Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia Vol 1 Chapter 1

Part 1

“Kizuna, the test for today is this program.”

A long haired female displayed the content for today’s experiment on the monitor.

Kizuna nodded largely after confirming that content.

“I got it, okaa-san. I’ll work hard too today.”

“Right, you really are a good child. Do your best.”

It was a pure white experiment room where there was nothing. There his mother spent all her time doing experiments day by day.

Those experiments were about the development of a new weapon called Heart Hybrid Gear.

That weapon seemed to make use of another universe’s technology, a bundle of state of the art technology.

However, Kizuna didn’t understand well just what kind of thing it was.

What he understood was that a small thing like a capsule called core was embedded inside his body through an operation. And then, with the power of that core, a cool protector like an armor and a weapon would be equipped on his body.

And then when he used that and did the experiments, his mother would be happy, that was all he understood.

“You are the only one in the world who are in possession of Heart Hybrid Gear you know? The result of this experiment will become the key to save the world.”

He was proud to be relied on by his mother.

He felt triumphant that he was the only possessor of Heart Hybrid Gear in the world.

He was happy that he was useful to his mother.

He felt a little like a hero.

――Like that, on a certain day.

“Who is that?”

A girl put on a stretcher was carried into the laboratory.

“Looks like she is a lost kid. She was discovered in Tokyo recently.”

“Hmmm.”

He wondered why was she brought here then? While he was thinking of such thing,

“That’s why, it’s fine for Kizuna to not come here anymore.”

“……eh?”

“That girl’s apt.i.tude ability for Heart Hybrid Gear is amazingly high. With Kizuna’s spec, it’s meaningless to experiment more than this. You are not needed anymore.”

Wa,

Wait, a second.

“Good bye, Kizuna. Sayonara.”

Wait!

Okaa-san!

I, will work even harder!

――That’s why!

Part 2

With a gasp, Hida Kizuna’s eyes were awakened.

He reflexively looked around him, he was currently inside a train.

It was the linear motor car that moved in the underground between the megafloats. He was nodding off while sitting in it just now.

――I was seeing a dream of the past in a long while huh.

He felt worried whether he was also talking in his sleep, but there was no one boarding the train other than him.

For him to see that kind of dream…… it had been a long time since he went to the academy float, so he wondered if he was nervous.

His image which was reflected in the window was not a kid, but a face of a highschool student. The digital synergy which was located near the door was displaying the map of the Pacific Ocean. On that map there was a red dot moving.

Megafloat(Extra-large Floating Ocean Structure) j.a.pan was in the middle of sailing the Pacific Ocean. Inside the train the air conditioning was working, but recently the Megafloat was nearing the equator, so outside was humidly hot.

The float was a giant city created above the sea.

Tokyo Float, Oosaka Float, etc, each created floats of j.a.pan’s administrative divisions were joined, becoming a giant structure that was Megafloat j.a.pan.

That largeness, if it was compare with something of the past, it could rival the hugeness of district 23 of Tokyo, but such scale was still small compared to super large countries like America and the like. The largeness of a megafloat represented the national power of that country. Each country was wandering the seas of the world with their respective unique megafloat.

Currently the very megafloat itself was exactly the country for the countries all over the world which lost their territory, that megafloat was all the territory that they had. The crews and residents of the megafloat were all the people of the country which could be confirmed as safe in the current condition.

For the megafloats that sailed the seas throughout the world, things like territorial waters held no meaning.

World map also didn’t exist.

Everything began since the day where the world was overturned.

 

――The First Another Universe Conflict

 

Fifteen years ago, without any omen at all, without any advance notice, it happened out of nowhere.

North America, South America, Russia, China, Australia, South Africa, France, Entrances(Collision Surface) towards the alternate universe were appearing. And then, magic weapons that were a fusion of magic and science appeared from those Entrances.

Now that it had come to this condition, n.o.body understood which side was the one that started it. But, it was an unmistakable fact that it turned into battle situation. And then the fires of war spread in the blink of an eye.

The Entrances towards the alternate universe were opened only for two weeks, but hundred of cities and fifty million people lost their lives. Mankind was completely powerless against the army of the another universe.

Like that, the first contact with an alternate universe ended in the worst shape.

Moreover, it was a disappointment that they didn’t understand anything about the another universe.

