He stared at her this time, wondering if she was joking.

    Releasing a self-conscious shrug, he replied, ¡°She knew what she was in for when she decided to walk and not take the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Still, you could have helped her along. After all, it¡¯s the Asakusa way.¡±

    He stared at her blankly. ¡°Huh?¡±

    She showed him her palm-slate. A section of the Asakusa Academy handbook was displayed on it. ¡°See, it says right here. Respect your elders.¡±

    ¡°It says respect, not help your elders. The two are not synonymous.¡±

    She tapped the screen and the next page displayed animated two-dimensional images of a female student helping an elderly woman across the street. ¡°This is the Asakusa way,¡± the girl intoned in a serious voice.

    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s a girl. You¡¯re a girl. I¡¯m not a girl.¡±

    ¡°Now your splitting hairs,¡± she muttered belligerently.

    Eiji grimaced and changed tack. ¡°Does the manual say you can launch into a sales pitch as soon as you arrive across the street?¡±

    ¡°I was simply advising her on alternative means of transportation.¡±

    ¡°More like you were trying to sell her a pedway.¡±

    The girl frowned, then scowled weakly. ¡°I only had her best interests in mind.¡±

    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with that part-time job you were after?¡±

    The girl shook her head, and her dark blonde hair swished gently about her pretty face. ¡°No, not at all. You know I barely have enough time for the photography club these days.¡±

    Eiji turned away, trying not to hurry.

    Damn. She really has grown prettier.

    The girl grumbled, ¡°Kanata-senpai really shouldn¡¯t complain so much about my club attendance. It¡¯s her fault I have so much training in the afternoons. She dragged me into the Crimson Force Team kicking and screaming.¡±

    Eiji rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You fell in love with the power of a Battle Faery the first time you merged with one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t think it was going to be so much work being a member of her team,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°No pain no gain, Mirai.¡±

    His heart jumped again as he said her name, and he fell quiet.

    In the corner of his left eye, he saw Mirai Suenaga brush back a lock of long dark blonde hair.

    She spoke softly. ¡°I called out to you but I guess you didn¡¯t hear me.¡±

    He frowned faintly as he searched his recollection of the last few minutes. ¡°No¡­I guess I didn¡¯t.¡±

    A soft sigh escaped into the air. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s because I just can¡¯t use the Ether as well Haruka can.¡±

    His frown deepened a little, and despite himself he gave her a sidelong look. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I imprinted my feelings onto the Ether, and then used my Weaver ability to send them to you.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something we were practicing last week in class with Holly-sensei.¡± She released a feeble shrug. ¡°I guess I have a lot of practice ahead of me.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want to?¡± he asked, openly wondering what purpose it served. ¡°The practice of imprinting emotions into the Ether and using it to subvert another party is illegal. You can get arrested for doing it.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to subvert you,¡± she protested.

    He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe your Empath Studies teacher is teaching you that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not subversive,¡± she stated adamantly. ¡°And it¡¯s part of our studies curriculum.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so last year when the girls were trying to get gifts out of the boys on White Day wasn¡¯t subversion?¡±

    ¡°I had nothing to do with that.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were a part of that.¡±

    ¡°Eiji¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know it¡¯s not fair for a guy to have his feelings twisted by a girl.¡±

    Her lips parted but she said nothing.

    Eiji realized he was like a rolling boulder, unable to stop. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair. Girls shouldn¡¯t have that ability.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Mirai looked aghast. ¡°Eiji, you can¡¯t say something like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can. At the very least, men should have the ability to protect themselves from being unduly influenced.¡±

    ¡°Unduly¡­influenced¡­.¡±

    ¡°If only anti-personnel void-fields were mass produced and cheap. I¡¯m sure the first person to market them will make a fortune.¡± He realized something obvious and clicked his fingers. ¡°Wait, the Archons already have that technology. Maybe someone can convince the Regiss to hand it over?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you have to be so hostile about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re not a guy. You¡¯re a girl,¡± he retorted flatly.

    ¡°We¡¯re not subverting anyone. It¡¯s not brainwashing,¡± Mirai complained. ¡°The Ether can be used to cleanse a person¡¯s pain, and it can be used to calm them down. In emergency situations it is used like first-aid.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Right. And you can use it to turn a person murderous, especially if that person can¡¯t protect himself from the Ether.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what we¡¯re learning to do.¡±

    ¡°Well, tell that to the women serving time in detention facilities.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not like them, and the girls in class are not like them?¡±

    ¡°Well, power corrupts.¡±

    Mirai sucked in air loudly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have absolute power so I cannot be corrupted absolutely.¡±

    Hefting the straps of his school carry-bag higher onto his right shoulder, Eiji picked up his walking pace. ¡°Sorry, but I need to go on ahead.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Mirai sounded surprised. ¡°Eiji¡ª¡±

    He gave her a quick wave without turning. ¡°I need to visit the Faery Pit before homeroom. I still have work to do on your Faery.¡±

    He started jogging away, then heard the sound of running footsteps behind him.

    ¡°Eiji, you¡¯re mad.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m busy and short on time.¡±

    ¡°Eiji, don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    ¡°Mirai, I¡¯m busy. And you shouldn¡¯t run while wearing a short skirt.¡±

    ¡°Eiji, you can¡¯t hide your feelings from me!¡±

    He skidded to a stop, then whirled around to face her. ¡°Mirai¡ª!¡±

    Running hard to keep up with him, she failed to stop in time, and crashed headlong into him.

    Somehow his preternatural reflexes saved him, and he shifted his body to take the collision and then slide along the sidewalk with it. But in doing so he had to wrap his arms around her body to keep her from falling. Holding her in his arms, her body and breasts pressed against him, Eiji felt his heart pounding like a taiko drum in his chest.

    It was impossible for him to hide his feelings from her.

    It wasn¡¯t just the Ether betraying him, but his body too.

    With her so close to him, Mirai was certain to feel and hear his heart beating away and the blood roaring through his veins.

    ¡°Eiji¡ª?¡±

    He released her quickly, grabbed his carry-bag that had fallen to the sidewalk, and threw the straps over his right shoulder. ¡°I have to go. I need to run diagnostics on your Battle Faery. Sorry, but don¡¯t follow me.¡±

    He turned quickly and walked away. A handful of meters down the sidewalk he started jogging again. Keeping his run at a steady pace, a few minutes later, he turned down the wide avenue that led all the way to the Academy.

    He knew that if he turned around just once, he would lose his resolve and probably run back to her, so he concentrated on his running form and kept his eyes forward. The warmth of her body, and her scent lingered in his mind, and not even the onset of exhaustion could make him forget how fragile and soft she felt in his arms.

    Now I¡¯m just like every other lovesick idiot attending school.

    Slowing down as he approached Asakusa Academy, he noticed students trickling through the entrance, walking either alone or in small groups, some excitedly, some lost in thought.

    He tidied his appearance while regulating his breathing, though his heart continued to pound inside his chest. As he walked under the arch spanning the open entrance, Eiji looked up at the banner hanging from the archway.

    FAERY KNIGHT SUMMER TOURNAMENT.

    The words were printed in bright colors.

    Eiji read them at a glance, his mind already falling into a well-practiced pattern of thought as he began running through a mental list of the work to be performed on Crimson Force Team¡¯s Battle Faeries before the start of the tournament today.

    At the top of the list was checking the customizations he and Ayato Kiriyama had completed on Mirai¡¯s Battle Faery, Rhoswen. They had worked on the machine over weekend and finished late last night, but were unable to test the changes due to a lack of time. That said there was only a limited amount of testing that could be accomplished with the Battle Faery in its maintenance alcove. If Mirai didn¡¯t test the improvements in the morning before the tournament commenced, she would be entering into battle with an untried machine and that made him undoubtedly nervous.

    Making those customizations this late in the game was a risk, but he knew that Mirai would need a special machine to get her through to the last couple of rounds, and he believed her Battle Faery Rhoswen was up to the task. He and Ayato had made those customizations with Mirai¡¯s skills in mind.

    However, there was one thing about the Battle Faery he would neither change nor compromise on, and that was the machine¡¯s color scheme.

    He would rather run a lap around the Academy naked than paint the Faery in Mirai¡¯s favorite color ¨C orange.

    Instead, Eiji had ensured the Battle Faery¡¯s wings were painted immaculate white, thus befitting the name of Rhoswen, the White Rose. In fact, there wasn¡¯t a speck of orange anywhere on Rhoswen¡¯s body.

    Mirai the White Rose sounds a lot better than Mirai the Orange Rose!

    Perhaps thinking about work helped settle his feelings, and he noticed his heart had eased down to a gentle jog in his chest, rather than a mad war sprint.

    Gripping his carry-bag that bumped gently into his right hip, Eiji walked with renewed purpose and clarity to the large oval shaped building in the near distance that served as the home for the eight Faery teams fielded by Asakusa Academy, otherwise known as the Faery Nest. With the time barely six thirty a.m. in the morning, he had two hours before homeroom commenced, and barely enough time to make a start on the Faeries of the Crimson Force Team.

    As he walked, he noticed other young male students heading for the large building.

    It appeared he wasn¡¯t the only engineering student intending to make an early start.

    It was true the girls would be the ones shining out there in the four battle arenas of Asakusa Academy. But the ones supporting them were the boys who not-so-secretly cherished them. He knew of more than a handful of male students who¡¯d entered the engineering curriculum just to get closer to the girl they liked.

    I guess some things will never change.

    Suppressing a grin, Eiji strode to the Faery Nest, determined to show them what a truly talented engineering prodigy he was, and how much Mirai meant to him.

    A sudden thought crossed his mind.

    If she wins the tournament, then I¡¯ll confess my feelings to her.

    The thought lingered in his head for a while, before quietly making a stage exit.

    In its wake, Eiji was unable to suppress a smile.

 Chapter 1 - Part II

    Chapter 1 - Part II

    When Mirai thought about her relationship with Eiji, she was certain she could pinpoint when her feelings for him grew beyond those of a simple crush.

    But though she nurtured them over time, they weren¡¯t feelings that matured over many years.

    Eiji and Mirai were not childhood friends. They had only met at the beginning of last year.

    Eiji had been a second-year high school student, majoring in the engineering curriculum.

