One day, a few days before Miku’s enrollment.
A rare visitor arrived at the Amamiya Tower Management Layer.
The visitor looked around with a nervous expression, yet seemed, in a way, deeply moved.
Seeing the wings on his back fluttering busily, Kousuke felt a strange sense of joy and found him endearing.
The person who had come to the Management Layer was Eiru of the Winged Race, distinguished by the wings on his back.
Eiru had been summoned to the Management Layer to investigate a phenomenon that Kousuke had thought of a few days prior, from a fleeting remark.
***
(A few days prior)
Kousuke, relaxing in the living room of the House of Genesis, was idly thinking about the Winged Race.
“…Speaking of which, how do the Winged Race fly?”
“How? They fly using their wings, don’t they?” Floria replied with an expression that questioned the obvious.
For Floria, it was only natural that those with wings could fly, and she didn’t even consider it a question.
Kousuke shook his head and answered Floria.
“No, that’s not exactly it. To fly with wings, one should ideally need to flap them like a bird, but they don’t even do that, do they?” This was also true for Kouhi and Mitsuki; when they flew with their wings extended, they didn’t flap them at all. To Kousuke, this was a complete mystery.
However, Floria tilted her head at Kousuke.
“Don’t be silly, they fly using magic, of course.” This was the common sense of this world, the answer that was considered obvious. To Kousuke, who possessed a scientific mindset, this was borderline absurd. However, since magic was commonplace in this world, Kousuke had no intention of denying it. After all, they had created various tools thanks to the benefits of magic, so denial was impossible.
Floria’s words made Kousuke wear a troubled expression. He understood that they flew using magic, but he couldn’t quite articulate the sense of unease he felt.
“Ah, that’s probably true, but it’s not that… how should I explain it?”
“Well, I can’t help you if you ask me that, can I?” Even Floria couldn’t read Kousuke’s mind. Silvia, who had been listening beside him, also wore a troubled expression, just like Floria.
Kousuke pondered for a while, scratching his head, then suddenly clapped his hands together as if an idea had struck him.
“Ah, I see. First, there are two things I’m curious about, I suppose?”
“Oh? And what might those be?”
“One is that, even though I’ve seen them fly up close, there’s no sign of magic being used. The other is, what are wings for in the first place?” Kousuke already knew the answer to the latter question, at least concerning Kouhi and Mitsuki. For Kouhi and Mitsuki, the wings on their backs were used to store and control the immense magical power used in their magic. It was no exaggeration to say that their ability to wield magic beyond human comprehension was thanks to their wings.
Floria and Silvia, who had heard Kousuke explain the role of Kouhi and Mitsuki’s wings before, nodded in understanding. When the doubts were articulated, they also found them puzzling.
“Hmm. I suppose it is strange when you put it that way… but is it really that unusual regarding magic?” For example, even the act of a Vampire drinking blood is considered a type of magic. Kousuke knew this well from experience, as he rarely felt pain or discomfort when Shurein fed on him. It was explained that Vampires unconsciously used magic when they drank blood. In this world, where various species exist, there are many such stories about species-specific magic. Considering these things, it wasn’t impossible for flying to be a type of unique magic for the Winged Race, as Floria suggested. It was precisely because they used magic so naturally that others couldn’t even detect the flow of magical power.
Kousuke was convinced by Floria’s explanation, but he still had questions.
“So, is it that the wings on their backs are a medium or something for naturally activating the magic to fly?”
“If your guess is correct, then that would be the case. Although, without proper investigation, we won’t know for sure.”
“That’s true.” What they had just discussed was merely conjecture based on the situation. To be certain of the truth, they would have to ask the Winged Race to investigate it directly.
Kousuke considered that perhaps there was no need to go that far. Before he could say, “Then, never mind,” Silvia said, for some reason:
“…If you, Kousuke, were to ask, someone like Eiru might happily agree.”
“Well, I… No, that’s too much, isn’t it?” For a moment, the image of Eiru cheerfully agreeing flashed in Kousuke’s mind, but he quickly shook his head. While Silvia was right that Eiru might agree, he didn’t even know what special meaning wings held for the Winged Race, so he couldn’t rashly pry into it.
However, Floria tilted her head and said, “Really? Shouldn’t we ask first to know for sure?” Perhaps Kousuke was merely assuming there was a special meaning to wings, and they might not actually hold that much significance. They wouldn’t know unless they asked.
Floria’s words prompted Kousuke to look hesitant. “No, it’s true, but…”
“What? It might not be as significant as you think. Since we have the communicator, why not start by asking if the wings have any particular meaning?”
“That’s right. Besides, I want to know too.” Silvia actually wanted to ask the Winged Race about their sentimental attachment to their wings for some time. She suggested asking about it now, and Kousuke resignedly let out a sigh. He felt that their curiosity was stronger than his own, but at this point, it was difficult to refuse.
Kousuke immediately contacted Eiru and asked if there was any deep meaning to his wings. However, contrary to Kousuke’s expectation of Eiru becoming displeased, Eiru answered plainly.
“—No, there’s nothing particularly sensitive about it. For us, wings are simply a physical characteristic.” Just as Humans have well-shaped eyes or are tall, wings for the Winged Race are merely a physical trait. There was no religious (perhaps?) significance or taboo as Kousuke had imagined.
To Eiru’s natural response, Kousuke took it a step further. He brought up his earlier hypothesis about wings and flying. Upon hearing Kousuke’s explanation, Eiru nodded, appearing impressed.
“I see. Those who are on the path from human to god indeed have interesting ideas. I’ve never thought of such things before.” For the Winged Race, flying was as commonplace as humans walking upright, so they had never questioned it. Therefore, Eiru looked at Kousuke with great interest.
I completely missed mentioning this part! I realized it today after reading a comment!
Thank you to everyone who pointed it out.
(Why does it always happen when I’m out for an unusual reason?)