They only kept getting attacked by the enemy and their side was unable to attack back. Mankind was still yet to understand the objective of the people of the another universe or even their appearance.

And then, half a year ago.

 

――The Second Another Universe Conflict occurred.

 

It was a conflict on a scale incomparable with the first one.

Entrances were appearing on each continent and island country, without exception. From there the magic weapons of another universe were surging in with great numbers.

Mankind attempted to resist desperately, but mankind’s conventional weapons were powerless in front of the technology of another universe.

The army was ruined in a flash and the world was conquered.

From the experience with the First Another Universe Conflict, each country was building a megafloat as the ark for emergency use and also as the trump card of battle. So to speak, the megafloat was the country’s backup plan. Not to mention the city function, government, economics, etc, the megafloat was equipped with all societal mechanisms, the megafloats were a miniature version of the countries.

Each country that was invaded by another universe abandoned their original territory and became a mobile country wandering above the sea with their megafloat.

However, the people unable to board the megafloat were still left behind in the old territory of the country. Right now the megafloat didn’t have any means to know what happened to those people.

Even if they tried to make contact, electromagnetic waves were cut off in the land and they couldn’t get any transmission.

When they approached their home country, the magic weapons and fleet of another universe appeared from the Entrance, that was why the megafloat couldn’t carelessly get near even if they wanted to confirm their people’s wellbeing.

Even while the people living above the megafloat were living a peaceful life above the safe area that was the sea, they were wis.h.i.+ng to once again take back their country, rescue the left behind people, and return home to their city and house.

The linear underground train pa.s.sed through the Tokyo station.

One wouldn’t understand from the underground, but supposedly above the ground there was the station building of Tokyo station that was dismantled from the original j.a.pan and rebuilt here. At the occasion of the construction of each floats, famous buildings from the region of each respective administration divisions were dismantled and rebuilt back on the floats to keep living the characteristic of the regions, schemes to reproduce the scenery and the likes were performed in the construction.

Outside the window suddenly became bright.

His eyes were dazzled by that brightness. He narrowed his eyes and then looked out the window, outside was an endlessly continuing blue sea that glittered from the light of the sun. White clouds floated in the transparent sky, and then the sun of southern country was s.h.i.+ning brilliantly.

The linear train ran above the sea crossing over a long bridge.

Ahead of this bridge Kizuna could see the destination where he was going.

Buildings like a protective wall encircled the surrounding. Rapid fire cannons and missiles protruded out toward every direction at 360°. The atmosphere was exactly like a fortress.

――Tactical Defense Academy Ataraxia.

It was a self-supporting float with a diameter of three kilometers, it was also one of the oldest floats.

Every region’s floats were also equipped with unmanned city defense functions, but fundamentally the defense of Megafloat j.a.pan was shouldered by this Ataraxia.

Right after the Another Universe Conflict, this Ataraxia was the foremost line of anti another universe technology, it was a research inst.i.tution that constantly developed human resources and R&D, other than university, this float was also a joint establishment with high and middle school.

His mother owned a research facility in Ataraxia, so Kizuna was also living in this float when he was small. He was chased out from the research facility seven years ago and was forced to move into Tokyo float. Though it was only for a short time, but he began to live with his big sister there just the two of them.

However his big sister too soon enrolled into Ataraxia. It made Kizuna live alone by himself.

The only ones who could enter Ataraxia were just they who received permission. Kizuna was unable to even approach near Ataraxia.

Every month there was a public advertis.e.m.e.nt being held for several dozen people to go for a field trip there, but he had never got chosen even once.

He thought that by any chance he might be excluded from the lottery since the beginning, but every month he kept applying.

Although he had sent mail several times to his mother, but he had never received any reply even once.

For a while he also had some exchanges of conversation with his big sister, but it seemed that she was busy and the two of them gradually became estranged.

And then it was yesterday night that his big sister, Hida Reiri, called him by phone after a long time.

{Kizuna?}

“Nee-chan!? It’s been a long time, you never contacted me at all but…… what are you doing right now?”

{I’m busy with my work. Rather than that, I had arranged the procedure for your admission into Ataraxia. Tomorrow, come until the reception at noon. After you take care of the enrollment procedure, report yourself to the command headquarters. You got that?}

“Ha? What are you saying so suddenly Nee-san? My grade is not that excellent you know. There is just no way I can go to Ataraxia.”