    Mirai had been a first-year high schooler who¡¯d just passed the entrance requirement to join one of the eight Faery teams fielded by Asakusa Academy.

    With Eiji a member of the mechanics assigned to keep Crimson Force¡¯s Faeries in working order, he had crossed paths with Mirai on many occasions.

    Little by little those occasions became more often, and when she was chosen to compete in last year¡¯s Winter Tournament, Eiji had worked closely with her and the other girls sharing the Battle Faeries.

    Along the way, Mirai¡¯s feelings for Eiji had steadily developed, but she had chosen to keep them confined within her heart. She would wrap herself in a tight Etheric cocoon and bottle those feelings up so that they wouldn¡¯t leak out on the flowing Ether. Yet while she could contain her emotions from the Ether, she couldn¡¯t hide her feelings from the other girls. Unlike boys, girls were a lot more sensitive to the body language of their peers, and it wasn¡¯t long before Mirai¡¯s secret was out.

    While her fellow team members were somewhat supportive, she realized there were many other girls that weren¡¯t. Eiji was a person of romantic interest for many of the girls, not just those who were members of Crimson Force team. Consequently, Mirai understood she faced stiff competition. However, coping with antagonism and rivalry from the female student body was one thing. Coping with Eiji¡¯s feelings was another because around the time she realized her feelings for him were true, she sensed Eiji feelings for her had also changed, and Mirai no longer believed hers was an unrequited attraction. Thus with the start of a new year, she had resolved to confess to Eiji, but before doing so there was one thing she wanted to achieve ¨C victory in the Summer Tournament. Perhaps it was misguided, but she believed that with the help of the goddess of victory, her confession would be successful.

    With so much at stake, she had pushed herself hard to make the Summer team and compete for glory¡­and for love.

    But as she watched him leave her behind, Mirai felt her world crash down around her.

    This wasn¡¯t the way it was supposed to be.

    She had decided to surprise him on the first day of the tournament, and walk with him to the Academy. She already knew that he preferred to walk rather than take the maglev to school. Her ambush had been perfect, but then the situation had gone downhill and she blamed herself.

    Walking dispiritedly in his footsteps, Mirai muttered despondently, ¡°Why did I have to say that to him?¡±

    She hadn¡¯t lied to Eiji when she said he couldn¡¯t hide his feelings from her, but those words had been a mistake and she couldn¡¯t take them back.

    It was the one thing every teen oriented magazine she¡¯d read had told her.

    Never tell a man he was like an open book.

    To be told by a woman they couldn¡¯t hide their feelings was something men had grown to despise, and that¡¯s exactly what she¡¯d said to Eiji.

    ¡°I am such an idiot¡­.¡±

    The Ether was her ally, but it was his enemy, and her words had cut him deep.

    This wasn¡¯t something isolated between her and him.

    It wasn¡¯t something that affected just the guys and girls of Asakusa Academy.

    It was a grievance expressed by men across the colonized world of Pantheon.

    ¡°I really am an idiot¡­.¡±

    But it wasn¡¯t the only grievance. With the determination that women were best suited for opposing the Genjitsu threat, courtesy of their Ether Empath talent, the balance of power between the genders had shifted in favor of the fairer sex, driving a wedge between men and women as the former believed it was their place to protect the latter. The status quo that had held for millennia across the ages, had been upended and tossed on its head¡­and it hurt.

    Mirai understood this.

    She could feel it too ¨C an undercurrent of resentment beneath the feelings of many of the male student body, and she could feel that resentment in Eiji as well.

    It wasn¡¯t Eiji who would be protecting her, but Mirai who was chosen to protect him simply because she could wield the Ether as a shield and a weapon against the Genjitsu.

    He resented her. He envied her. And yet he cared for her. Of that she was undeniably certain.

    She could feel it in the Ether that flowed through him, she could see it in the effort he put into her Faery, and she experienced it during the long hours spent working with her to produce a Battle Faery that was perfectly in tune with her.

    So why the Hell is it so hard to tell him how I feel?

    Why is it so hard for him to tell me how he feels?

    Mirai stopped walking and looked up, seeing the Asakusa Academy entrance with its glorious silver arch supporting a curved banner.

    ¡°Summer Tournament¡­,¡± she mumbled. ¡°This wasn¡¯t how I planned the morning¡­.¡±

    Abruptly, she sensed two swirling masses of Ether storming just beyond the entrance, and looked down to see a couple of girls running toward her. One wore her hair in a short ponytail, while the other had it styled with a boyish cut.

    ¡°Sayaka¡­Minori¡­,¡± Mirai muttered. ¡°Why are they here¡­?¡±

    The two girls stopped quickly in front of her, then the girl with the short ponytail, Sayaka, raised a palm-slate to her ear.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s here, just like the tracking app said she was.¡± The girl listened to the other party for a moment, nodding quietly in slow succession. ¡°Not a problem, Senpai. We won¡¯t let her out of our sight.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Mirai leaned forward, looking puzzled.

    Minori circled around her and grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Right. Time¡¯s a wasting and Kanata-sama is royally pissed at you.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you said you¡¯d be here early. Instead, you¡¯ve been wandering around for almost an hour.¡±

    Mirai¡¯s expression broke into confusion. ¡°I what?¡±

    Sayaka looked annoyed. ¡°I said, you¡¯ve been wandering around outside the Academy for almost an hour.¡±

    ¡°I have? Wait¡ªhow do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Because Kanata-sama has been tracking you via your palm-slate.¡±

    Mirai remembered the app she and the other girls had been ordered to install on their palm-slates when they first entered the team. ¡°That¡¯s an invasion of privacy.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just Senpai being worried about you.¡± Sayaka grabbed Mirai¡¯s left arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The briefing is already happening. We were sent to ensure you didn¡¯t walk around the Academy again for a second time.¡±

    Mirai frowned. ¡°I walked around the Academy? The whole Academy?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Sayaka replied. ¡°You didn¡¯t circle as far as the arenas, but you covered a fair amount of ground. Now hurry up. Kanata-sama won¡¯t wait for us to start the briefing.¡±

    They hurried into the Academy, and Mirai caught sight of a large holovid clock circling slowly above a monument commemorating the bravery of the Faery Knights who fought to protect the city-state of Pan-Pacifica ten years ago. In honor of one such Knight, the school had been renamed Asakusa Academy.

    The time on the clock read seven fifteen am, and a quick glance at her wristwatch confirmed it.

    Maybe I really have been wandering around without realizing it.

    In the company of the two girls escorting her through the Academy grounds, Mirai sensed her head and thoughts grow clearer. The heartache and emotional pain was still there, but at least she her mind was out of the clouds. As her head cleared up, she grew more aware of her surroundings and saw that the open spaces of the Academy were now home to plethora of festival stalls that had sprouted up seemingly overnight. They were all in response to the Summer Tournament, and would ensure to keep the visiting crowds entertained and well fed.

    However, the more she looked about, the more she felt the Academy had become a showground, especially after spotting the dozen odd rides set up for children.

    ¡°This is a travesty,¡± she muttered. ¡°It¡¯s like people forgot the reason why Battle Faeries even exist.¡±

    Sayaka raised her eyebrows, but Minori released a startled gasp. ¡°Wow, coming from you that¡¯s just harsh.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Minori nodded. ¡°Or course. You¡¯re rarely cynical, and you tend to point out the positive rather than the negative. For you the glass is a quarter full, not three-quarters empty.¡± She tapped a fingertip to her lips. ¡°For example, we would expect you to say, ¡®oh how nice. Rides for the little children. I should go round and photograph that.¡¯ That¡¯s more the usual you.¡±

    Mirai gave the observation some thought. ¡°Have I become jaded?¡±

    Sayaka threw her a wide-eyed look. ¡°You? Jaded? The heavens forbid. You¡¯re so cheerful and pleasant they should name an ice cream flavor after you.¡±

    Mirai¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°That hurts¡­.¡±

    Sayaka waved a hand dismissively while clicking her tongue. ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Minori peeked at Mirai. ¡°Let me guess¡ªnot that I need to since it¡¯s pretty much written on your face¡ªbut I¡¯d say your plan to come to school with Eiji didn¡¯t pan out.¡±

    Gloom descended upon her again. ¡°I torpedoed myself and sank.¡±

    Sayaka snorted, then asked, ¡°How did you manage that?¡±

    Mirai took a deep breath. ¡°You know the list of top ten things a woman should never say to a man?¡±

    Sayaka gave her a fleeting nod. ¡°What of it?¡±

    Mirai took another deep breath. ¡°Well, I jumped straight to number one¡­and blew myself out of the water.¡±

    Sayaka snorted again, then started to chuckle. Then she started to laugh, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± Mirai protested weakly. ¡°Seriously. It was a disaster. All hands lost at sea.¡±

    Minori smacked Sayaka¡¯s back. ¡°Stop that. You¡¯re being rude.¡±

    Sayaka pointed at her. ¡°You can¡¯t wipe that smile off your face.¡±

    ¡°I know. But at least I¡¯m not laughing.¡±

    Mirai regarded the girl carefully, and noticed that Minori was turning red trying to hold in her laughter. But true to her word, she wasn¡¯t laughing, though her cheeks had ballooned out giving her the appearance of a ripe tomato.

    Mirai complained, ¡°You guys are being cruel.¡±

    Sayaka palmed her face and tried to compose herself but failed. ¡°Wait a minute. Let me get this right. Orange flavored Mirai told Eiji Seiun he was small?¡±

    Minori¡¯s cheeks popped and she burst into laughter.

    Mirai blinked, her face falling into confusion. ¡°Huh?¡±

    Between laughs, Minori wheezed out, ¡°Mirai¡ªhow could you?¡±

    Abruptly Mirai realized what the two girls meant, and blushed crimson. ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I meant at all. I did not call him small!¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Realizing their loud voices were attracting attention from the few girls and guys walking along the path, Mirai slapped her hands over her mouth.

    Meanwhile, Sayaka wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. ¡°Then what did you mean? That¡¯s number one on the list isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Mirai embarrassedly whispered.

    ¡°Then what are you talking about you?¡± Sayaka snapped.

    Minori waved a hand. ¡°Give the girl a chance to answer.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mirai cried out, then pressed her hands to her chest as she took a deep breath. ¡°I told Eiji he couldn¡¯t hide his feelings from me.¡±

    Minori gasped while Sayaka arched her eyebrows at Mirai.

