Episode 4: The Sky Tournament

* * *

The excitement in the massive academy arena had reached its peak.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming!!"

The spectators filling the stands held banners for their favorite academies and clutched all sorts of hot snacks, watching the opening ceremony with gleeful expressions.

"Music, start!"

Singing with a jewel-like smile and dancing against a backdrop of staggeringly vivid holograms was Corporations' top artist, mALEEa.

"Kyaa! mALEEa-chaaaan!"

In the athletes' seating area, Koshiba next to me was on the verge of tears as she waved. Apparently, the girl singing on stage was a big deal—her videos had over 500 billion views on Fructus's streaming platform.

"How nice... I'd love to sing somewhere like that too."

Koito-senpai was also watching the stage with sparkling eyes.

"...You okay? Master-chan."

Luna asked me as I swayed on my feet. The sheer number of people and the whirlwind of excitement—it was the natural enemy of my Apocalypse. I desperately tried to close off my mind, but I was no match for this massive roar of a crowd.

"...I might not be able to handle this."

"Come here."

Luna placed my head on her lap. A soft sensation. It was a little embarrassing, and I knew I should stop, but she looked so worried that I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

"Th-that's so bold...!"

Koito-senpai's face turned red as she flailed in a flustered panic.

* * *

The operation briefing for Team Koito had been that morning—during a meeting in Koito-senpai's room (the bed sheets had been left rumpled).

"We're crushing an assassination plot! That's the reason we're entering the Representative Battle as Team Koito!"

At Koito-senpai's words, Koshiba cocked her head.

"Assassination... that's the assassination of Captain and Kotoha-senpai, right? What does that have to do with the Representative Battle?"

"...Probably," Mef chimed in.

"It's because there wasn't anyone else at Azure Academy that you could trust. Is that right?"

"Ye-es!"

As if she'd been waiting for someone to say it, Koito-senpai continued.

"We don't know what kind of plan the assassins will come with, so I want people I trust close by. And there's no way I can just sit out the Representative Battle—politically speaking."

"...If they're going to assassinate the Leader, there's really only one window of opportunity," Mef said, thinking it through calmly.

"When you're connected to the Simulator during the Representative Battle."

"Oh, right."

I snapped my fingers. The Simulator could replicate reality at over 90% resolution. During the Representative Battle, connected students would engage in mock combat inside it.

"Even someone like me would be finished if my throat got slit while I was hooked up to the Simulator."

If there was a traitor inside Azure Academy, killing her would be easy.

"So we just gotta guard Koito-chan while she's in there, right? Roger that."

Luna drawled while playing cat's cradle with the silver threads extending from her body.

"Koshiba and the others have solid defense," Koshiba added. "Luna-san can turn into threads and stay hidden, Mef-senpai specializes in defense, Koshiba's Shamshir lets us escape anytime, and Kotoha-senpai has his future sight."

True enough—as long as Team Koito stuck together, the difficulty of pulling off an assassination would be extremely high.

"Exactly! But protecting me isn't the only reason we're entering the Representative Battle as a team."

"...What do you mean?"

"What I mean is—they're underestimating us."

Koito-senpai continued, bristling with indignation.

"There are idiots out there who think they can beat us if they just keep it quiet. The disrespect. So we need to enter the Representative Battle, show every single member of this team is the strongest, and broadcast across all of Fructus that nobody should ever, EVER try to assassinate us again—so they'll be down on their knees going 'we're sorry, please forgive us!'"

It wasn't just Koito who was the strongest. Everyone around her was, too—

"There's absolutely no way that'll work!"

said Koshiba.

"You drafted us based on reasoning that optimistic and sloppy?!"

said Mef.

"Koito-chan. I don't have to fight in this Representative Battle thing, right?"

"Nope! I've got something else for you, Luna-chan!"

Luna smiled and took a drag of her cigarette. Mef and Koshiba looked at her with bitter envy.

"...But seriously. Gunscars grow the most during real combat when you're pushed to the limit."

"Huh?"

"As long as you're under my command, I need you to clear hurdles like this without breaking a sweat."