Ataraxia was a place that gathered people in order to turn them into the cornerstone of mankind in various fields. No matter how he thought about it, it was not a place he could go to.

{I have business with your Heart Hybrid Gear.}

Kizuna’s chest felt a sharp pain.

“Ahaha, Nee-san said something really nostalgic…… but, this thing is not useful you know?”

Frankly, he didn’t want to activate the thing for a second time.

He didn’t want to recall how he was being treated like an unneeded child by his mother.

Moreover, there was also one other reason.

There was a necessity to call out the name of the gear inside oneself in order to activate the Heart Hybrid Gear. That was because it was the activation code.

He didn’t want to shout out that name.

When he was a kid he didn’t mind it at all, but right now it was a keyword that he didn’t want to say overtly.

{I’ll be the one to decide whether it’s useful or not. If you got it, then do as I say. If you are late tomorrow, I’ll make public all of your embarra.s.sing secrets. For example, when you were a child you were trying to go to toilet――}

“I, I got it! I understand!”

The linear motor car arrived at the station and Kizuna got down from the train.

‘Just what is Nee-chan thinking? No, rather than that, why did Nee-chan make that kind of call? If I remember right, I heard that Nee-chan’s work is some kind of office work though.’

By any chance, was she employed in a company related with Ataraxia?

He didn’t know what his big sister was thinking, but honestly he was reluctant to do this.

This place was a place where he had an unpleasant memory as a kid, and it was also the same float where his mother was, those facts made Kizuna’s heart become heavy.

He might encounter his mother. He wanted to meet her, but he also didn’t want to meet her.

While still harboring such contradictory feelings, he received the entrance inspection.

The inspection was to restrict people without permission to enter Ataraxia.

The reception was not human, but a three dimensional CG character. A pink haired beautiful girl was talking with a synthetic voice that sounded really close to a human voice.

“Confirmation finished. You are Hida Kizuna-san that is arranged to enroll into Tactical Defense Academy Ataraxia today correct? Age is 17 years old, is there no mistake that you will be transferred as a second year high school student?”

‘Uwaa, I’m really going to be transferred here!’

“Ye, yes. There is no mistake.”

“Welcome to Ataraxia! May luck be with you.”

After he pa.s.sed the inspection and went through the gate, he was met with the grounds of Ataraxia.

“Heee…… I thought it’s going to feel savage because this place is combined with military facility, but the townscape is really beautiful and stylish instead.”

Small type electric automobiles were coming and going through the main street and students and residents were walking through the road. Digital synergies floating in the air were lining up along the sidewalk. Advertis.e.m.e.nts of products and news and the like were projected on them. These things would supposedly also get used in an emergency for urgent information and evacuation instructions.

At both sides of the sidewalk, shopping malls and cafés, brand shops, etc, various shops were standing in a row. Ataraxia fundamentally had a boarding system where all students live in dormitories, houses were also prepared for the personnel and researcher here. There was also the inspection that was performed every single time someone entered and exited, and so there was a demand for the inside of the float to provide all the necessities for living.

In order to answer that demand, all kinds of shop, medical inst.i.tution, and various recreational facilities were established inside Ataraxia. Everything in here was built under the hands of first cla.s.s architects, so the design here became avant-garde and futuristic.

“Hee, even chain convenient stores have cool appearances here.”

When he got attracted by the coolness and tried to enter, inside the store was flouris.h.i.+ng with Ataraxia’s students. Everyone was talking with their friends while happily choosing lunch or snacks.

‘I wonder if right now is lunch break? Or the convenient store also doubles as the school canteen?’

There was also exciting things like cup ramen or snacks limited for Ataraxia, but he would surely have many chances to buy them in the future.

He had arrived here after much trouble, so maybe he should try looking around at other stores too? His stomach was also a little hungry.

However, whether it was café, fast food, or gyudon shop, everywhere was packed with people. Furthermore, ninety percent of the customers were wearing Ataraxia’s uniform. (TN: Gyudon – j.a.panese food that is a rice covered in meat and vegetable.)

‘How awesome. It’s like most of the place is the cafeteria for Ataraxia.’

Kizuna thought about the fierce battle for lunch that he would have to go through starting from tomorrow.

And then while he was walking around like that, he became increasingly fond of Ataraxia.

If the facility was the best, then the shop employees were also polite and kind.