    ¡°Good move,¡± Sayaka praised. ¡°That¡¯s bound to set off any man these days.¡±

    Minori nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s almost as bad as a girl saying she¡¯ll protect her boyfriend from danger.¡±

    Hearing that, Mirai¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Now do you understand why I¡¯m feeling this way?¡±

    Minori shook her head slowly. ¡°Mirai. Mirai. What are we going to do with you¡­?¡±

    After another deep breath, Mirai declared, ¡°I need to apologize to him.¡±

    Sayaka snorted again. ¡°Yeah, good luck with that.¡± Then she stopped as though struck by a sudden thought. ¡°Wait a minute. There is a way you could make it up to him.¡±

    Mirai stared at her intently. ¡°Please, tell me. You have to tell me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you anything.¡±

    ¡°Then name your price,¡± Mirai stated firmly.

    Sayaka folded her arms and returned Mirai¡¯s intent stare. ¡°Okay. If you do this, you¡¯ll be sparing me the trouble so that¡¯s payment enough.¡±

    A slight frown creased Mirai¡¯s brow. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°Eiji Seiun is a closet otaku, right?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah¡­I guess¡­,¡± Mirai grudgingly admitted.

    ¡°That¡¯s your ticket,¡± Sayaka said. ¡°You just have to feed his otaku passion.¡±

    Minori appeared to catch on before Mirai did, and clapped her hands. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an excellent idea.¡± She glanced at her slim wristwatch. ¡°But first we need to hurry.¡±

    Sayaka agreed, and the two girls grabbed Mirai and began to run down the winding path, turning right at an intersection, and onto a new path that led them to a big oval shaped building that resembled an arena yet wasn¡¯t one.

    The large building was the Faery Nest, where the teams had their briefing rooms, change rooms, and training centers. Having qualified for a team, Mirai¡¯s studies curriculum included several classes a week on piloting and combat theory, and courses on basic Faery maintenance. Once the basics were covered, the focus shifted to physical piloting and combat training. What couldn¡¯t be performed at the Faery Nest, was carried out at the arenas of which Asakusa Academy had four.

    The Faery Nest was also where the Battle Faeries were stored in underground hangars known as the Faery Pits. Thinking of those hangars, Mirai knew that Eiji was down in the pit allocated to the Crimson Force team, undoubtedly working on her Faery and those used by the other girls.

    Swallowing down her turgid feelings, Mirai bowed her head a little and followed Sayaka and Minori into the Faery Nest. Unlike when entering the main academic buildings, there was no need to change their shoes in the Faery Nest so the shoe lockers were non-existent in the lobby.

    The trio climbed the wide steps of a stairwell up to the second floor where the clubrooms were situated, and turned down a broad corridor. One wall of the corridor had doors affording entry into dozens of rooms. The other wall was made of reinforced glass-steel windows facing the building¡¯s inner courtyard. Though not as large as a training or battle arena, the hundred meter long courtyard served as a testing ground. The oval shaped roof of the building was open at the moment, but could be closed in the eventuality of rain.

    Mirai looked through the glass-steel windows and saw that a number of girls were already suited up and merged with their Faeries, running through tests while engineering students supervised them. From the team insignias and emblems emblazoned on their Faeries, Mirai recognized them as a mix of Lunar Force and Celestial Force teams, but no Crimson Force girls and that surprised her.

    Continuing down the corridor, they arrived at the clubrooms allocated to Crimson Force. Sayaka pressed the door chime, counted to three, then opened the door. Mirai followed the two girls into the room that was furnished as a meeting room, briefing room, and center of operations. A number of holovid projectors were mounted on the walls, and a couple sat on desks manifesting holovid bubbles above them.

    Sweeping her gaze over the interior of the room, Mirai counted twenty-six girls, including one standing at the front of the room beside a particularly large holovid screen. Most of the girls sat at the smartdesks, while a few girls leaned against walls, and some sat on the desks themselves like rebellious teenagers.

    Mirai walked up to an empty chair, pulled it back from under the smartdesk, and sat down. She settled her backside into the memory form chair and kept her expression innocent.

    At the front of the room stood a girl with long black hair tied partly to the left with an orange ribbon, and wearing red half-rimmed glasses. She had the poise of a refined, well-brought up young lady, but there was a hint of fire in her eyes, and she had a no-nonsense aura about her.

    She was a third year senior, the captain of Crimson Force team, and her name was Kanata Hoshikawa.

    The girl pushed up her glasses unnecessarily, and spoke in a dry voice. ¡°So nice of you to join us, Miss Suenaga.¡±

    Mirai felt her stomach clench.

    Miss Suenaga? Oh dear, she¡¯s pissed.

    She bowed her head politely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late.¡±

    ¡°You will explain what happened later,¡± Hoshikawa informed her, eliciting a wince from Mirai. Turning slightly, girl pointed at the holovid projection on the wall using a photon wand. ¡°As I was saying, you¡¯ll need to be mindful of your power consumption and your hit points. Should either be depleted, you will lose. In addition, they changed the rules this year. The batteries won¡¯t be military grade. Apparently the expense of using military spec fusion cells was considered unjustified. So you¡¯re back to the standard cells we use for training.¡± Kanata waved the wand around. ¡°That said, those cells are good for an hour, and your matches won¡¯t exceed twenty minutes. So there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    The holovid image floating in front of the wall showed a three dimensional representation of a Battle Faery. The bipedal armor was somewhat skeletal, with a collection of ball-jointed chains connecting the limbs to a frame that doubled as a spine and body. However, there was no cockpit. Instead, the pilot or Faery Knight would insert their legs up to their thighs into a pair of armored sheaths that connected to Battle Faery¡¯s legs by more of the ball-jointed chains. An effect-field would then manifest around the pilot¡¯s body, keeping them in place thus preventing their body and legs from tearing apart.

    A Battle Faery could accelerate and change vectors in excess of twenty gees, so without the effect-field a girl¡¯s body and legs could easily go their separate ways. That said, safety systems would also ensure to release the girl¡¯s legs from the armored sheaths, or separate the sheaths entirely from the Battle Faery. However, the best hope for remaining intact was the effect-field. In fact, the Battle Faery employed more than one effect-field to maintain its pilot¡¯s structural integrity.

    Introduced two years ago, the current fifth generation of Battle Faery sported six Faery Wings, an improvement on the previous model¡¯s five wings. The wings were attached to a ring that in turn connected to the skeletal body of the Faery. Despite the extra wing, the machine remained relatively light, and was faster and more agile than its predecessor. Its power distribution was more efficient and delivered better protection courtesy of stronger barrier-fields.

    Having a sixth wing also improved its ability to amplify a pilot¡¯s innate Ether Empath Weaver talent. During training, Mirai had recorded a jump of five hundred and seventy percent in raw weaver ability. When combined with her already monumental natural ability, the Battle Faery elevated her talent to a monstrous level.

    However, all of this was essential when combating the Genjitsu. In short, when facing he Etheric giants, one could never have enough power.

    Mirai dipped her head as she folded her arms under her breasts.

    If I¡¯d had that much power ten years ago, I would have faced that Genjitsu on my own and won.

    Kanata Hoshikawa waved the wand, pointing at the vector thruster pack that emerged from the Faery¡¯s back and passed through the ring supporting the six wings.

    ¡°Full output has been maintained at training levels.¡±

    Some of the girls groaned in dismay, and Hoshikawa raised a hand to silence them.

    ¡°The request to switch the Faeries over to military mode was considered, but ultimately rejected by the Battle Committee. I know that we¡¯ve been training with output settings between training and military modes, but for the tournament it was decided as excessive. The Committee stated that the purpose of the tournament was to demonstrate skill, not raw power. I know that sounds like a bit of a waffle, but their decision is final. It won''t make a difference, but feel free to lodge a protest.¡±

    Sayaka wore a frown as she asked, ¡°When did they pass judgment?¡±

    Hoshikawa was still for a moment, before releasing a heavy sigh. ¡°Last night.¡±

    A number of girls stood up and yelled, ¡°What?¡±

    Hoshikawa shut off her photon wand, and held up both hands. ¡°Calm down. I can hear you without yelling.¡±

    Minori shook her head in disbelief. ¡°But all this time our Faeries have been tuned at a higher power setting. We¡¯ve all graduated from the minimum training levels. We can handle the fifty percent increase in power.¡±

    A girl with short, reddish hair banged her smart desk. ¡°Why do this now? Why not decide this last week?¡±

    Hoshikawa again raised her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But basically the decision was centered on pilot safety. I¡¯m sure you all heard about what happened during last weeks¡¯ Summer Tournament held at Pan-Alexandria¡¯s Elysium Academy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re Asakusa Academy,¡± the redhead stated proudly. ¡°We¡¯re better than those girls from Elysium.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t make mistakes like them,¡± said another girl with long hair sporting a bluish tint.

    ¡°Like I said, feel free to lodge a protest through formal channels.¡± Hoshikawa wandered off to a nearby water cooler and filled herself a cup of water. It was probably her way of saying the matter was closed, deal with it.

    Mirai felt her stomach sink as an obvious realization settled squarely in the center of her mind.

    Eiji must be pissed.

    <hr />

    With this release, I''ll know how many readers are following this story.

    Then it''s just a matter of working from there.

    Part III will be posted sometime next week.

    _________

    Simkin452

 Chapter 1 - Part III

    Chapter 1 - Part III

    ¡°Are freaking serious?¡± Eiji yelled at the engineering Instructor.

    ¡°Seiun, calm down,¡± the large man advised. ¡°I know how you feel but don¡¯t forget yourself.¡±

    Eiji raised his hand, and almost threw the expensive tuning wrench to the ground. He was stopped by Ayato Kirihama who grabbed Eiji¡¯s arm at the last moment.

    Ayato held onto the arm tightly. ¡°Damn it, Eiji, this isn¡¯t helping.¡±

    Eiji relaxed the arm and shrugged off Ayato¡¯s grip, all while keeping his attention on the woman standing beside the instructor. She was a striking brunette, possibly in her late twenties. Eiji couldn¡¯t be sure and it honestly didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that she represented the Academy¡¯s Battle Committee, and their decision was the source Eiji¡¯s intense consternation.

