It’s possible my attack was timed just a little too late… Oh my. I do always fail to follow through at times like these. Everybody thinks Takao Hijiri is so perfect, but unfortunately, that is not true. But here, in front of my little sister, at least…
Hijiri placed a hand to her stomach. The midsection of her Fly Swordsman outfit was torn, as it appeared that Yomibito’s katana had grazed her when he attacked. When she laid a hand upon it, she felt the wound was shallow. There wasn’t much blood.
“…”
When did this happen?
Hijiri looked down at the blood on her fingers.
Right… I was thinking about what comes after this fight, wasn’t I? The battles to come. But it’s okay, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t need to think about anything that comes after this. She can make it through, I know she can. She’ll make it. This fight… Everything within me is saying that I should keep her alive.
Takao Hijiri cloaked herself in wind once more, and then she silently yet determinedly glared at Yomibito.
“We’ll fulfil our roles.”
Takao Itsuki
ITSUKI KNEW THAT the cooldown time on her sister’s Gungnir ability was ten minutes.
Aneki just said that to make Yomibito think it’d be another twenty minutes before our next attack. Vicius probably doesn’t know the exact cooldown of Gungnir either, even after our fight with her. Aneki knows that I know the cooldown time is really ten minutes, though…
Itsuki smiled.
She’s always on top of everything, even the small stuff.
That was why Itsuki trusted her.
“Status Open.”
She opened her stat window. As a rule, only the heroes themselves could see their own stats. The exceptions were Kashima Kobato, and one other—Vicius. As a disciple of Vicius’s element, it was possible that Yomibito might be capable of seeing the heroes’ stats, and so they did their best not to open them where possible.
But I have to check this. All right. I still have enough MP for two casts of Lock End. It’s too soon to give up. If Aneki says so, then it’s too soon. I’m not scared to fight this terrifying enemy, because Aneki’s here fighting by my side. My job is to create an opening for her…to make Yomibito focus on me.
Itsuki closed her stat window and fired off an Unlock Two at Yomibito.
My electricity?!
Yomibito sliced through it with his katana.
Tch… How has that transformation made him so strong? Seems like even Lock End’s paralysis has worn off. Damn it. I had to be careful of two swords before. Now we’re up to four and I’ve still gotta match him? But I’m going to do this…
Itsuki accelerated herself with Unlock One—and in the same moment, Yomibito moved too.
He was being attacked in the back and shoulders by Hijiri’s wind blades, but paid them no mind. He sliced at Itsuki, and she quickly corrected her course to escape him.
Should I keep running until Gungnir’s ready, or is the best defense a good offense? Is Yomibito going to think to finish this quickly with swift attacks, assuming we can’t do anything for the next twenty minutes? Or will he try and wear us down slowly, knowing he has time to spare?
Itsuki ran, Yomibito followed, and Hijiri pursued them both.
I have to do this… Me…
Hijiri was an S-class hero, but not a purely combat focused type like Sogou Ayaka. Her skills were flexible, allowing her to see through lies, and use additional aspects of her skills to her advantage in ways that the other heroes couldn’t. She only had one finishing move skill, however—and Gungnir’s cooldown meant it couldn’t be cast multiple times in quick succession. Ayaka and Kirihara’s skills, on the other hand, were both powerful and constantly available for repeated use. Hijiri’s wind blades could be powered up with additional air pressure, but were best suited to large scale, area of effect style attacks. They had served Hijiri best when they had fought the Demon King’s army on the eastern front.
She could have fought the creatures of the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters without Gungnir, too. It was only Ayaka’s incredible, attention-grabbing combat skills that made Hijiri look weaker by comparison. Hijiri’s other skills had more than enough firepower—the only question was which of them would be capable of dealing a finishing blow to a monster like Yomibito.
“Kirihara-kun shattered the measurement crystal, and when it measured Sogou-san, the it was reduced to a fine powder. When it measured me, the crystal glowed brightly but never broke… Perhaps those two are the only heroes who surpass the S-class category,” Itsuki remembered her sister saying once. She respected her older sister’s analysis—and as much as she wanted to dispute it, she had no intention of denying it.
But then, I…I have to make up the difference! I’m going to do this! I’ll keep Yomibito focused on me, just like he’s pursuing me now. Does he think I’m the easier target? Well, hey…I can’t say he’s wrong!
Three of Yomibito’s four katana-wielding arms were focused squarely on Itsuki, but she felt there was something strangely honed about her senses that day. She could clearly see the distance between them—the length of his strikes.
“…?”
Aneki?
Hijiri should have dodged the blade, but a thin red line ran across her forehead.
The wound looks deep. It’s okay—she dodged it.
“Itsuki! There’s a part of that blade that you can’t see!” Hijiri shouted at her as loud as she could—she never shouts.
Eh? Ah, no—
—Fwsh—
“—Ah!”
…Eh? M-my left eye… I…
I can’t see?
Ah. Right. That slice hit my left eye.
“…Huh?”
Huh? Why am I thinking about the old world? When I get back… I’m thinking about what it’s going to be like living with one eye?
Ah. I’m so scared.
Itsuki felt a chill run though her, her chest tightening.
No, no! Aneki almost died of that poison! That must have hurt much more! This is nothing! Well, I’m scared, but…the pain… The space where my left eye should be hurts so badly… There’s going to be more pain… Even more…
“Ah…”
With one eye, I won’t be able to judge distance…will I? How long can I keep evading his attacks?
“—tsuki!”
Eh? Onee-chan? What’s she saying?
Ah… Am I doing it?
Am I…losing heart?