Koito-senpai smiled. Being close to her meant fighting the most dangerous Apocalypses in the world. That was exactly why they needed to keep sharpening themselves—

Mef and Koshiba rely on me too much.

It's about time they leveled up.

Koito-senpai really did think things through more than you'd think. Sure, she dragged everyone around her into chaos and was the queen of doing things her way, but she was never just reckless.

"But... why would anyone want to assassinate Koito-senpai?"

She was a powerful ally of the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee. You could even call her a weapon of last resort.

"That's—a simple matter, actually."

It was Mef who answered my question.

"If there were only one nuclear weapon in the entire world, and the person holding it was an ordinary high school girl—"

"...Yeah, you'd feel like you had to do something about that."

Especially for people who didn't know Koito-senpai personally.

Koito-senpai snorted, looking like she couldn't care less about any of that.

"The Representative Battle is on day two of the Sky Tournament! Let's bring our A-game!"

Team Koito steeled themselves and nodded nervously.

* * *

After the opening ceremony, we headed from the arena's athletes-only entrance to board the bus back to the hotel.

"Nooo! I wanna go sightseeing! It's a festival!"

"Yes, yes, assassination targets should get on the bus quietly."

Luna had wrapped the flailing Koito-senpai in threads, slung her over one shoulder, and was carrying her. Students from other academies snickered at the sight. How embarrassing.

"Whoa! That's one hell of a bus!"

Docked next to the arena was yet another absurdly enormous bus, probably around 500 meters long.

"This is the Leviathan! The world's largest aerial bus, the pride of Corporations!"

Mef's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the long, segmented bus that looked like a slender dragon.

"Hmm... Even this one must tip one's hat at this size. ...How vexing!"

Chalquiruq sounded frustrated too. So even Gunscars had those kinds of feelings.

"Kotoha!"

I turned around to find my classmates from Year 1, Class F.

"I can't believe a newcomer like you is actually competing in the Representative Battle."

That was Arav.

"You better not be scared shitless! Don't go embarrassin' yourself out there!"

That was PM.

He's probably nervous, so I should act normal to help him relax...

Competing in the Representative Battle—that's Year 1 Class F's pride! Go get 'em!!

Behind their teasing, their hearts were full of genuine friendship. Good guys, as always.

"What events are you two in?"

"We're on a three-man team for the Apocalypse Capture Scenario drill."

"Three?"

PM jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Standing there was the class representative—Lan.

"Oh, nice. You're with them, Lan. Good luck!"

"...Hmph. That's none of your business."

Same as always—she stayed prickly. Grr... That hadn't changed one bit.

"Well, well. Kotoha, huh? Look at you, movin' up in the world while I wasn't watchin'."

A voice came from behind me out of nowhere. Standing there was a student from Chaos Institute—

"Magina-senpai!"

Magina Avram. The senpai who'd helped us out during the Viscera Apartments incident. A small, cute girl with black hair, but that nihilistic look in her eyes and that smirk of hers were nostalgic.

"Long time no see. I owe ya from back then. Didn't even get to thank ya properly."

"No, not at all! I'm glad we could meet again."

During the Viscera Apartments, Magina-senpai had been badly injured and we'd parted without a proper goodbye, so being able to chat like this was both a relief and a joy.

"Hey, Magina-senpai. Can you pass a message to Lea for me? I can't reach her."

I'd heard from Lea during an earlier phone call that both she and Magina-senpai would be at the Sky Tournament. Lea and I had talked about meeting up if we had time, but...

"...You too, huh."

For a moment, a shadow passed over Magina-senpai's face.

"Lea's been outta contact since last night."

"...What?"

"Security teams are searchin', but they got nothin'."

I instinctively peeked into her mind. What I found was anxiety, fear, sadness—and a desperate, grasping-at-straws kind of hope. A fragile feeling, rare for someone as strong-willed as her. ...Lea was missing?

"I mean, I'm not that worried. Lea's Maiden of Gévaudan has a weakness—when she's inside somethin', she can't communicate with the outside. It's basically a separate dimension."

Most likely, Lea was hiding somewhere. But why? Lea's ability was suited for stealth, sure, but she could come and go freely. Was she tailing someone so dangerous she couldn't look away for even a second?