    ¡°You realize what you¡¯ve done?¡± he demanded.

    The woman narrowed her eyes at him slightly. ¡°Mister Seiun one more outburst like that, and I will have you removed from the engineering team. Is that clear?¡±

    ¡°I asked you question,¡± he said flatly, keeping most of his anger in check. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°I am fully aware of the details of the decision.¡±

    ¡°Then you understand that your decision has undone months of work, and undermined all the testing and upgrades we¡¯ve put into these machines.¡±

    ¡°Your concern is noted.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a concern. It¡¯s a fact. There is a difference.¡± He crossed his arms and his anger fueled his hard glare. ¡°Not only have you undone our work, but you¡¯ve set the girls that pilot these Faeries back to the early training days. Every girl piloting their machine today has trained for months at levels that approximate military output. They¡¯re not amateurs. They put in as much work as the Faery Knights accepted into the Self Defense Force ranks. You want to see skill? You want to see talent? Well, you¡¯re not going to see the full extent of it today, tomorrow, or the day after. You¡¯ve handicapped them and turned this tournament into a joke.¡±

    The instructor stepped forward. ¡°Seiun, that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he retorted. ¡°This is a waste of time. Congratulations. I¡¯m sure the manufacturers, designers, and engineers sitting in the arenas today will be overjoyed watching their creations play around like children in a sandbox.¡±

    The woman nodded dismissively. ¡°Their opinions were noted, but they have test pilots dedicated to the development programs. That is not the Academy¡¯s responsibility. Neither is performing illegal modifications that are not approved by the designers and manufacturer.¡±

    Eiji jerked a thumb at the closest Battle Faery standing within its maintenance alcove. ¡°All the changes done to these Faeries has been in accordance with design recommendations. All we¡¯ve done is it take their recommendations and put them into practice. And they work, and the girls have learnt how to pilot them. We haven¡¯t cut corners. We¡¯ve tested the systems over and over since the Winter Tournament six months ago. And each Faery has been closely tuned to its pilot. We may be students, but we¡¯re also engineering students, and we engineers cover our bases.¡±

    For a brief moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°An opinion not shared by the Committee. These changes have been reviewed and found to exceed the design guidelines.¡±

    ¡°These machines are operating at their peak performance but dialed down to what their individual pilots can manage.¡±

    ¡°Safety will not be compromised,¡± she stated flatly.

    Eiji inhaled deeply, took a long step closer to the woman, and locked eyes with her.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d send the girl I love out there in an unsafe machine?¡±

    He didn¡¯t blink. He just kept looking at her while her face betrayed her surprised reaction.

    I don¡¯t need the Ether to read this woman.

    Eiji pressed on. ¡°Do you think any of these guys would send out the girls they care about in machines that would risk their lives?¡± He pointed down the wide corridor connecting Crimson Force¡¯s Faery Pit with the pits allocated to the other teams. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s any different for the guys working for the other teams?¡±

    Eiji lowered his hand, but not his gaze, which he kept locked tight on the woman¡¯s eyes like gun cues tracking a bogey.

    The Battle Committee representative folded her arms. ¡°You will set the Faeries back down to training level, Category Three. That is the highest approved setting. And you will ensure that all safety systems are in working order. Each machine will be inspected before the commencement of the tournament. Failure to comply with the performance restrictions will result in disqualification for the pilot, and academic demerit for the student engineer responsible for the Faery.¡± She stepped closer to him such that their noses were mere inches apart. ¡°Is that clear, Mister Seiun?¡±

    Eiji kept his anger confined, knowing the woman could feel it in the Ether flowing through his body. ¡°I¡¯ll take the demerit, but don¡¯t send the girls out there in hamstrung machines. You¡¯re taking their hard work and belittling it.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary. We are doing this because we have their safety in mind. I don¡¯t understand your reluctance to accept that fact.¡±

    ¡°And I told you that each machine is safe. They¡¯re not even operating at military spec, and we all know these Faeries are capable of easily exceeding those specs.¡±

    ¡°The decision is final. Feel free to lodge a complaint through the appropriate channels.¡±

    ¡°What would be the point?¡± Eiji retorted.

    ¡°Precisely,¡± she replied. ¡°Now. I have other matters to attend to. You¡¯d best get to work, Mister Seiun, or the girl you love won¡¯t be competing today.¡±

    She turned on her high heels, and strode away with her back proud and straight.

    Eiji clenched the wrench tightly, willing his right arm to remain still, but it took a monumental effort not to pitch the tool at the woman¡¯s retreating back.

    Abruptly he was slapped hard on the back.

    Turning hastily, he saw Ayato and his fellow student mechanics wearing evil grins on their faces as they stared hard at Eiji.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°What?¡± Eiji muttered.

    ¡°The girl that I love?¡± Ayato asked him. ¡°What a way to make a confession! But it¡¯s a pity the girl that you love isn¡¯t here right now.¡±

    Eiji abruptly realized what he¡¯d said to the woman in the heat of the moment. He blushed hotly. ¡°Wait¡ªit¡¯s not what it sounds like!¡±

    ¡°Hell yes!¡± Ayato countered. ¡°It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like.¡±

    Another mechanic, Hiroshi, quipped, ¡°So the otaku does like three dimensional girls.¡±

    ¡°I thought he was strictly a two-dee man,¡± another student opined disappointedly.

    A fourth mechanic clapped sharply. ¡°I have an idea, let¡¯s make Mirai merchandise!¡±

    ¡°Swimsuit posters!¡±

    ¡°Full sized pillows!¡±

    ¡°Sixth scale figurines¡ª!¡±

    The excitement died in an instant as all faces turned to face one mechanic in question. The first year high-school student looked at his compatriots uneasily. ¡°What? Can¡¯t we have figurines?¡±

    Sean, a tall boy with blonde hair stroked his chin in thought. ¡°We¡¯ll need accurate three dimensional scans of Suenaga. And a quality printer. And it¡¯ll need to be touched up by skilled sculptor.¡±

    A shorter student with girlish features and dark hair palmed a fist. ¡°Quality scans¡ªleave that to me! I know just who to talk to.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Cosplay Club.¡±

    ¡°Why them?¡±

    The student, Yoichi, pulled out his palm-slate from a pocket and started thumbing through its menus. ¡°It¡¯s a secret, but I got a message from my sister and she says we¡¯re in for a surprise. My guess, it¡¯s about Suenaga.¡±

    Sean looked briefly puzzled. ¡°Your sister? You mean Sayaka-senpai?¡±

    ¡°Yep. She lost a bet with the Cosplay Club president and was supposed to cosplay for them during the tournament. But it looks like she found a way out of the deal.¡±

    Eiji frowned at Yoichi.

    Mirai and the Cosplay Club? What is he talking about?

    The boy met Eiji¡¯s eyes, and he jumped in fright before slapping a hand over his mouth. ¡°Gah¡ªit was supposed to be a secret.¡±

    Eiji stared at him.

    Note to self ¨C don¡¯t ever trust Yoichi with a secret.

    His eyes widened.

    Wait¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean Mirai will hear about my confession?

    Eiji started to feel faint and palmed his forehead.

    Dear gods in high heaven, what have I done?

    Another engineering student stepped forward. ¡°We¡¯ll need to enter into a contract agreement with Suenaga. She¡¯ll need to authorize the use of her likeness or we won¡¯t be able to make any money out of this.¡±

    ¡°Why stop at Suenaga?¡± a burly third-year questioned. ¡°Personally, my preference is for Kizuna Yumeno.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you doing in this team?¡±

    ¡°Right¡ªyou should be working for the Lunar Force Team then.¡±

    The burly boy stood arms akimbo. ¡°My ideal woman is Kanata-sama, so why would I work for another team?¡±

    The boys looked at each other. ¡°There¡¯s a thought.¡±

    ¡°Do you think Hoshikawa would agree to model for us?¡±

    ¡°We really need to work on that contract. I¡¯ll talk to the Legal Studies Club.¡±

    ¡°What? We have a Legal Studies Club?¡±

    ¡°But think of the possibilities? I mean why stop with Suenaga and Hoshikawa? We could do all the Crimson Force girls.¡±

    ¡°And then move onto the other teams.¡±

    The nine engineering students, minus Eiji, huddled into a circle.

    ¡°Right¡ªnot a word of this to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°This is our idea. Our venture.¡±

    ¡°If we can¡¯t have them in our arms, we can at least have them on our shelves.¡±

    ¡°Here, here.¡±

    ¡°Now somebody tape up Yoichi¡¯s mouth.¡±

    ¡°We need to keep an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°No, wait guys¡ªstop. Stop. Let me go¡ª!¡±

    Watching Yoichi manhandled by his fellow engineers, Eiji opened his mouth to protest, then decided it was futile, and slumped his shoulders in resignation.

    I have to warn Mirai, he reasoned.

    The back pocket of his engineering overalls vibrated. Reaching back, he retrieved his palm-slate, and thumbed open the message that had arrived into his Academy issued email account. He opened it, read it, and stared at it in puzzlement. The Guidance Counselor wanted to see him urgently, and she wasn¡¯t taking ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.

    Eiji looked up when the team¡¯s assigned Engineering Instructor stepped up to him.

    The man planted his large hands on his hips, and shot a look behind Eiji at the Battle Faery upright in its maintenance alcove.

    ¡°Seiun, the requirements are to detune to the Faeries. That doesn¡¯t mean you have to make any part changes.¡±

    ¡°Detuning them will affect their entire bodies. If it¡¯s not a balanced drop in performance, they¡¯ll be unwieldy and difficult to control.¡± Eiji clenched his hand around his palm-slate as he pocketed the device. ¡°The girls are going to feel like they¡¯ve got training wheels on.¡±

    ¡°I agree, but the situation became sensitive after those girls up north were injured during their Summer Tournament.¡±

    ¡°This is a knee jerk reaction,¡± Eiji groused.

    ¡°Nonetheless, you¡¯re going to need to get to work. The tournament starts at midday. That gives you around four and half hours, so you¡¯d best get started. Oh, I forgot to mention you and the boys are excused from homeroom.¡±

    Thinking of the message he¡¯d received, Eiji shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t start yet. I need to deal with an urgent summons, and it sounds pretty bad.¡±

    The man raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Oh?¡±

    Eiji nodded weakly. ¡°The Guidance Counselor wants to see me.¡±

    The Instructor folded his arms. ¡°Then you¡¯d best get going.¡±

    Eiji frowned, wondering if the man knew why he was being summoned to the Counselor¡¯s office. However he chose not to delay, and with a quick bow, he trotted off to the exit leading out of the Faery Pit.

