Chapter: 99. Unidentified Identity (6k6) (15/46)
Outside the office window, the sun was setting in the west.
The golden afterglow enveloped the entire Ark Academy, filling the atmosphere with warmth and tranquility.
Thanks to the collaboration between the Special Circumstances SEMA and the three major academies, the entire artificial academy island had recovered to a functional level from last night’s extraordinary disaster.
Kurokawa, who temporarily used the chairman’s office as his workplace, finished another report in hand.
Although Kurokawa outwardly resisted dealing with such trivial matters, when he actually started working, his efficiency was astonishing; in less than a day, he had already processed most of the reports.
“Is this really okay?”
At that moment, Leah’s figure once again crossed the door in a translucent, dreamlike manner and walked into the office.
Kurokawa gave her a look that said, “Why do you never knock?” but the latter ignored it.
“Sigh…” Understanding the other person’s temperament, Kurokawa took the initiative to concede, sighing, “Of course I know this isn’t ideal, but…”
He paused, his expression serious as if internally struggling, then spoke again: “But since Tsukimi Kanade’s ability can indeed have an effect on the End, and if he is likely to be the future protagonist, then I believe this deal is acceptable.”
“No, what I meant was — ‘Is it really okay to let go of your lolicon comrade’s crime of molesting minors’?” Leah glanced sideways at Kurokawa.
“Don’t ask me such a trivial question with such a heavy tone!” Kurokawa complained with a dark expression, “And I’m not a lolicon!”
“The fact that you didn’t deny Tsukimi Kanade being a lolicon is surprising.”
“Unfortunately, I met him in person today, and he is indeed an irredeemable lolicon,” Kurokawa answered without hesitation.
“Is that so.” Leah obediently nodded, then asked again:
“Is this really okay?”
“Although such a fetish is not very healthy, it’s ultimately someone else’s private matter. As long as it doesn’t affect others, we also have no right to question it—”
“I’m referring to your private deal with Tsukimi Academy and Tsukimi Kanade without informing them.”
“—Can you at least prepare me for a topic change next time!!!” Kurokawa complained while grabbing a crumpled piece of paper from his desk and throwing it at Leah.
But she dodged it with a nimble sidestep.
“Do you think I did this just for fun?” Leah replied solemnly.
“I really can’t think of any other reason!”
“Actually, I have a reason for asking this way.”
“…..Like?”
“It allows me to see you angry, which is quite interesting.” Leah gave Kurokawa a thumbs up.
“So in the end, it really was just for fun!”
The interaction between the two inadvertently eased the atmosphere in the room, allowing Kurokawa to temporarily free himself from the pressure he felt.
Kurokawa sat back down in his chair and loosened the button of his collar. His movement was so familiar that it momentarily brought back memories of his past when he had just entered society, working overtime as a corporate slave every night.
After reaching a deal with Kanade, Kurokawa had been in a constant state of accumulating pressure in his heart.
Making a private deal with the new protagonist without informing Special Circumstances SEMA and the three major academies.
If this got out to Tsukimi Academy, Special Circumstances SEMA, or any other academy, he would likely face great trouble.
So until just now, he had focused all his attention on the tasks at hand, trying to temporarily forget everything.
“Speaking of which, about this matter—”
“—I didn’t say anything~” Leah answered quickly, as if she already knew what Kurokawa was going to ask.
Her domain had already recorded everything happening in the entire Ark Academy.
So today, whatever happened on the island could be replayed at any time if Leah wished. Nothing could escape her sight, but knowing too much in the extraordinary world was not necessarily a good thing, especially after witnessing Kurokawa’s deal with Kanade.
“What do you think the chances are that he is the protagonist?” Leah asked curiously.
Facing Leah’s question, Kurokawa first looked up at her, seemingly contemplating whether to share that information.
But he quickly realized that even if he didn’t say anything now, she would eventually find out.
So, Kurokawa pulled out a report from the stack of papers in front of him and opened it to the last page in front of Leah—
“Tsukimi Kanade has completed all examinations today, and the report on his awakened abilities has come out.”
“After comparing the databases of Special Circumstances SEMA and the three major academies, the result for his abilities is summarized in just a few words—”
【Unidentified Identity】
Leah did not react immediately.
Seeing this, Kurokawa seemed to know what she was thinking and flipped through a few other documents.
Without exception, all the reports concluded with 【Unidentified Identity】.
At this, Leah’s expression finally changed a little as she let out a long breath.
Then she turned her attention to another document.
Kurokawa found this reaction unsurprising because, for ACEs who frequently fought on the frontline, reacting this way in front of this report was perfectly reasonable.
It was a reaction like seeing the dawn once again in a long darkness.
“Former ACE, Blood Crow…” Leah was originally trying to divert her attention, looking at the pile of unfinished reports, and slowly reached for one of the documents.