"Kotoha. Can you see anything with that future sight of yours?"

"...No, sorry. My Apocalypse is limited."

"Gotcha. Well, lemme know if ya find anything out."

Magina-senpai was wearing her usual carefree grin, but behind it, she couldn't hide the exhaustion in her eyes. Lea's disappearance was weighing on her, sure, but the Sky Tournament security detail seemed to be running her ragged too.

"Magina-senpai. Let me help search for Lea—"

"Ha. Now you're the one bein' disrespectful. Don't underestimate me or Lea."

She kept that mischievous smirk on her face.

"You got your own job to do, yeah? Drop everything and come runnin' to find Lea with some damsel-in-distress look on your face—she'd deck you."

"...Yeah, she'd probably cut me off for good."

Lea was a professional. And so was Magina-senpai. Plenty of professionals were out there doing their best to keep Lea safe. If I went and did something stupid driven by emotion... that would be an insult.

"Leave this to me, Kotoha. Go out there and raise some hell."

"...Yes, ma'am!"

She gave a languid wave as she walked away. Despite her small frame, her back somehow looked larger than life. What a cool upperclassman. I wanted to grow into someone with that kind of composure.

"Nooo! I wanna enjoy the festival too! Nyao, back me up!"

"Captain. Please give it up."

...Our upperclassman, on the other hand, was a different story entirely.

"Kotoha."

The one who called out to me was Lan.

"You have friends at Chaos Institute?"

"Oh, yeah... I worked with them on a job once."

"She's... Purge Squad, isn't she?"

Lan was looking at me with an almost childlike openness. The edge she usually carried had gone still, just for now.

"Do you know a girl in the Purge Squad named Bechina?"

"Bechina? No, I don't know her."

She murmured a quiet "I see."

"...Bechina-chan. She was a friend of mine, from a long time ago."

"Yeah?"

"We promised we'd join the Purge Squad together when we grew up."

So Lan had originally lived in District 6... No, wait. More importantly—

(If I remember right, the Purge Squad kids were—by Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno—)

Half of them had been left permanently incapacitated, and seven had been killed.

In other words, if Lan's friend Bechina had actually joined the Purge Squad...

"We had a falling out and haven't seen each other since. ...She was such a dear friend."

"...I see."

"So, I've been looking for her, a little. Sorry, that's all."

She murmured it and walked away. I watched her go, unable to find the words to say.

(Should I have told her? ...But it's unconfirmed information.)

Besides, she and I weren't close enough for me to stick my nose that far into her business...

(Damn, human relationships are hard!)

No—right now, what I was worried about was Lea! Where on earth was she?

But what I needed to focus on was preparing for the Sky Tournament! I didn't even know how to use my Gunscar yet!

"...You okay? Master-chan. You've got smoke coming out of your head."

"Lunaaaa—I've got too much happening at once and I'm about to completely short-circuit!"

"Pfft. That's kinda funny. Hang in there."

Her halfhearted encouragement somehow took the tension right out of my shoulders.

* * *

Koshiba's name was Koshiba Nyao. A first-year in Azure Academy's middle school division.

"Look, look, Mef-senpai! This is so cute. I'm gonna buy it for Captain!"

The Leviathan's shopping carriages formed a three-story shopping mall. Hard to believe they were inside a bus — the open atrium corridors were lined with all sorts of trendy shops.

"...Cute? This weird mascot character?"

Koshiba and Mef-senpai were happily shopping together. Koshiba had always loved Mef-senpai. She was so serious it was almost too much — like a big sister you just couldn't leave alone.

"But is it really okay? While Captain and Kotoha-senpai are dealing with something so serious."

"Kotoha-senpai aside, Captain probably doesn't even care about the assassination attempt."

Mef-senpai was a worrywart as always. She'd been on edge the whole time, and her tension threatened to bleed over to Kotoha-senpai too. That was why Koshiba had been careful to drag her outside.

(If he's with Captain, Kotoha-senpai should be safe.)

What Koshiba could do right now was bring back fun stuff and tasty things to help those two relax. But if she told Mef-senpai that, it would sound like she was saying Mef-senpai was doing something wrong. And maybe Koshiba was the one who was wrong. So she kept it to herself.