 Chapter 2 - Part I

    In case you missed it, Chapter 1 Part III was posted a few hours ago. Cheers.

    The blog page http://www.pridesfamiliarsmaidens.com/</a> has also been updated.

    <hr />

    Chapter 2.

    #

    From the vantage of her soft sofa seat in the observation lounge, she could look down through the transparent floor at the inside of the tunnel that ran through the orbital citadel of Pan-Olympus, the home of High Command.

    The citadel was a collection of three consecutive octagonal rings joined by an interconnecting lattice. Together they formed a tunnel six kilometers long, and effect-field emitters generated artificial gravity so the rings were not required to rotate. Four panel-like structures emerged fore and aft of the tunnel for a total of eight panels that served to make the citadel some twelve kilometers long.

    The middle octagonal ring was the longest and incorporated sponsons along two opposite sides, effectively giving the structure a sense of direction. They also provided housings for the engine nacelles that propelled the enormous structure through space, for the citadel was more than just a city in space. It was the mothership of the immense Tempest Class Superfortress Pandora.

    Squeezed into the two-kilometer wide tunnel, the four thousand two hundred meter long ship was anchored to the inside of the middle ring by enormous loadbearing mooring arms. A continuous stream of transport shuttles flew in and out of the vessel, and additional material was ferried into the superfortress through large retractable tunnels mated to its hull.

    Marisol Suenaga peered absently down at the massive warship, understanding the Pandora was preparing for war. She ran her sleepy gaze over the ship¡¯s forward superstructure, and observed hundreds of hunter-killer drones being loaded into recessed launch tubes. The drones would wait in their launchers until required to hunt down the Genjitsu Seeds that were certain to emerge from the Galactic Ley Line. Fast, maneuverable, they were all engine and all guns. They would launch in waves of squadrons, while aboard the superfortress a human operator would guide their assigned squadron via quantum-link, the only means of communication that was not susceptible to interference from Ether.

    Anyone looking at the ship would be hard pressed to believe it was well over two centuries old. Constructed in a distant shipyard that possibly no longer existed, Pandora had escorted the Settlement Fleet on its long journey away from a decaying civilization. The Settlement Fleet was one of many intended to save humanity from extinction by having it colonize other worlds well away from the conflict sweeping through the colonized systems. Though dwarfed by the giant Arks that carried the colonists in cold sleep during their decades long journey through space, the superfortress was the stanchion of the orbital defense fleet, and after the events ten years ago, it had been thoroughly refurbished and upgraded to face the Genjitsu threat.

    Marisol¡¯s gaze drifted upwards to open space visible through the transparent walls of the lounge.

    Will it be enough? she wondered.

    The seven Settlement Arks normally orbited Pantheon¡¯s moon, keeping away from the Galactic Ley Line. But last month they had sailed away to an undisclosed location, as though putting even more distance between them and the Ley Line. She also noted that around the same time, Pandora had departed Pan-Olympus on a so-called shakedown cruise.

    Marisol didn¡¯t believe it was wise to hide the Arks away. If humanity needed to abandon Pantheon in a hurry, they would need the Arks on station above each of the city-states.

    Worry ate at her, but sleep eventually caught up with her.

    She closed her eyes, and slipped into a troubled slumber.

    When she woke, was stiff and sore. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she blinked a few times to settle her vision and saw someone achingly familiar sitting across the low coffee table.

    He was a young man in his mid-twenties, not too tall but quite solidly built, and he was busy eating a plate of hot scones.

    Marisol watched him apply a liberal amount of jam to each scone he leisurely devoured.

    It wasn¡¯t long before her stomach rumbled in response to olfactory and visual stimulation.

    The young man stopped eating, and regarded with an affable look on his face.

    ¡°Is that rumble I hear?¡±

    Marisol pressed her lips tightly together and glared at him through narrowed eyes. However, she was unable to stop her stomach¡¯s complaints from being aired.

    He prepared a scone with rich strawberry jam, and offered it to her. ¡°Say ¡®ah¡¯.¡±

    Marisol¡¯s glare deepened. Then she quickly extended an effect-field from her body, and snatched the scone from his fingers. Operating the effect-field like an invisible hand and arm, she opened her mouth and dropped the scone into it. All the while, her real hands and arms lay resting across her midriff.

    ¡°Lazy,¡± he muttered, and prepared another scone this time for himself.

    Marisol aimed her effect-field at the bread he held, but this time her field was slapped away by an invisible hand ¨C an effect-field emanating from the young man¡¯s body.

    ¡°No stealing,¡± he admonished her.

    ¡°I¡¯m still hungry,¡± she said.

    Calmly eating the scone, the young man sat back in the cushioned lounge seat, and wiped his fingers on a moist towelette. ¡°Then go get your own breakfast.¡±

    Marisol eyed the remaining three scones on his plate resting on the low table.

    The young man shook his head subtly at her. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Marisol grinned faintly at him. ¡°If I can snatch one, then I get all three.¡±

    ¡°If you snatch one, I¡¯ll crush the other two so that you don¡¯t get to eat them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no fun,¡± she complained.

    He shrugged casually. ¡°All work and no play, that¡¯s our lot in life.¡±

    ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll settle for one.¡±

    Concentrating her Awareness-field on the table, the plate, and her opponent, Marisol willed another effect-field to manifest. She summoned it from the Seal-Regalia implanted into her body, the means by which she controlled her Diva, Nike, and aimed the field at the scone on the left hand side of the plate. Almost immediately her Awareness registered a second field lance out from the young man¡¯s body, manifested by the Seal-Regalia within him.

    She changed the direction of her invisible field, switching to the scone on the right of the plate. His field darted right, then flicked back to the left as it anticipated her feint. However, Marisol wasn¡¯t feinting, and snatched the scone from the plate onto have the bread broken in half when his field grabbed onto it.

    Marisol¡¯s half of the scone flew through the air, and landed on her waiting hand, while the other half floated in the air above the table. As she ate her winnings, her opponent calmly retrieved the floating morsel of bread from the air, then set about lathering it evenly with crimson colored jam before eating it.

    Giving her a disappointed look, Ren Kamina sat back in the comfortable lounge seat. ¡°I doubt this was what the Arcology had in mind when it gifted us with the Regalias and our Celestials.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sulking,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Just like when we were kids in the orphanage. Just like when we were students at the Academy. Whenever I beat you fair and square you would sulk for days afterwards. You really hate losing to a girl.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a natural reaction for us males,¡± he replied smoothly. ¡°Part of our evolution.¡±

    Slouched in her seat, Marisol folded her arms. ¡°Is that how you justify it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. How do you justify your stealing, which I might add landed you in detention more often than not during your stay at the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I was a victim of circumstance. I was simply trying to get by.¡±

    ¡°You mean bad habits die hard.¡±

    ¡°After my mother died, I lived on the streets,¡± she countered, ¡°before social welfare picked me up and dropped me in that prison. For some of us, life in the new world wasn¡¯t paradise.¡±

    He shook his head slowly. ¡°That prison was an orphanage, and it served you well.¡± He slouched comfortably in his seat, mimicking her posture. ¡°To this day, it surprises me you were ever adopted. Why did the Suenaga Family choose you over the other girls?¡±

    Marisol turned away, her gaze falling not on the warship a thousand feet below her, but on the surface of the blue-white planet beyond it.

    ¡°It was Mirai who chose me,¡± she whispered.

    Mirai Suenaga had been three years old when she visited the orphanage with her parents. The rumor amongst the orphans was that the young family were looking to adopt a child after the birth of their second daughter, but Marisol couldn¡¯t understand why the bothered since they already had children. On that day, Mirai had wandered into the play area where the other orphans were, and somehow she had gravitated toward Marisol.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    At first, the little girl¡¯s cheerful attitude had grated badly on Marisol, but gradually Mirai wore her down until Marisol caved in and began teaching the girl how to play with the building blocks. Eventually, Marisol stopped playing and supervised Mirai¡¯s progress. It was during then that Mirai¡¯s parents arrived. Unbeknownst to Marisol, the little girl¡¯s parents had been observing the interaction between the two girls for a long while.

    Afterwards, Mirai¡¯s mother had entered the room and sat down to talk with Marisol.

    Though guarded, Marisol had engaged in the polite conversation. She realized Mirai got her personality from her mother. Remembering her own mother and the talks they had before the accident took her life, something in Marisol had broken and she¡¯d begun to quietly cry. Before she could flee, Mirai¡¯s mother had embraced her tightly, and a year of heartache, anguish, and hatred toward an unfair world had transformed into tears that poured out of her. It was the first time she had cried since her mother¡¯s death, and since running away from the foster home she¡¯d been briefly assigned too before landing in the orphanage.

    Marisol had cried until her tears ran dry.

    A week later, at the age of twelve she was adopted into the Suenaga Family, and Marisol Karvan became Marisol Suenaga.

    Three years later she was gifted by the Arcology with the Regalia that wormed its way into her body much like the Thread she had been born without.

    A year later the Genjitsu Seeds feel upon the world, and Marisol had fought them with her Diva, Nike.

    She had saved Mirai and Haruka, but she had failed to save her adopted parents.

    Ten years later, would she be able to protect her sisters from the Genjitsu threat that loomed over Pantheon once more?

    The threat they were facing now was several hundred fold greater than what they had endured these past ten years. She had fought the Seeds, and destroyed ¨C not killed ¨C dozens of Genjitsu. But the sum of the Seeds that had fallen onto Pantheon over the past decade wasn¡¯t even half the number that fell upon her homeworld on that day, ten years ago.

    And now the Threat is even bigger.

    Peering down through the transparent floor, her eyes sought out the outline of Pan-Pacifica, however it was obscured by clouds.

    But I¡¯m stronger than I was ten years ago.

    She brought her gaze back to the immense four point two kilometer long warship undergoing final supply loading.

    I will not lose anyone close to me again.

