“Let’s set the timer for...twelve hours, just to be safe,” Yu murmured. “Mark III, map... Perfect. Send it to the settlement.”
The Mark III quickly charged both droids with enough energy to last for the allotted uptime. After activating the onboard intelligence for autonomous behavior, the MUV Storebox took off into the sky. This was the day that refrigerators flew—at seventy kilometers per hour, to be precise. It would arrive at its destination in a little over an hour. Mundane as it was, there could be no downplaying the sheer science and technology that went into allowing such a device to exist.
Yu let out a sigh as he de-armorized. “It feels a little wrong to be using the Asura Frame like this.”
“But it’s because you do that so many can enjoy affordable luxuries,” Ein said. “You use it for others, rather than for personal gain, and personally I see no harm in that.”
The food stand Natsuki and her friends had started had made a name for itself, rising above its business rivals fairly swiftly with their roasted skewers and improvised udon. The staff, Yu included, were rather young, the oldest being in their twenties, and no one was by any means an experienced chef, but their popularity grew nonetheless. The reasons were twofold and simple: it was cheap, and it was made with real meat. Not every day, granted, but the prospect alone was enough to launch their joint to public acclaim.
There was just one bottleneck: Yu and his situation with the Mark III.
“We’ve been fine so far, since the portal-keeps and Anomalies have been quiet, but that won’t last forever,” Yu murmured. “If I can’t fix things soon, I might not be able to protect everyone.”
He swallowed after that last word. Fix what? What obligation was he under to do anything? He wasn’t Devicer Three. He was just a middle schooler. A middle schooler who had managed to fluke his way into activating the Mark III. A stand-in. Why shouldn’t he use this opportunity to step down?
Because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to protect them. His friends. The people who gave him the strength to go out hunting on days like this. The courage to stare death in the face and fight the Anomalies and archmages in the first place.
He thought of them. Ein. Ijuin. Aliya. Even Natsuki had become someone he cared about. And the elves. And the ex-soldier Shiba. Volonov, the scary mafia man. Those were the faces that came to mind when Yu thought about the people he wanted to protect. But what about everyone else?
Yu could only come to the conclusion that he was a very close-minded and pigheaded person.
“I have an idea,” Ein said suddenly. “Care to indulge me?”
“This is even more fun than I thought!” Ein shouted, roaring with laughter.
“C-Can we have fun a little slower, please?!” Yu pleaded.
“Slower? Yu, the Asura reaches speeds thousands of times greater than this! This is nothing!”
Yu screamed at the top of his lungs. It was so much different when he could feel the wind whipping against his face and hear his ears pop.
He and Ein zipped across the ocean surface aboard the MUV Airmobile, slicing through waves and soaring through the air with the help of the anti-gravity lifters. The device came with a very convenient autopilot mode, but Ein didn’t much care for that function right now. She steered the vehicle herself, gliding it just above the water like a jet ski. Yu, on the other hand, sat behind her with his arms firmly locked around her waist and trying desperately not to fall off.
Ein’s laugh cut through the whirling wind. “I saw someone using a similar vehicle at the harbor and I simply had to try it for myself!”
“I didn’t know you could drive a jet ski!”
“I can’t! I thought it might not be too different from riding a horse, but this is far more exhilarating! I quite like it!”
“Wait, what?! What do you mean you can’t?!”
“Relax!” she shouted back. “I think I’ve got the hang of it! I might be a natural at this, Yu!”
“I don’t know about—Whoa!” Yu tightened his grip as they collided head first with a particularly large wave.
Ein was apparently intent on relishing this bit of seaside leisure—as evidenced by the fact that she had brought a change of clothes specifically for the occasion. She had changed into a navy blue, waterproof rash guard, with flower-patterned swim trunks over a pair of leggings and a sun visor on her head. And she absolutely killed the look, the skintight clothing accentuating her figure all the more.
“Forget about the world for a moment,” she said. Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Her voice was bright and pleasant. Clear. Clear enough to shine through the gloom. “Empty your mind and enjoy yourself, so that you’re better prepared for tomorrow’s troubles. You’re not going to let me have all the fun, are you?”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong!” Yu shouted. “I like roller coasters, but this is ridiculous!”
The screaming continued for some time as they strode along the ocean. Eventually, when he was calm enough for it, Yu took the helm for a while, and they went on taking turns until at last they neared the shore of Nayuta.
The sun was deep in the western sky. Dusk would fall soon. They had played the entire afternoon away, and now Ein guided them towards the city steadily and calmly, which Yu greatly appreciated. But then, before they’d reached the shore, the droid suddenly slowed to a stop. The anti-gravity lifters kept them afloat, even without forward motion.
Ein remained facing forward. “Yu. No matter what decision you ultimately reach, I will support it,” she said softly. “So I want you to keep looking inward. To take as long as you need to find your answer.”
Yu was silent for a long moment. Finally, he simply replied, “Yeah.”
He couldn’t see her face, but he knew it must have been as beautiful, proud, and dignified as it always was. He admired that about her. His mind was so fragile, so easily clouded with worry, but she had a way of making his world feel brighter.
The clone of a great elvish warrior queen. It was an incredible title to hold, and Yu didn’t understand what could have possibly made him worthy of standing beside such an amazing woman. Maybe he wasn’t yet. Maybe he was meant to try. Maybe, one day, he would be worthy...
“W-Wait, uh, Ein? When did you turn around?”
“I was wondering where your mind had gone,” she said. Ein was supposed to have her hands on the controls, but at some unknown point in time she had spun around and was now staring Yu right in the face.
He could see her every feature. Every unique, irreplicable detail. Her sharp, almond-shaped eyes gazed deep into his own. He could feel her breath against his nose.
“L-Little close there,” he stammered.
“Of course I am,” Ein replied coolly.
“You’re doing it on purpose?!”
“Really, Yu? We’ve shared one kiss already. I should think my intentions are obvious.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
“You’re normally so perceptive. Need I really spell it out? This is the part where you’re supposed to fall madly in love with me and steal my lips.”
She fluttered her eyelashes alluringly and slightly parted her lips.
“Listen, I-I really think this isn’t the right time yet!” Yu stammered.
“‘Yet’...” Ein echoed pensively. “Very well, I suppose I’ll take what promises I can get. I will say, however, that I would like to see a little more assertiveness on your part.”
“I’m a middle schooler! I don’t even know how I’d do that!”
“It’s not so hard. You could take me in an impassioned embrace, for example.”
“I really hope you’re talking about a hug,” Yu groaned.
“A hug... An expression of love through the mutual caressing of one another. I know of this concept. Yes, this will work! Let us engage in a hug, my fated one!”
Ein’s seductively languid expression instantly transformed into a giddy smile, her arms stretched out wide for optimal hugging conditions. Yu was at a loss. His pensive mind didn’t know how to handle such levels of positivity, but there wasn’t much of a choice anymore. Yu was going to have to hug that girl.
The pivotal moment was at hand when gunshots filled the air. Several at once. The rapid pop of machine guns, the punctuated cracks of rifles.
“Ein! Yu!” Aliya’s voice echoed through the commlink. “Thank goodness you’re back! It’s Anomalies!”