“……”
“What? Will you stop patting me on the head? Show some manners.”
I took a swing with Masamune Kuki—trigger—then generated a light sword and held it in a low position.
“Okay, it’s time for your punishment. Ready? Bad deeds will always be punished, and my little lady here says she will tolerate no evil. As guardian angel of yuri girls, I’m going to obey her orders.”
“Freeze! Freeze if you want our hostages to live—”
Whoosh!
I exhaled, sank, peeled off the claymores from the girls’ hands—and shot them at the ceiling.
“Huh…? Huh…?”
“Wh-what? Where’s my claymore?”
“Th-that…was way too…fast…”
“Remember this,” I said, pointing the tip of my sword at the clan members in front of me.
“There are people in this world who protect the precious, and they exist where yuri girls bloom. Behold the protector who condemns evil. The name is—”
“Ophelia von Margeline!”
I—I will never…ever…be able to beat this girl…
Despite having the highlight of my show ruined, I released the bound hostages and restrained the clan members in their place.
Ophelia flashed her necklace and declared victory while I urged the students to seek refuge outside the ship.
“This ship has lifeboats. They operate automatically, and the ship’s staff should be directing an evacuation, so follow their instructions. Oh, and by the way, have any of you fallen in love among yourselves after sharing a life-threatening experience? I’ll give you a prize later if you’ll tell me your full name and which class you’re in.”
After scribbling their names on a notepad, I explained the safest route and sent them on their way.
“You should go with her,” I said to Ophelia. “It’s better to get off this ship now than to hide. Things could turn into hell after this.”
“Oh? What about you?”
“Huh? Are you worried about me?”
Ophelia crossed her arms and turned the other way.
“Why would I care about a male? Don’t get me wrong, okay? It’s inconceivable for a member of the Margelines, a family that stands for bravery, to stop rescuing others and to run.”
“Okay, okay. Listen, Ophelia, I’ll be fine, so you go with these girls—”
Shiver!
A chill ran down my spine as I sensed a horrifying rush of magic, and I quickly looked up at the ceiling.
Hey… Something’s here… What’s with this huge volume of magic power…? It’s nothing like those clan members… It’s absurd…… I can’t guess the extent of it… All I can say is that it’s far beyond my powers…
“Wh-what is it?”
Ophelia trembled and grabbed the hem of my shirt.
“Ophelia, get off this ship right now. Right now. Got it?”
I broke out in a cold sweat and did some hard thinking.
Even Tsukiori couldn’t…handle this… Was it a high-ranking witch or wizard…? No, it was greater than that… Can I…fight it…? No, never mind that. I have no choice… Tsukiori’s in the midst of a battle with the bosses now… The only person who can fight this thing… That’s me… I have to do it…
“Everyone, get off the boat now! You! Take her! And these clan members, too! Get away from this ship as quickly as you can! Okay?!”
“Huh?! Hey!!!”
I pushed Ophelia to one of the girls and ran up, heading for the upper deck.
Higher.
Higher and higher.
I reached the Tanzanite Deck on the top level—and felt a wind.
A cool breeze caressed my body, heated from running in a panic, and my sweaty limbs turned cold.
I saw four figures.
There was a swirling vortex of magical energy with a captivating woman at the center, illuminated by the moonlight and the starry sky.
“A.”
Proving who she was with that one letter, A was surrounded by security staff as she held down her fluttering hair.
“The moon tonight has made the sky drunk,” she whispered as she smiled.
The three security staff members held their sword-type magic devices at the ready and gradually inched toward me.
“…You.”
One of the security guards whispered, “What?” as sweat dripped down her face.
“You’re human,” I responded, and the sharp tip of my blade pierced the darkness.
Naturally, A caught it with the palm of her hand. She examined her slashed hand, tilting her head, looking puzzled as if she were looking at a frog that had been gutted.
“You won’t be able to capture him. Go for the jugular!!!”
The women split up in three directions—trigger—and attacked A, flailing their thin water swords like whips.
The swords wrapped around her neck, and the threesome laughed, certain of their victory.
The moment the water devices were entwined around A’s neck, they pulled their triggers again, and the whip-like devices regained their form as sharp blades that were supposed to cut her head off.
That was what they were supposed to do.
“Huh?”
The three security staff members stood stunned, dumbfounded.
“Is something…happening…?”
The blades weren’t moving.
There hadn’t been time for A to pull her trigger and activate her magic.
Yet the thin swords, which were sharp and solid again, didn’t cut her neck. Instead, they were only standing upright in the night.
A touched a finger to her neck and smiled, saying, “Thanks for the lovely necklace,” and waved.
Then the threesome disappeared.
The gawking security staff disappeared, and A looked up at the moon as if nothing had happened.
I was speechless and stared at her.
Hey…this isn’t funny… What did she do with them…? I don’t understand the principles behind this… And when did she pull the trigger anyway…? I can’t let someone like her go near Tsukiori, Rei, and Lapis…
Clang. Something clattered against Masamune Kuki’s scabbard.
Bracing myself, I leaped forward—but was pulled into the darkness behind me with a hand covering my mouth.
“Ngh…! Ngh…!!!”
“Quiet… Don’t move…!”
I bent backward to see who was behind me.
The girl who was holding me down…Luri Hizumi…breathed hard as she whispered into my ear.