    Though she was only sixteen, Marisol¡¯s classification as a Dea had helped her gain guardianship of her adopted sisters. As a result, Mirai and Haruka lived with Marisol in Pan-Pacifica in a spacious city-state provided dwelling, and so for ten years Marisol had dedicated herself to raising the girls, balancing her responsibility to Mirai and Haruka with her duties as a Dea, while in turn attending the special academy run by the city-state authorities for young adults with special circumstances.

    It was there she had reunion with Ren.

    Adopted by the Kamina Family a year after Marisol became a Suenaga, he had taken to their lifestyle like a duck to water. Like Marisol, the Arcology had bestowed a Celestial upon him ¨C an Asura of the Ravana type.

    And thus their rivalry had been renewed.

    And somewhere along the way they became a couple.

    And they broke up, made up, broke up, made up, and broke up once more before mutually agreeing they were best on their own.

    Marisol gazed at Ren, remembering the teenage boy who¡¯d nervously confessed his feelings to her.

    Does he remember how I looked that day when I replied ¡®yes¡¯?

    Ren pushed the plate with the remaining scones across the table to her. ¡°A gift for old time¡¯s sakes.¡±

    ¡°My, why the sudden generosity?¡±

    ¡°I have soft spot for women.¡±

    Marisol felt her heart skip a little faster. ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡±

    He blinked sharply and stared at her in surprise. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    She smiled weakly and shrugged a shoulder. ¡°Just wondering¡­.¡±

    ¡°Why are you wondering?¡± he questioned softly.

    She shrugged again. ¡°Can¡¯t a girl wonder?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not any girl,¡± he replied.

    No, I guess I¡¯m not.

    Marisol glanced away, biting her lower lip reflexively as she sought to avoid his eyes.

    I will always be your first love.

    ¡°No,¡± he stated gently, ¡°I¡¯m not seeing anyone. Before you ask why, let me ask if you¡¯re seeing anyone.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m still free as a bird.¡±

    He snorted and looked away. ¡°That figures.¡± Though voiced weakly, his tone was somewhat biting.

    Marisol fixed a hard look on him. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°That you can¡¯t break free any more than I can.¡±

    ¡°Break free of what? Of us?¡± She laughed insolently. ¡°Are you kidding me? I left you behind a long time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then why are you sitting right in front of me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I was assigned to the same unit you were. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn¡¯t ask to be here.¡±

    ¡°You could have requested a transfer.¡±

    Marisol hardened her stare. ¡°Why? I have no problem working with you.¡±

    Ren studied her for a short while. ¡°Then why ask if I was dating anyone?¡±

    ¡°I was just curious.¡± She waved a hand. ¡°In fact, I couldn¡¯t care less who you date. It¡¯s not my problem or my business.¡±

    ¡°Precisely,¡± he agreed.

    The voice of a girl interjected, ¡°Will the two of you stop arguing.¡±

    Marisol looked to her right and saw a young girl in her late teens standing a few feet away. She was short, had dark shoulder length hair, a modest bust, and stood with hands on hips while staring hard at Marisol and Ren.

    ¡°Ayaka,¡± Marisol muttered.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my name,¡± the brunette nodded, her short bangs swaying gently. ¡°Now, rather than pick up where you left off after your last dust up, I suggest you attend the briefing. I guarantee you won¡¯t want to miss it.¡±

    As it had with Marisol and Ren, the Arcology had gifted Ayaka Kitsuna with a Celestial ¨C a Diva by the name of Morrigan. Despite being several years younger than either Marisol or Ren, Ayaka was just as skilled as them with her Diva, courtesy of an unwavering dedication to her role as protector of the world. Marisol often quipped that all Ayaka needed was an emblem and superhero name to complete her persona.

    Ren picked up the plate and offered the two remaining scones to the newcomer, but Ayaka waved them away politely.

    Marisol refused to sit up on the sofa seat. ¡°So, what¡¯s so different about this briefing compared to the last one yesterday?¡±

    Ayaka smiled mysteriously. ¡°The Archon Regiss will be attending.¡±

    Ren¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The Regiss is coming here?¡±

    ¡°No, stupid. The Immortal Witch will be speaking from the comfort of her ice palace.¡±

    Marisol shaped her lips into a pout. ¡°If the Regiss hears you speaking that way, she¡¯ll spank you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s welcome to try,¡± Ayaka intoned, and confidently folded her arms under her bust. ¡°So, are you coming?¡±

    Marisol waved her a salute. ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡±

    ¡°He he he, One day I will be your boss.¡±

    Ren snorted as he stood up and stretched his back. ¡°As a famous person once said, ¡®that¡¯ll be the day¡¯.¡±

    Marisol struggled to her feet, then imitated Ren by performing some stretches.

    Naturally, Ren¡¯s attention was dragged to her chest, but he managed to pull his gaze away in time before Ayaka reprimanded him.

    Marisol snickered inwardly, then felt a twinge of pain in her chest whenever her heart betrayed her.

    She stopped stretching, and walked past Ayaka. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys there,¡± she muttered.

    Ayaka was caught off guard. ¡°Ah, the briefing¡¯s in Chamber One.¡±

    Marisol waved a hand in thanks, and strode away, feeling as though she was fleeing from Ren.

    The Galactic Ley Line was surging, indicating a massive amount of Ether was rushing through it, or at the least a peloton that swelled the Ley Line as it moved closer and closer to Pantheon. It was as precursor to a Genjitsu attack, and the reason why High Command was mobilizing the orbital defenses that included the massive two hundred year old superfortress Pandora.

    Yet here she was nursing the onset of a broken heart all over again.

    She felt ashamed and angry at herself, and after exiting the observation lounge, Marisol slapped herself twice, much to the surprise of the people around her.

    ¡°Get a grip,¡± she told herself. ¡°And once this is over put in another transfer request.¡±

 Chapter 2 - Part II

    Updated the blog page. More updates forthcoming over the next few weeks. Mirai''s cosplay outfit has been ''mocked up'' for you to see.

    <hr />

    Chapter 2 - Part II

    Eiji walked quickly out of the Faery Nest, and made his way toward the faculty administration building where the Guidance Counselor for high-school students had her office. He chose not to change out of his work coveralls, since he didn¡¯t expect to be away from the Nest for long. If the Counselor had an issue with his attire, he was determined to ignore her.

    On the way to the faculty building, Eiji had a thought, so he pulled out his palm-slate and gave Ayato a call. He had to wait a little while for his classmate to answer the call, and when he did, Eiji spoke quickly.

    ¡°Hey, Ayato, have the guys started working on the Faeries yet? No? What¡ªthey¡¯re still arguing about the merchandising? Look¡ªjust get them to snapshot all the settings on each Faery. That is, make a full snapshot of the entire Faery before they start work on detuning it. It took weeks to get each machine customized to their respective pilot, so I don¡¯t want to lose any of those tweaks. Do you understand what I mean? Yes. That¡¯s right. The components in those machines are military grade so their configuration can be reloaded from the backup memory core with a minimum of fuss.¡±

    After Ayato agreed with him, Eiji discussed a few more points as he walked up to the entrance to the faculty building.

    ¡°Just get the girls practicing in the detuned Faeries as soon as they arrive. Don¡¯t waste any time.¡± He swallowed quickly before asking, ¡°Has Mirai arrived? What? She¡¯s still not there? What about Hoshikawa? Ah¡ªforget it. Just focus on snapshotting the machines, then detuning them. Tell those idiots we¡¯re running out of time. I¡¯ll hurry back as soon as I¡¯m done here.¡±

    The entrance to the building was meters ahead of him.

    ¡°Ayato, I have to go. I¡¯ll chat to you when I¡¯m done here. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to take calls while I¡¯m with the Counselor. Talk to you soon.¡±

    He hung up, set the palm-slate to silent mode, then pocketed the device into a coverall pocket, before entering the building foyer through the glass doors that opened for him automatically. As soon as he stepped inside, Eiji noticed the Ether was almost non-existent within the building. He assumed the Etheric Reflectors mounted to the roof and walls were doing their job by reflecting the Ether away from the structure. The stark difference between interior and exterior, reminded him that while the Ether wasn¡¯t harmful to humans, it felt stifling on the days where the concentrations were high. The best he could describe it was an oppressive humidity that sapped the soul of its strength.

    Getting his bearings by looking at the floor directory, Eiji chose to climb the stairs rather than wait for an elevator. He didn¡¯t think the Academy staff would want to share a lift car with a student in work coveralls, however, he had no such qualms about meeting the Guidance Counselor in his current attire.

    If she won¡¯t take no for an answer, then she can put with it.

    Approaching the woman¡¯s office with purposeful strides that did nothing to hide his impatience, Eiji rounded a corner and came face to face with a young woman carrying a mug of steaming coffee, and a large calorie laden donut in her mouth.

    He had to stop quickly or risk crashing into her. As it was, he had to use his quick reflexes to reach out and steady her mug before the coffee sloshed over its rim.

    ¡°Damn,¡± he muttered as his fingers were scalded by the piping hot coffee mug. Releasing it quickly once he was sure it wasn¡¯t going to spill its contents, Eiji cooled his fingers by flapping his hands.

    ¡°Oh, sorry about that,¡± the young woman said with surprising clarity around the donut in her mouth. However, she didn¡¯t sound apologetic in the least.

    Eiji held back a glare.

    Partly my fault for walking too fast.

    ¡°By the way,¡± she said, ¡°you¡¯re Eiji Seiun. Am I correct?¡±

    Eiji¡¯s inner glare gave way to a confused frown that slid quickly onto his face. ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Miss Hoshi Sakuraba,¡± she replied, taking the donut out of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m your Guidance Counselor.¡±

    Eiji studied her much like he would a Battle Faery, making mental notes regarding her appearance and probable specs.

    Sakuraba-san had light auburn shoulder length hair. It may have been a dye job or simply hereditary. She had a slender physique, and was quite tall for a woman. In fact, she stood a good two inches taller than Eiji, aided by the fact she wore stylish three-inch high heels.

    I guess she¡¯s not much for sensible shoes, Eiji thought to himself as he continued studying her.