"But but but, Mef-senpai!"

"What?"

"Kotoha-senpai is already part of the team, so we all agreed to call each other by first names, right? But Mef-senpai, you're still calling him Kotoyorozu-kun!"

"......"

"Koshiba knows what that's called. It's called bullying."

"It's not bullying."

Mef-senpai tilted her head, expression cool as ever.

"...It's just..."

Her smooth cafe-au-lait skin. Beautiful obsidian-like eyes shaped like almonds. Being stared at by Mef-senpai, who was so impossibly pretty, made Koshiba feel just a tiny bit embarrassed.

"It's just... when I try to call him by name, something catches in my chest."

Koshiba was stunned. How terrible. Mef-senpai — she hated Kotoha-senpai! She was such a good person that she was unconsciously harboring feelings of revulsion!

(Come to think of it, when Kotoha-senpai moved into the dorm, there was some kind of incident too!)

This was a dire situation. As the social lubricant of Team Koito, Koshiba needed to smoothly resolve this.

"That won't do. Mef-senpai, you need to get along with Kotoha-senpai."

"Really? ...Well, yeah. I guess so. ...But that guy seems to have forgotten our promise."

"Promise?"

"We promised to go hang out together sometime. But... he hasn't said a word about it."

Mef-senpai fiddled with her bangs. Pinching them between her thumb and index finger, fidgeting.

"...Honestly, I was thinking maybe during this Sky Tournament, we could... a little. But with everything that happened, it can't be helped. ...Still, he's probably forgotten all about it."

"...????"

Huh? Something seemed different. Mef-senpai actually wanted to hang out with Kotoha-senpai. She was pouting like a child. Koshiba had never seen this side of the mature Mef-senpai before.

(Mef-senpai is embarrassed to call Kotoha-senpai by name, but she actually wants to hang out with him?)

That meant... meant... meant what?

(I-I don't get it!)

Were there things that high schoolers understood that a middle schooler like Koshiba just couldn't?

"Oh, Mef-senpai. I found motion sickness medicine. This stuff works super well!"

Koshiba gave up trying to figure it out. Peering into the depths of human nature was a fool's errand. More important than that was solving practical problems.

"Let me buy this so we can head back to the carri—"

Koshiba reached for the motion sickness medicine.

"Oh, last one. Lucky."

Another hand grabbed the last box of motion sickness medicine at the exact same time as Koshiba.

"...Huh?"

A girl with gray hair. If Koshiba remembered right, she'd been sitting at the far end of the Corporations side during the Representative Battle introductions—

"—Melvin Gray?"

"—Koshiba Nyao, was it?"

Gray hair. A quiet, bookish-looking appearance. A little taller than Koshiba. She was Corporations' vanguard in the Representative Battle — in other words, Koshiba's opponent!

"Wahaha. It's an honor to meet you. I'd been wanting to chat sometime — and on that note, would you mind letting go? Koshiba grabbed this first."

"Likewise. What a coincidence. Glad we could meet. I'm terribly sorry, but our captain needs this motion sickness medicine, so would you mind stepping aside?"

Koshiba's feral instincts kicked in. This girl, despite looking like the poster child for a literary club, was already bristling with hostility toward Koshiba.

(Well sure, after Captain's attitude last night, it's only natural the other academies would hate us!)

Still, Koshiba couldn't back down here. Koshiba wasn't as well-mannered as the others on the team. Growing up in the slums had taught her — if you let someone look down on you here, it would come back to bite you later.

"Koshiba grabbed this first, though?"

"At Corporations, testimony without evidence has no value."

"Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"Relying on vague things like 'conscience' is exactly why you people at Azure Academy are savages."

"...Oh, a UFO!"

"Huh, for real? A gray, fitting for a Gray."

Gray looked away. In that opening, Koshiba slapped a Target Seal onto the medicine.

(Shamshir!)

She swapped the bullet in her pocket with the medicine.

"...Hehehe. Well then, lovely meeting you. So glad you were such a kind person."