It was a report about Maria Crimson, which indicated that she was one of the moles lurking within Ark Academy, and a significant part of the blame for the recent attack on Ark Academy fell onto her shoulders as a former ACE.
“I can’t believe even Senior Crimson is part of the anti-ability organization, just like Senior Natsuki—”
“Ah, how terrible.” Kurokawa agreed with Leah’s lament, as the doubts that had constantly lingered in his mind resurfaced: “Why did the former seniors who once saved the world choose to betray Special Circumstances SEMA and the three major academies?”
Kurokawa and Leah exchanged glances, but neither had an answer in their hearts.
————————————-
Bright light poured down through the deep Void above, the soft glow akin to a warm thread, penetrating layers of gloom, illuminating the time-forgotten, underground eerie city.
The light danced upon the moist stone walls, reflecting pinpricks of silvery light.
Despite the sunlight, the air was still permeated with an indescribable decay and dampness, as if this underground city did not belong to this era, having suffered irreversible erosion by the passage of time.
On either side of the narrow passage, the ancient stone walls had lost their original luster, covered in purple vines. The vines wound around each stone brick like snakes, silently stretching and growing on the walls like slender tentacles.
These vines were embedded with red crystals, exuding an unusual glow that brightened the dim corners of the underground city, yet the blood-colored light emitted a disquieting aura.
Whenever a shadow fell upon these crystals, they would tremble slightly, emitting a low humming sound.
The midday sun shone through the massive opening above, casting a direct light into this millennia-old underground maze, illuminating the contours of the underground city, as if it had awakened from darkness.
The cold stone walls seemed to gain new life under the sun’s touch, reflecting a strange shine, producing a subtle metallic sheen.
At the same time, beneath the humming of the crimson crystals, several shadows entered this awakened underground city.
They wore tattered black cloaks, their faces obscured, but their eyes glowed red beneath the hoods, flickering with a chilling luminescence.
In the air, one could faintly sense an overwhelming feeling of oppression, as if the darkness itself was stirring.
The shadows finally halted in a vast underground hall.
The hall was supported by towering stone pillars, their surfaces emitting a golden sheen, countless lines forming intricate and delicate patterns.
“Ladies and gentlemen, across the river of time, we meet once again.” The deep, icy voice seemed to come from the abyss.
A tall figure stood with its back to the sunlight above, slowly walking to the center of the hall.
Its form appeared diminutive and delicate before the gathering of cloaked shadows, resembling a young human child. It had bright, sun-like short hair and large, round red eyes, looking like an adorable, innocent little boy.
Seven gemstones, each radiating a different glow, circled its body, revolving slowly around it.
Its crimson gaze scanned all the figures hiding in the shadows; apart from the recently arrived shadows, all the other red-eyed presences knelt in unison as if paying homage to its arrival.
“As you can see, I have taken good care of this cabin.” It smiled at those latecomers, its smile so perfect and flawless, like a meticulously crafted work of art, incapable of eliciting emotional resonance from any rational being.
But this was understandable.
Because this is the difference between gods and ordinary beings.
If there were abilities users from Special Circumstances SEMA or the three major academies present, they would be shocked to see those recorded fantasy monsters actually appear here—
Threat Level 11, Divine Classification, Fantasy Monster – Loki.
“Who cares about your duties? There’s no need to explain such trivial matters to us.” One of the shadows stepped forward to respond, walking from the shadow into the sunlight—no, perhaps “crawling” would be more fitting.
This shadow, compared to Loki, appeared as massive as a small hill.
As the black cloak fell away, its humanoid upper body emerged, revealing a beautifully attractive woman, while the lower body transformed into a serpent’s tail covered in pale blue scales.
Threat Level 11, Divine Classification, Fantasy Monster – Naga.
“Let’s get to the point, about the protagonist…”
“Yes, across the flowing river of time, he has finally re-emerged.” Loki maintained that perfect smile when answering Naga’s question.
“An opportunity has come once more…” Another cloaked shadow spoke slowly, its form resembling an amorphous black mist, expanding and contracting as it spoke—
Threat Level ?, ?? Classification, Indeterminate Mist.
“How about I just go ahead and kill that guy? But this time I need to learn from my mistakes, even his soul—” Accompanying its words, decayed bones burst from the black cloak, revealing a pair of wings long in decay, part of the bones even taking on a translucent quality—
Threat Level 11, Divine Classification, Fantasy Monster – Nidhogg.
“That is a special individual chosen by fate; with your power, Nidhogg—” Loki smiled and advised, but his words were interrupted by another shadow.
“Is the so-called protagonist really that formidable?” “From the magical fluctuations sensed before~” “It’s nothing but small fry~small fry~” “This strength is quite laughable, kekeke~” “Those who would be afraid of such power~” “Could they also be mere superficial small fry?~” A chorus of overlapping voices resonated in the empty underground city, echoing a mockery akin to that of little girls.