    She was dressed much like an office lady, complete with grey business skirt, white blouse, and sheer black stockings. Eiji judged her attractive to a point, but she wasn¡¯t a beauty like Mirai or Kizuna Yumeno. In fact, if he had to rate her specs, Eiji would have given her a seven point five on the beauty scale, well short of how he rated Mirai and Kizuna. However, there was no denying her physical attribute were top ranked, including her enormous breasts. Eiji¡¯s eyes scanned them in passing, but there was no doubt in his mind the woman¡¯s bust measured close to the triple digits.

    This is our Guidance Counselor? In a school where half the student body is male, is it really a good idea to hire someone like her?

    He winced inwardly.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to be harshly judged for thinking that. I should reserve my judgment for later, and not judge her by her cover.

    He was grateful the Ether flowed thinly through the building, courtesy of the reflectors on its rooftop and walls. However, that didn¡¯t obviate the need to be careful with his thoughts and feelings.

    Our Guidance Counselor just happens to be a woman. How convenient.

    He suddenly remembered that the previous Guidance Counselor was an older woman with a charming, pleasant disposition, someone the students and he himself had felt quite comfortable being around.

    Eiji pushed his frown aside as he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Yoshitsune?¡±

    ¡°On maternity leave,¡± Sakuraba replied without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m her temporary replacement. I would have called you in sooner but I¡¯ve had a number of troubling cases to review. It took me a while to get to you.¡±

    ¡°Troubling cases?¡± Eiji felt his mental footing slip and recover a heartbeat later. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we discuss that in my office. That¡¯s what it¡¯s there for.¡±

    She had to use her mouth to hold the donut in order to free a hand to unlock and open the door.

    Eiji followed her inside, and closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± she urged him as she set her coffee mug and donut on her desk, then set about unlocking her smart desk.

    Eiji noticed that though the office was large, it was taken up by a great deal of furniture, the center piece of which were the two leather sofas facing each other across a low glass coffee table. There was a chair before her desk, but when Eiji started to sit on it, Sakuraba waved a hand quickly at one of the two sofas. ¡°Sorry, I meant over there,¡± she told him. ¡°Much more comfortable. Less formal.¡±

    ¡°Sakuraba-san, I have to return to the Faery Nest as soon as possible. There¡¯s been a complication due to a new tournament regulation. Could we keep this short?¡±

    Sakuraba turned her dark eyes toward him, her expression losing some of its pleasantness.

    Eiji felt his innards clench a little, but he held his ground and met her stare with a flat one. After all, she wasn¡¯t facing the prospect of hard labor in the Faery Pit like he was.

    After a while, Sakuraba nodded toward the sofas. ¡°Take a seat, Mister Seiun. I¡¯ll be with you in a few minutes.¡±

    Eiji restrained a sigh.

    Great, another woman with attitude. Better to play along and get this over with.

    He walked over to the sofa along the wall and sat down. It was actually more comfortable than he expected.

    I wonder if this is her way of softening up her targets. First make them comfortable, then shoot them down when they least expect.

    He paid the office another cursory inspection, and his gaze swept over the printed photo on her desk. It showed Sakuraba with an unknown older man.

    Her father perhaps? Or maybe she¡¯s into older men. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that.

    She beavered away on her smartdesk for a couple of minutes.

    Eiji crossed his arms, sat back, and fixed his stare upon her. There was little doubt in his mind that she was deliberately stalling. Deciding he had better things to do than stare at her, Eiji pulled out his palm-slate and texted Ayato, requesting an update. After a half minute, his fellow engineering student replied with a quick message.

    SNAPSHOTS IN PROGRESS. SIX DOWN, TEN TO GO.

    He quickly typed: ARE THE GIRLS THERE YET?

    SOME OF THEM ¨C YURIKA, KANAE, SEIRI, AND MIRELLE.

    WHERE¡¯S MIRAI?

    NO IDEA. IT¡¯S BUSY HERE. I HAVE TO GO. SORRY.

    Sakuraba rose from behind her desk, and Eiji signed off before pocketing his palm slate.

    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Mister Seiun,¡± she said politely.

    Eiji dismissed the apology since he believed it lacked sincerity.

    Sakuraba sat on the sofa opposite him, and placed a data slate on the coffee table. ¡°Mister Seiun, please take a look at that.¡±

    Eiji picked it up, and read the displayed material, recognizing it as his school dossier. His grades were shown, and he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the disparity in his scores between subjects. His Mechanics and Engineering marks were close to the hundred percentile, but everything else hovered around the fifty to sixty percent range.

    Looking up at Sakuraba, Eiji asked, ¡°What am I looking for?¡±

    ¡°According to your file, you intend to apply to the Millennium Institute of Technology. Is that still your intention?¡±

    He nodded shallowly. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    Sakuraba sipped her coffee. ¡°With those grades, you don¡¯t have a snowball¡¯s chance in a blast furnace of being accepted.¡±

    Eiji¡¯s innards tensed up and his stomach grew into a heavy ball.

    I guess she¡¯s not one for mincing words or treading lightly.

    Sakuraba was clearly going for the blunt approach. She was tenderizing Eiji by pounding him with the heavy mallet of Truth.

    After another sip, she asked, ¡°So¡­do you still intend to apply to the institute?¡±

    Eiji swallowed hard, and looked back down at his dossier on the data slate.

    <hr />

    Apologies for the small release.

    Day job got in the way.

    The next part is almost ready but not in a state to be released yet. I may only post it next week along with the remainder of the chapter.

 Chapter 2 - Part III

    Chapter 2 - Part III

    As soon as the briefing was over, Sayaka Mihashi and Minori Kikuchi escorted Mirai to the Cosplay Club whose clubroom was located in a four storey building on the opposite side of the Academy grounds.

    As they departed, Kanata warned them not to dally. She expected to see them all back in the Faery Pit within an hour. As a consequence, Mirai and the girls had to run to the club building.

    As she ran down the paved paths, avoiding the growing number of people trickling into the Academy for the impending Faery Knight Summer Tournament, Mirai wondered what horrible fate awaited her at the hands of the Cosplay Club. Sayaka refused to elucidate on the details of her bet with the Cosplay Club President, so Mirai was left to wonder and fear in the dark.

    Arriving at the building, the girls quickly hurried inside, with Sayaka leading the way up the stairs to the fourth floor. Since running wasn¡¯t allowed inside the building, the girls walked at a brisk pace to the Cosplay Club¡¯s rooms. Sayaka did explain that the club had a dress making room and a fitting room, making them one of the few clubs to occupy more than one room.

    The trio came to a stop at a door adorned with a life size printed poster of a girl clad in a sleek outfit that made her look like an animation character. Knocking on it a few times, Sayaka tried to open the sliding door but found it locked. Growling under her breath, she banged on the door until someone inside the room opened up for her.

    A girl with pastel lavender hair poked her head out of the room. ¡°Who are you¡ªah, Sayaka-chan! You¡¯re late.¡±

    An arm snaked out and grabbed Sayaka, pulling her into the room before the she could utter a squeak.

    Then the door slammed shut.

    Mirai and Minori stared it, then shared a look.

    Minori shrugged, then knocked on the door.

    It slid open, and a girl with bright crimson hair greeted her.

    ¡°Yes? Who are you?¡±

    Minori pointed at herself and Mirai. ¡°We¡¯re here with Sayaka¡¯s replacement.¡±

    From inside the room came the sounds of a struggle, and Mirai could hear Sayaka yelling loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to stop and listen to me! Stop trying to undress me! Hey, don¡¯t pull on my skirt! Hitomi¡ªI swear I¡¯m going to hurt you!¡±

    ¡°Sayaka-chan, stop complaining. We don¡¯t have much time¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cosplaying for you and that¡¯s final.¡±

    ¡°A deal is a deal, Sayaka-chan. I won. You lost.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I brought Mirai. She¡¯s a better candidate than I am!¡±

    The sounds of a struggle eased quickly into silence.

    ¡°Mirai? You mean, Orange Flavored Mirai? That Mirai?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s waiting outside. Now give me back my clothes?¡±

    At the sound of fast footsteps heading for the open doorway, Mirai grew anxious, yet resisted the urge to turn and flee.

    This is for Eiji, she reminded herself, steeling her resolve to face whatever hardship came her way in the name of love.

    Eiji, you¡¯d better appreciate what I do for you¡ªwhatever that may be!

    A heartbeat later a young girl with emerald green hair ¨C probably a wig since anyone sporting such hair would be automatically be suspended from the Academy ¨C emerged quickly out of the clubroom and into the corridor. She wore glasses that Mirai doubted were real since the Thread inside a person¡¯s body corrected genetic anomalies and deficiencies such as poor eyesight. Dressed in a white coat that resembled a lab coat, the girl studied Mirai blatantly from head to toes, then back again before affixing her gaze on Mirai¡¯s chest.

    Without warning, the girl leapt forward and cupped Mirai¡¯s bust. A cross between a squeak and a gasp escaped Mirai¡¯s lips, and she came close to fainting as the girl¡¯s hands kneaded Mirai¡¯s goods.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the girl hummed to herself. ¡°Nice and firm. Good. They won¡¯t need much support and the cups should hold them nicely.¡±

    She stepped back and released Mirai¡¯s chest, the latter unable to respond beyond trembling on her feet. The girl crossed her arms and regarded her victim for a short while longer, before nodding firmly in satisfaction. As she did, Sayaka brushed past the girl with crimson hair standing at the door, and peeked out into the corridor.

    ¡°Well?¡± she asked.

    The girl with glasses gave Sayaka a thumbs-up. ¡°She¡¯s perfect.¡±

    ¡°So she¡¯s not too big for the outfit?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. The material stretches after all.¡±

    Sayaka sulked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it does. Not that I would know.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± glasses girl replied.

    Sayaka looked ready to lay into the girl. ¡°Hitomi, I swear I¡¯m going to hit you.¡±

    Hitomi waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You say that all the time.¡± Turning to face Mirai, Hitomi asked, ¡°Suenaga, have you ever cosplayed before?¡±

    Mirai had mostly recovered by then. ¡°Ah¡­no¡­.¡±

    ¡°Okay dokay. Then we have work to do. Let¡¯s go.¡± Snapping her fingers, Hitomi commanded, ¡°Bring her inside.¡±

    Mirai felt Minori¡¯s hands on her, and the girl with crimson hair pushed the door open all the way, affording them easy entry into the room.

