Two weeks into her research, Baba successfully completed the commemorable prototype number one. It was a PSI drive in the form of a silver-colored short sword.
The interior was so complicated that it was completely beyond my comprehensive ability, but apparently this prototype was still a highly simplified version in Baba’s eyes. According to her, the superpower amplification was weak and the output was still very low.
The titanium alloy used in the frame and exoskeleton was apparently something that did not exist in Baba’s world, so she had no idea how it would affect the product as a whole. The prototype could be a failure, or worst case, it could maybe even explode.
Well, the whole point of making a prototype was to test it. And so, a plastic cartridge the size of the fingernail of a pinky finger packed with fuel processed from Touka-chan’s blood was loaded into the hilt of the short sword. Two times it failed to activate, calling for some final adjustments.
Inside Kaneyama Tech’s fire-proofed experiment room, with myself and several research staff with fire extinguishers in hand watching, finally, on the third try, the PSI drive activated.
“Uwah!”
“Ohhh!”
“No way, it actually worked?!”
The flames spurting out from the short sword elicited cries of astonishment and wonder from the researchers. In spite of having had all the theory explained to me previously, I was still very surprised seeing it in person.
With the realization of the PSI drive, the world had officially entered the era where non-espers could still wield superpowers.
Whereas the fuel made of red blood cells would require regular replenishment and disposal, this characteristic also made it easy to maintain secrecy. On one hand, the management necessary due to long-term preservation not being an option was indeed a lot of trouble. However, on the flip side, in the slight chance that we ever accidentally lose one of these things, they would automatically become harmless after a hundred days. This was a very useful failsafe to prevent any unintended spread of superpowers.
At the moment, we had only a short sword that could emit fire. However, if we could effectively lend out my telekinesis, then the breadth and scale of our events would widen enormously. I could dream so much bigger. This was absolutely wonderful. I very much wanted Baba to continue working hard at this.
I approached Baba as she flung her hand around in an attempt to cool it down after deactivating the flames coming from the sword. “Congratulations on your success. I’m sorry to press you, but can you also make a PSI drive in the form of one of those wands seen in magical girl anime?”
“Hm? I can indeed. Why would you wish for—ahh, for Touka?”
“No, for Kaburagi-san.”
“......Has there been a mistake in the Japanese that I’ve learned? Are magical girls not something preferred by young maidens? Kaburagi is an adult, if my memory serves me true. Would such an item not be to her taste?” Baba looked quite puzzled.
Oh right, Kaburagi-san became bedridden quite soon after she joined us, so the two of them haven’t had much contact with each other yet.
“Not a problem. Kaburagi-san likes magical girls.”
“???”
“Is that an issue?”
“Ahh, no, I mind it not. A great tree with weak branches is but mere firewood. To the same, the hero’s companions must also be strong. I have no objections to making a weapon for Kaburagi.”
Baba accepted my request readily, but then she continued while proffering the short sword to me. “Tell Shouta to attack one of the demon lord’s subordinates with this sword. Depending on the outcome, I will be making further improvements.”
“Got it.”
That’s right. That’s the important part. But well, I have my barrier, so I should be fine, I think? This is supposedly a low quality test product anyway, so it probably won’t cause any big issues.
I was thoroughly familiar with how disappointing reality was. There was no way that a mere short sword like this could damage me in any way.
Let’s have Shouta-kun go casually stab a World Shadow then.
⚔
“Gueh!”
On the evening of the day that I passed the short sword to Shouta-kun, I cried out alone in Ama-no-Iwato, falling to my knees while clutching my stomach.
The instant Shouta-kun stabbed the humanoid World Shadow that he was fighting in the underground sewers with the flaming short sword, pain shot through my stomach even though I had been bracing myself half in seriousness. The wine glass that I dropped shattered on the ground. That hurts, dammit! Although the amount of pain was nothing in comparison to when I tore my telekimuscle, pain was still pain.
I flipped my shirt up to check my stomach, and sure enough, there was indeed a little bit of blood oozing out. Ig immediately reached out with her front paws and healed me in an instant, but I had indeed been hurt. It was not that I had bumped something or cut myself. Judging by the timing, there was no room for doubt. I had indeed shared a portion of the damage that Shouta-kun had dealt to the World Shadow.
“Ahh, goddammit!”
I got up and scratched my hair irately. What is this? It actually works? This is a complete success! What, so I’m an actual demon lord? I had my barrier up but it just penetrated right through! This stupid barrier is no help whatsoever! More like, I don’t recall ever having been helped by it at all!
The damage that reached me, be it feedback or infection or any other way, did not feel like it had slipped through my barrier so much as piercing through it. There was the possibility that I could train myself to defend against it, but that was quite iffy, seeing as how even a trash-tier prototype could already get to me so easily. I shuddered to imagine what would happen if it was the perfected hero’s sword that had been used.
Ahh~ahh~ahh~ahh~ahh~. Everything’s going to hell. I’m so sick of this. Is this happening because Baba’s from another world? Cus it’s technology from another world? Just because this was made using techniques that originated from another world, it could penetrate this barrier of mine that can even completely deflect an asteroid the size of what made all the dinosaurs go extinct?
Goddamn reality, always fucking me over with its unreasonable shit.
But this was happening for real.
This was already......
No............
But..................
......I’m sorry, Baba. This won’t do. There’s no way I can leave this be. I fully understand your yearning for the extraordinary and your burning zeal to defeat a demon lord. I respect, from the very bottom of my heart, the unwavering resolve and passion that drove you to part with your home world of 905 years and take the plunge of crossing into another world. Your intent to protect this world’s peace by eradicating the World Shadows and defeating the demon lord is indeed splendid and noble. If possible, I would have loved to make this dream of yours come true. I mean every word of this. This is something that you’ve yearned for for several hundreds of years. Compared to Kaburagi-san and myself, who haven’t even made it past thirty, I’m sure that what you feel is unbelievably deeper, unbelievably heavier, and unbelievably more expansive. I can’t even begin to imagine how you feel.
However, even so, I cannot go on with this. Not after I’ve learned that supporting your dream means I could actually die for real. Even if it’s for you, my great senpai on the path of chasing one’s dreams, I’m afraid I cannot give you my life.
Former queen of the Alvu race and great mechanic of another world, Lonalia Linalia Baba-Nyan. I’m terribly sorry, but I am going to need you to join me on the set-up side of this great charade.