Threat Level 11, Divine Classification, Fantasy Monster – Infinity.
However, her mockery did not provoke dissatisfaction among the present monsters; rather, those fantasymonsters, led by Loki, who had endured that dark period, looked at her with eyes of pity.
“I hope you can still say that after you see the protagonist yourself.” “No doubt.” “Same here.” ….
Threat Level 11, Divine Classification, Yamata-no-Orochi.
……
……
Facing Infinity’s boast, many of the fantasy monsters expressed their views with a sense of schadenfreude.
Apart from these divine beings, the fantasy monsters kneeling in the shadows could not help but laugh as well.
“Now then, the reason I gathered you all here, part of it is to prevent someone from going off on their own to find the protagonist.” Loki clapped his hands, bringing silence back to the once noisy hall.
“We should learn from Mr. Nidhogg, taking heed of the lessons from past failures—”
“Thereby, I suggest we work together this time, just like humans do.”
“This was also my original intention for bringing everyone together—” Loki glanced around, looking at the fantasy monsters hiding in the shadows. Despite most of them lacking authority, many possessed the strength to be ranked threat levels 7 to 8.
“When weak individuals come together, they can create unimaginable power. Therefore, with the cooperation of those present… the so-called Elemental Sovereign might not be worth mentioning.” This time, Loki addressed all the fantasy monsters present, speaking in a summarizing tone.
“I agree.” The first to respond was Naga, as she twisted her long serpentine body and spoke rationally: “Among humans, there are quite a few who possess the abilities of those traitors. Their power may not match ours, but the nature of some abilities can be quite tricky. If we cooperate, we can effectively handle them based on their abilities’ compatibility.”
Being a fantasy monster that had long been active on the frontline battling human abilities users, Naga was incredibly aware of the current strength of humans.
Although weak, they should not be underestimated.
Under Naga’s lead, the other fantasy monsters assumed a “given the situation” mindset and agreed to Loki’s suggestion.
Except for Infinity, who reached the consensus of “might as well give it a try” after countless deliberations, joining the battle with a nonchalant attitude.
“When do we start acting?”
At the end of the meeting, the impatient Nidhogg asked Loki, who stood in the center of the hall.
“Not yet; to prevent this from being a trap, we should first observe and confirm whether the protagonist is genuine.” Loki calmly responded, maintaining that perfect smile throughout.
“And our ultimate weapon has yet to complete its final evolution—”
After Loki said this, he looked up—
It was a red crystal suspended above the underground city, and at the center of the crystal was a girl enveloped within—
“The heroine—my Natsuki.”
————————————-
Morning.
Waking up from bed, Kanade sat up briskly and attempted to move his limbs as usual.
His arms and calves, which had been encased in heavy plaster yesterday, felt completely pain-free now.
“Xiaonag’s power is truly remarkable…” he murmured, glancing at his hands, which were as good as new.
This was Shiki Pavilion, Kanade’s own room.
His comprehensive examination had concluded yesterday, and under Xiaonag’s power, all his injuries had been completely healed.
Thus, in Ark Academy, where hospital beds were in short supply, they allowed him to return to his dormitory to rest.
At this moment, Kanade felt genuinely that the battle of the previous night had ended, and he had returned to his former daily life—
No, not quite. Compared to the past, there was a significant change.
That was—
“Knock, knock.”
A pair of light knocks suddenly came from the direction of the door.
“Kanade-kun, are you awake?” A familiar and childlike voice reached Kanade’s ears from the other side of the wooden door.
“Y-yes, I’m up—” Kanade hadn’t finished speaking.
The door swung open to reveal Xiaonag, with long black hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white apron from the kitchen.
She beamed a dazzling smile, maintaining a posture of holding onto the doorknob with both hands while her legs dangled in the air.
It looked like she was too small and soft to muster enough strength to push the door open, so she hung on to the doorknob, using her entire weight to pull it, making her appearance so lively and cute that Kanade couldn’t help but think warmly of her maternal-like aura.
Was it because she was wearing a dress that was easy to move in? With his senses greatly sharpened due to evolution, Kanade vaguely caught sight of Xiaonag’s smooth armpits flashing past as she raised her hands, the skin hidden under the sleeves resembling a blush from a ripe fruit, stimulating—
—N-no! Tsukimi Kanade, calm down!!!
—Xiaonag is a little girl now! Don’t react! If there is a response here, wouldn’t it confirm the label of being a pervert?!
Kanade violently shook his head, trying to dispel the wicked thoughts threatening to emerge.
Such things had occurred before.
Rather, after Xiaonag’s power had healed him yesterday, he would occasionally experience an instinctual urge when he looked at Xiaonag.