Koshiba hopped back to create distance and flashed the smuggest winner's grin she could muster. In these kinds of power plays, it was only proper to let the loser fully savor their humiliation.

"No, the pleasure was mine. Glad we could meet."

In Gray's hand was something that shouldn't have been there — the outer box of the motion sickness medicine.

"Wha—?!"

"So that's the rumored Shamshir? What a cheap ability."

Koshiba checked her pocket. Empty. She'd definitely teleported it in with Shamshir just moments ago.

"Tch... Was that a One Wing ability? How did you—"

"Idiots wouldn't understand. You have my sympathy."

"...Snap."

Koshiba summoned Shamshir. Gray sprouted gray wings from her back. The atmosphere crackled. Koshiba didn't enjoy fighting, but if the other girl wanted to go, she'd oblige.

"—Hey, stop. Koshiba. What are you doing?"

Mef-senpai noticed the commotion and grabbed Koshiba's arm.

"—Gray. What the hell are you doing? Are you stupid?"

At the same time, a tall, strapping young man seized Gray's hand.

"...Alex. I was merely demonstrating civilized intelligence to this country bumpkin."

The name of the blond, slicked-back young man was Alex Cave. He was also an opponent in the Representative Battle — as the middle fighter, he'd be going up against Mef-senpai.

"Don't care. You wear glasses but you've got a short fuse, you know that? Captain told you to behave."

He'd seemed intimidating, but maybe he was surprisingly reasonable. After his scolding, Gray moved away from Koshiba and the others, and Mef-senpai pulled Koshiba back by the hand.

"Hmph, we'll settle this at the Representative Battle. I'll teach a mongrel what manners are."

"Then Koshiba will teach you what a difference in class looks like."

Koshiba and Gray sent sparks of fighting spirit crackling between them.

"Sorry for the disturbance. Thank you for stepping in."

Mef-senpai bowed her head to Alex.

"Nah, it's all good. Anyway, who are you, babe? Nice rack. Those real?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Lemme just check—"

The strapping Alex reached toward Mef-senpai. What seized his large hand was a mass of pitch-black liquid — Chalquiruq. Chalquiruq was brimming with fury, ready to explode.

"An ill-mannered brat. What do you think you're doing to this one's sanctum?"

Chalquiruq squeezed Alex's fingers with a crushing grip.

"Haha, nah, I wasn't serious. Just kidding. Right?"

"A cheap man, this one must say."

"Huh? That so?"

When Alex grinned, a single wing fluttered on his back. Jet-black feathers that couldn't help but feel ominous. A garish, pitch-dark wing that suited his appearance perfectly.

"Gngh—"

"...Hey hey, what are you, fragile? Don't train so half-assed."

Alex's thick arm swelled even thicker. Its power clearly surpassed Chalquiruq — a Gunscar that transcended human capability. The idea that a human could overpower Chalquiruq with raw arm strength alone was unthinkable.

"Chalquiruq! ...Alex, was it? Are you looking for a fight here?"

"Ha! I told you — I'm kidding. Right, Gray?"

"What? Don't drag me into this. Stupidity is contagious."

Alex laughed and released Chalquiruq's hand. He leered at Mef-senpai with a grin.

"You're tall, stacked, and a good-looking woman. Best of all, you're weak and easy to handle. Making mouthy small fry cry is the best part of having a woman."

Mef-senpai's already cold expression froze even colder. Koshiba recognized that look — the gaze she showed when she'd given up on communicating with the creature before her, the eyes of a hunter sighting prey.

"I feel for Captain Caitlin, having to deal with a vulgar subordinate like you."

"...Huh?"

"Or perhaps the captain herself is the sort of person who can't even manage her subordinates' behavior."

A vein popped in Alex's forehead. In that instant, the strapping young man squared his shoulders to charge — only to be blocked by a long, narrow wing like a wild goose's. Koshiba recognized those raptor-like wings.

"Senpai! What are you doing, seriously! You guys are always causing problems!"

Fiddler Reynolds. Kotoha-senpai's opponent, whom they'd met the other day. He scrunched his brows in exasperation but never dropped his gentle smile as he grabbed Alex and Gray by the hands.