    Stepping into the clubroom, Mirai was immediately assaulted by the sight of a plethora of costumes hanging off numerous clothing racks. They ranged from dark to bright, from the spacey to the fairy tale in style. Sweeping her gaze to and fro over the racks, she saw several dresses that reminded her of the ancient story of Cinderella.

    ¡°Wow¡­.¡±

    Hitomi grinned at her. ¡°Wow indeed.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea there were this many different dresses,¡± Mirai admitted, her eyes wide.

    The girl pushed up her glasses. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t just make cosplay attire. We also make dresses for the Drama Club. In fact, it was with their co-operation that we managed to secure two rooms on this floor.¡± She waved a hand at table with elaborate looking sewing machines and cutters. ¡°We also get help from the Sewing Club who use us to skill up. Call it a mutually beneficially relationship.¡±

    Minori smirked. ¡°Sounds more like a threesome.¡±

    Hitomi replied with a wide grin. ¡°Precisely.¡±

    A loud sigh cut into the conversation, then Sayaka grumbled, ¡°You girls are so indecent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not indecent,¡± Mirai protested while pointing at herself.

    Minori nodded and struck a pose. ¡°We¡¯re not indecent, we¡¯re liberated.¡±

    Hitomi shook her head. ¡°No, no, no. We¡¯re empowered. We¡¯re women of the new age. The age of man has come to an end. Women now rule.¡±

    Mirai frowned at Hitomi, feeling a flicker of anger within her chest. ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s no place for men?¡±

    Hitomi hesitated visibly, before waving a placating hand. ¡°No. Not at all. I¡¯m saying women play a more prominent role now. Men will always be important.¡±

    Mirai¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you say that.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Hitomi swallowed and glanced at Minori for help but the pretty girl just giggled.

    ¡°I have a boyfriend,¡± Minori said, ¡°and he treats me like a princess. I have no problem leaving things to him.¡±

    Hitomi looked at Sayaka for help, but the girl sighed loudly again. ¡°Hitomi, stop putting your foot in your mouth.¡±

    Waving a finger about, Hitomi appeared to agree. ¡°Indeed. Indeed. My bad.¡± She coughed and cleared her throat for effect. When she spoke again, she sounded slightly subdued. ¡°Back to business. We need to turn Orange Mirai into Crimson Mirai. Or better still, the Crimson Rapier Virtuoso.¡±

    Mirai shelved her flickering animosity and frowned at the girl. ¡°Crimson Rapier? You mean that children¡¯s show?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s young adult entertainment,¡± Hitomi corrected. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever watched it?¡±

    Mirai shook her head faintly as she shrugged weakly. ¡°No. Not really. Haruka is a fan, though.¡±

    ¡°Well, we need to get you measured up and outfitted.¡± With a clap, Hitomi gathered her girls. ¡°Ladies, listen up. We have a mission to turn Mirai into Alice, the Crimson Rapier Virtuoso.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    The girls studied Mirai, one of them commenting, ¡°She¡¯s a lot bigger than Alice. I mean a lot bigger.¡±

    Another girl nodded. ¡°True. With a bust that size she¡¯ll be exposing a lot of skin.¡±

    A third girl grimaced in thought. ¡°Crimson Rapier Virtuoso is rated Parental Guidance Recommended.¡±

    Hitomi raised a questioning eyebrow. ¡°Yes it is. So what?¡±

    ¡°Well if Orange Mirai was playing the part, the show would be more like Mature Audience Only.¡±

    A fourth girl with her hair cut into a stylish bob muttered loudly as she peered at Mirai from various angles. ¡°Too much cleavage. Way too much cleavage. And those look pretty heavy. I don¡¯t think the material will hold.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to change the inside cups,¡± another mentioned.

    Hitomi shook her head. ¡°That will take too long.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to make a whole new bodice.¡±

    Hitomi began to scowl. ¡°That will take too long as well.¡±

    The girls gave their club president irate looks, and the short girl with the stylish bob pointed directly at Mirai¡¯s chest. ¡°If we don¡¯t do something about that, she¡¯s going to suffer a wardrobe malfunction.¡±

    ¡°That material is strong enough,¡± Hitomi retorted. ¡°I will attest to it.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± the girl questioned. ¡°You¡¯re not as big as she is. Not even close.¡±

    Looking humiliated, Hitomi pressed her lips into a thin line, before blurting out, ¡°I had Kanata test it out for me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sayaka blurted out as the girls fell silent. ¡°Did you say Kanata? Did she cosplay for you?¡±

    Hitomi¡¯s eyes widened as she realized her verbal slip. ¡°I never said that.¡±

    ¡°So how did she test out the material?¡± Sayaka inquired with a chill in her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall,¡± Hitomi replied while averting her gaze.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t recall.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sounding like a shifty Senate politician,¡± Sayaka hissed.

    With all the attention on her chest, Mirai was feeling more than a little self-conscious. She started backing away but bumped into Minori who for all intents and purposes appeared to be guarding her.

    Minori grabbed Mirai¡¯s shoulders. ¡°No running away.¡±

    ¡°What? Seriously?¡± Mirai complained.

    Minori leaned toward her from behind. ¡°Mirai. Are you forgetting why you¡¯re here?¡±

    Mirai swallowed loudly a couple of times. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Eiji.¡±

    ¡°Precisely. So what¡¯s wrong with showing a little cleavage, especially if it¡¯s for Eiji?¡±

    Mirai swallowed again, and the thought of Eiji seeing her cosplay made a slow blush break out across her cheeks.

    Minori smiled knowingly at her but remained silent.

    Shaking her head curtly, Sayaka folded her arms. ¡°Hitomi, we don¡¯t have much time. Kanata-sama wants us all back at the Faery Nest within¡±¡ªshe glanced at her slender wristwatch¡ª¡°forty minutes.¡±

    Hitomi whirled upon her. ¡°No, no, no. Not possible. Simply not possible.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not open for discussion.¡±

    Hitomi waved her arms about. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. What we do here is art. Art! And one does not rush art!¡±

    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not open for discussion.¡±

    The girl began walking a tight circle, pushing her glasses up repeatedly while biting a thumbnail. ¡°No. This won¡¯t do. This won¡¯t do at all.¡± She stopped and snapped her fingers as a sharp thought lanced through her brain. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll just have to use that.¡±

    Sayaka leaned forward a little. ¡°Use what?¡±

    Pulling out her palm-slate, Hitomi thumbed through its menus.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sayaka asked, edging closer to the girl in order to peer over her shoulder.

    ¡°Sending Kana-chan a counter proposal,¡± Hitomi replied with a cake-eating grin.

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Hitomi turned to face Sayaka and held up her palm-slate for the girl to see. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll admit it. I had Kana-chan model for me. See? Doesn¡¯t she look gorgeous?¡±

    Sayaka¡¯s gaze was fixated on the device¡¯s display. ¡°Oh¡­wow¡­.¡±

    ¡°And now we hit send.¡± Hitomi tapped the screen. ¡°And now we wait.¡±

    They didn¡¯t have to wait long.

    Some ten seconds later, the girl¡¯s palm-slate began to sing a popular song.

    Hitomi tapped the palm-slate¡¯s surface and answered the call. ¡°Moshi mosh.¡±

    ¡°Are you blackmailing me?¡±

    The girl smiled like a cat as she held the device away from her ear. Tapping the screen, she switched on the speaker function so that everyone nearby could hear the conversation. ¡°Blackmail is such an ugly word, Kana-chan.¡±

    ¡°I want Mirai back here now!¡±

    ¡°No can do. Mirai is perfect for the part. She¡¯ll make the Cosplay Club the talk of the town. I¡¯ll be guaranteed more members by the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to happen.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Then I¡¯ll just send that private collection off to the Newspaper Club.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sue you.¡±

    ¡°For what? You never signed an agreement with me forbidding their use. Those are mine. I own them. I paid you for your time. Or have you forgotten those discount vouchers I gave you for your favorite opera?¡±

    ¡°Gah! How dare you!¡±

    ¡°I have tickets for a La Traviata.¡±

    ¡°...what...?¡±

    ¡°I said, I have tickets for La Traviata. Does it strike your fancy?¡±

    ¡°¡­you wench¡­.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Fine! Fine. You can have Mirai. But I need her back in time for the ceremony. Is that clear?¡±

    Mirai had the sinking impression that she¡¯d just been sold to the highest bidder.

    Hitomi pumped a fist in the air. ¡°Plenty of time. Rest assured, she will be a feast for the eyes.¡± Then she dropped her weight onto a hip. ¡°Besides, Alice is the Crimson Rapier Virtuoso. She¡¯s perfect for the Crimson Force Team. I¡¯m sure this will make Midorikawa of the Lunar Force green with envy.¡±

    Hitomi aimed her left ear at the palm-slate as she listened eagerly for Kanata¡¯s response.

    For a short while there was silence on the line, and Mirai could hear soft breathing.

    Then Hoshikawa spoke up. ¡°If Mirai isn¡¯t perfect, I¡¯m going to burn your clubroom down. Do hear me? I want that girl to be the perfect Alice von Reizner, the Crimson Rapier.¡±

    ¡°I see. I see. Not a problem. Leave it to me and my girls.¡±

    ¡°Are Sayaka and Minori with you? If they are, send them back. I need them here now.¡±

    Hitomi glanced at the girls in question who shrugged and nodded respectively.

    Breaking into a wide smile, Hitomi said, ¡°Kana-chan, as always it¡¯s a pleasure doing business with you.¡±

    Hoshikawa ended the call with a loud huff, and Hitomi turned off the speaker function on her slate before dropping the device into a coat pocket.

    Turning to face Mirai with a hungry look, the girl pushed up her glasses.

    ¡°Now then. We have work to do.¡±

    A shiver ran through Mirai as she read the girl¡¯s feelings on the Ether. Even though the Ether was flowing weakly through the building, courtesy of the Reflectors, Mirai was able to read Hitomi¡¯s emotions quite simply because the latter wasn¡¯t bothering to hide them by employing her Empath Weaver talent. Hitomi was quite simply too enraptured at the prospect of dressing up Mirai to worry about her leaking feelings.

    Gripped firmly by Minori, there was little hope of escape for Mirai who began to tremble like a frightened kitten.

    <hr />

    A model of Mirai''s cosplay can be found here.

    http://www.pridesfamiliarsmaidens.com/?page_id=897</a>