Whether it was her hair, surpassing the feel of the finest silk, or her smooth cheeks that looked tender under the light, or even the faint fragrance wafting from her, all of these made Kanade’s heart race and evoke those primeval instincts…
—What’s happening? Does my type of response extend to those who aren’t just well-endowed childhood friends?
—Could it be that as long as it’s Xiaonag, I would react regardless of her form?!
As Kanade wrestled with his internal struggle, Xiaonag had already released the doorknob and bounced over to him.
“Good morning! Kanade-kun, I made breakfast for you~”
“G-good morning, and thank you for the trouble, Xiaonag…” Kanade felt a deep sense of shame at his reaction to Xiaonag, not daring to look directly at her pure and immaculate smile.
Just as he began to think of a way to get Xiaonag to step out so he could change his clothes, Xiaonag unexpectedly lunged into his embrace.
“—Xiaonag?” Kanade was not surprised by this action, as it had happened twice already yesterday: once in the courtyard of District 0 of Ark Academy, and the second time when he was coaxing her to sleep in her room last night—
That’s right.
The Xiaonag who had been transformed into a little girl due to supernatural powers sometimes behaved and thought like a little girl.
For example, she would be afraid of the dark at night and need him to read bedtime stories to fall asleep.
And sometimes she would display an anxious expression, wanting to hold him tightly until she calmed down before letting go.
Kanade didn’t reject Xiaonag’s actions; in fact, he was willing to let her embrace him until she was completely satisfied, as long as he could help her.
However—
The current situation was somewhat awkward.
The physiological reactions of a boy just getting out of bed hadn’t fully dissipated.
Along with the sudden wicked thoughts that arose, the dual stimulation from feeling Xiaonag’s petite and soft body was overwhelming.
That part of him, which was usually more easily stimulated than before, was now rising with unstoppable momentum.
Given the angle of their embrace, Kanade clearly felt his arousal pressing against Xiaonag’s belly.
The soft texture, combined with the slightly elevated body temperature of the small child, made Kanade feel incredibly comfortable even through the fabric.
Moreover, the sense of immorality surging in his mind—
It was unbearable.
Very unbearable.
Even so, Kanade still restrained his every move with an astonishing will, gently holding Xiaonag like yesterday and softly stroking her hair until she calmed down.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The sound of the second hand of the clock in the room was keenly picked up by Kanade’s sharp hearing.
At that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely.
However, Kanade didn’t feel impatient; instead, his heart felt immensely fulfilled, just being able to sense Xiaonag was right beside him—
He didn’t know how long it had been.
It felt like either a brief few seconds or a long day.
Xiaonag seemed to restore her spirit and actively released Kanade.
“… Sorry, I again…”
“There’s no need for you to apologize for that, Xiaonag.”
Once again, a scene reminiscent of yesterday’s events played out.
“Yes, yes, thank you, Kanade-kun. Please get up quickly; I’ve prepared your favorite miso soup~” While saying this, Xiaonag took a few steps back, turned, and was about to leave, keeping her hands in front of herself and her head slightly bowed the whole time.
“I-I understand.” Kanade didn’t notice Xiaonag’s slight abnormality at that moment and instead shyly scratched his head.
This scene reminded him of when he had just entered middle school, after the incident with DD-chan, when Xiaonag would call him to get up and prepare miso soup for him.
However, back then, it was his aunt who had prepared the miso soup in advance, and Xiaonag had merely reheated it.
But at this moment, it was made entirely by her own hands—it was simply like—
Realizing this, Kanade’s mind was once again filled with happiness.
That’s right.
Regarding the differences between his current and former daily lives, the most significant change was that he was finally in a relationship with Xiaonag.
Just this point alone made him feel that this morning’s air had become refreshing.
Gazing at Xiaonag’s retreating figure towards the door, the overwhelming sense of happiness in his chest made him open his mouth to transform them into words, softly murmuring—
“I wish I could drink Xiaonag’s miso soup every day.”
“!” Hearing this, Xiaonag paused slightly, an alluring crimson blush visibly racing across her cute face, reaching her ears.
However, she pretended not to hear, quickening her pace as she left Kanade’s room, effortlessly shutting the door behind her.
Thud thud.
In the hallway, Xiaonag stood quietly, feeling her heart racing like a little deer.
Such a natural direct attack was a tactic she had employed countless times.
Even if heard, it would typically elicit either a knowing smile or an awkward laugh.
But combined with something that had just occurred, Kanade’s innocent direct attack unexpectedly produced an unimaginable effect—
Xiaonag’s little hands still rested in front of her, just below her chest.
At the same time, this position was also where the warmth she had sensed through the fabric earlier reached its apex—
“N-no way I could fit in there… I-I would die…”