"Sorry, sorry about my senpai! These two are seriously such idiots!"

"Shut up, Fiddler. Move. I'm killing that woman."

Alex squared his shoulders and started forward. Fiddler, two sizes smaller, looked outmatched physically. Yet Fiddler held Alex's arm with a beaming smile, not letting go.

"...!"

"Alex-senpai. Nobody benefits from you causing a scene here. Captain's the one who'll pay for it."

Fiddler's slender arm was completely restraining Alex's — the same arm that had bested even Chalquiruq. He didn't even seem to be exerting much force. His gentle smile never wavered.

"Tch... Fine."

"Really sorry about this, Azure Academy folks..."

Fiddler bowed to them, nervous and apologetic. Something about his kind, good-natured expression still didn't sit right with Koshiba, but Mef-senpai looked relieved and returned the apology.

"...No, we're sorry too. We gave as good as we got."

"That means a lot! Come on, senpai, let's go!"

Pushed along by Fiddler, Alex and Gray departed.

"—Koshiba Nyao. I look forward to a fair fight."

"—Babe, I'm gonna make you cry."

Those were their parting shots, delivered without bothering to mask the killing intent in their eyes.

Koshiba and Mef-senpai looked at each other and realized just how tense they'd been.

"Those people are strong."

"...Probably stronger than us."

At that moment, Koshiba and the others finally steeled their resolve.

"Tomorrow, we're absolutely blasting them."

"—Yes. To the stars beyond the night sky."

With that determination, they headed back to rejoin the others.

* * *

After riding the Leviathan back to the hotel, Koito-senpai's orders had us moving to a nearby gymnasium. Apparently this was the training facility assigned to Azure Academy.

"Alright, let's do this! —Secret training!"

"Training?"

Koito-senpai put her hands on her hips and grinned.

"I told you, didn't I? I have a secret weapon. Starting now, I'm going to make all of you one level stronger."

Could she really do that? Koito-senpai seemed completely confident. Honestly, I was half skeptical, but...

"Captain. Let's hurry and start. We don't have much time."

"Captain! Koshiba is absolutely going to win! I'm fired up! RAAAHH!"

For some reason, the Koshiba-Mef duo had fighting spirit blazing in their eyes. Just this morning, they hadn't seemed interested in the Representative Battle at all — what kind of change of heart had happened?

(But if those two are serious... then the weakest one here — me — can't afford to slack off!)

At the very least, I'd give it everything I had.

"Good, I like the enthusiasm! Now then — hey! Waaake uuuuup!"

Koito-senpai kicked at a futon bundle rolled up like a log in the middle of the gymnasium.

"You sleepyhead! Enough already! I'm gonna shoot you if you don't get up!"

The futon bundle showed absolutely zero signs of compliance.

Snore snore, fast asleep...

Ahh, whatever, whatever, everything is whatever...

Apparently the person inside the futon was a girl. No sign of coming out whatsoever.

"...Fine. Nyao!"

"Aye aye!"

Koshiba slapped a Target Seal onto the futon.

"Shamshir!"

The bullet Koshiba tossed at random swapped positions with the Seal.

"Mmrph—"

The one dumped out was a girl in a vivid cheongsam.

Frilly, oversized sleeves. A skirt that flared wide, exposing pale white thighs. Something dangerous almost seemed visible, and... then Mef's hand covered my eyes.

"Fwaaah... Where am I? An unfamiliar ceiling? First sunlight in a year, so bright..."

The girl in the cheongsam stood up, looking thoroughly inconvenienced.

"Captain. Um, who is she...?"

Mef asked. Koito-senpai let out a sigh, then:

"...You wouldn't know her, would you. This is our team's former captain. My senpai. A perpetual student who's been held back year after year. Even now, nominally, the most senior member of Team Koito—"

"Wu Xihan. Let's be friends. Okay, goodnight."

Wu-senpai flashed a smile and tried to collapse back into the futon — only to get kicked flying by Koito-senpai.

"Wu-chan, give me a break already. Do some work once in a while. You're still getting paid, you know."

"Oww... Koito-chan, that hurt..."

The most senior member of Team Koito — Wu Xihan. This was obviously my first time meeting her, and apparently the same went for Koshiba and Mef. Blinking her drowsy eyes, she studied each of us.

"N-nice to meet you! Wu-senpai!"

Wu-senpai smiled at Koshiba, who was polite despite everything.

"Nice to meet you — wrong."

"...Huh?"

"We met briefly during the big cleanup."

Koshiba froze for a second before it clicked.

"Now that you mention it, that futon was behind the sliding door... Wait! Have you been living in the Koito dorm this whole time?!"

"Yep. She was rolled up in the storage closet, so nobody noticed."

Having a stranger secretly living in their space the whole time was straight-up horror material.

"But how...? I mean, food and bathroom and everything..."

"That's precisely why I brought her here."

Koito-senpai smiled at Wu-senpai with an intimidating aura. Wu-senpai let out a lazy yawn, then wiped away tears with her big frilly sleeve.

"...Fine, fine. I'll do it. Such a slave driver."

"You've been collecting a paycheck without lifting a finger for years, and you have the nerve to say that...?"

Wu-senpai cracked her neck, then materialized a vivid bazooka in her hands. It had a toy-like quality to it, yet radiated a strange, unsettling ominousness — a mid-sized bazooka.

"Come on out. One of the Four Fierce Beasts — Hundun!"

Wu-senpai pulled the trigger. Bwoomf! A colorful explosion like magical powder erupted, and from the rainbow-hued smoke emerged a round, headless creature.

Its whole body was jiggly and soft, wobbling as if trying to say something.

"It's— it's— it's adoraaable!!"

Koshiba had thrown her arms around it in a burst of emotion. Was it cute? Mef and I exchanged a look, silently reached an understanding, and gave modest shakes of our heads.

"What on earth is this creature?"

When I asked, Koito-senpai directed her gaze at Wu-senpai for an explanation. Wu-senpai grinned lazily.

"This little one is Hundun. A creature that makes 'what isn't' into 'what is'!"

* * *

["Four Fierce Beasts (Megalomania)"] — Gunscar

Properties: Summons the Four Fierce Beasts at the will of the Gunscar's owner, Wu Xihan.

Details:

- Hundun (Sandbox) — A beast that turns "what isn't" into "what is." - Qiongqi (Abracadabra) — A beast that turns "what's right" into "what's wrong." - Taowu (Anti-Socrates) — A beast that turns "what's known" into "what's unknown." - Taotie (Devi-Enjie) — A beast that turns "the profane" into "the sacred."

The beasts are living creatures with their own wills, and there is no guarantee they will obey commands. Only one beast may be summoned per day.

* * *

"Hundun is the most obedient one. This one's a good kid!"

"...Oh, how nostalgic. I used to rely on this little one too."

Koito-senpai was also petting the faceless beast — Hundun. It looked like a lump of fish cake, which was kind of creepy. Mef seemed to feel the same, standing at a sensible distance.

"Now then, I ask you all. 'Do you accept Hundun?'"

We stared blankly at Wu-senpai's words. Koito-senpai smiled.

"Agreeing to the question is the activation condition for Hundun. There's no danger, so don't worry."

So it was a Gunscar where mutual consent served as the trigger for activation. We hesitated briefly, then nodded. Wu-senpai gave another lazy, sprawling yawn, then smiled.

"Alright, let's get started! I'm sleepy, so let's make this quick!"

She stroked Hundun's back, then hugged its body close, holding it like a cannon aimed forward.

"—Accept Hundun!"

Hundun's mouth — which shouldn't have existed — began to swallow everything around it with tremendous suction.

"Wha— hey...!"

Our bodies floated upward. Like psychokinesis you'd see on TV. I kicked my legs frantically, trying to touch the ground with my toes, but couldn't even come close.

"Is this seriously safe?!"

"It's safe! Probably!"

"Drop the 'probably' please."

The compulsive force was irresistible. Hundun's jiggly, fish-cake-like flesh quivered, and our bodies were pulled in at a sluggish, slimy pace.

"Have a nice trip!"

Koito-senpai alone wore her usual sparkling smile.

"""AAAAAHHH!"""

—We were swallowed by Hundun.