The students were also the same, looking at him who was wandering around with casual clothes, they asked him where did he come from, was something troubling him, was he looking for someone, he was being called by many people in concern.

Above all, everyone looked happy.

At the plaza of the shopping mall, there was an amateur band doing a launching concert, at the game center too there were also some guys playing games while holding bento in one hand.

In outline, this place should be a military facility, but…… in reality this place was really full of freedom.

“Wait, this is bad-! I forgot to go to the command headquarters!”

Well, if he just walked through the appropriate streets, he would surely find a building that fits the bill, there must also be some guide board around. Even if not, everyone here was kind, so it would be fine if he just asked someone for directions.

Having an idea like that, he began to walk.

――But,

“I’m lost……”

Ataraxia was wider than he thought, he couldn’t find the high school or the command headquarters anywhere. Furthermore, along with the end of the lunch break, there was no more students walking around outside.

“Or rather, where is this place?”

For some reason he was walking inside a forest.

“Why is there a forest and river inside an academy float……”

Even if he tried to go back, he already didn’t understand which direction he should go to go back.

“Am I, going to get stranded on my first day going to school and die? It’s already past the level of being idiotic like that.”

Right when he was thinking that, he walked into an open s.p.a.ce further inside the forest.

“I did it! I finally returned to the city!”

Happiness welled up inside him and he rushed ahead.

“……-!?”

When he got out of the forest, he found a sea there.

Kizuna stopped his run so suddenly that his body pitched forward.

The spot where he was at was the brink of the float. It was like a precipice cliff, the wall of the float’s hull was continuing until far below.

The hull of the megafloat was gigantic. The height could even reach several dozen meters.

“I…… I almost died.”

But, there was something that attracted his attention even more than that.

A large type rapid fire cannon was set at the outer edge.

A girl was standing at the tip of that cannon.

Her back was facing him, her silver hair and her Ataraxia uniform were fluttering from the sea wind.

He was going to call out to her, but he hesitated.

If he called out carelessly, she might fall.

Cold sweat flowed down Kizuna’s forehead.

‘This place looked deserted. s.h.i.+t, what kind of scene I’m finding here.’

Should he call for help?

Kizuna was going to step back, but he stepped on a branch lying under his feet.

The sound of the branch snapping made that girl turn to him.

“Ah……”

Kizuna’s eyes were stolen by her appearance.

‘Aah, she is not a human, she must be a CG character like the receptionist. If that’s so, then it might be normal for her to stand so calmly in a dangerous place like that’……was what he thought.

He was thinking like that because he couldn’t think that someone like her was a living human.

Long silver hair and red eyes.

Delicateness and beauty that was like precisely crafted porcelain, it was a girl that gave the impression of hardness and yet also brittleness. There was no way that this much conveniently beautiful human could exist.

Her height was normal, but her head was a little small compared to her body’s tallness. She had slender proportions to the degree that it made him worry that she would break, but her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were so big in imbalance with her body.

Her skin was white and smooth as if it was highlighted and looked s.h.i.+ning. Looking at her face from the side, he couldn’t think of any other word to describe it other than a perfect beauty. Her red eyes that looked as if they were emitting light themselves were filled with sadness, it was as if her long eyelashes were hiding that sadness. That sorrowful gaze was directed at Kizuna.

Those red eyes were reflecting light in a sparkle.

Was she…… crying?

But rather than that, a girl with a beauty this transcendent was looking at him. He was monopolizing this girl’s gaze. Just that fact made him feel as if he was soaring in the sky.

Even the idols that made appearances on TV, if they were compared with the girl in front of his eyes, they were just like normal people.

This girl was like a different living being from somewhere, he could feel that difference in dimension from her.

That girl, was walking to his direction.

‘Eh? Eehh-? A, a real thing?’

She lightly jumped, pa.s.sing over the b.u.mps, and moved back from the rapid fire cannon to Ataraxia.

Her glossy pink lips were moving.

“Who are you?”

‘She talked!’

‘Err, how should I reply? My, my name? Is it fine for me to introduce my name?’

The girl knitted her eyebrows and showed a face that was seriously glaring at him.

“I wonder if you don’t have the intelligence to understand words? This is the first time I saw an animal like this……”

Just now she said something really mean to him!?

“No, I understand your words but…… I’m Hida Kizuna. Since today I attend the high school here. You are, a student here right?”

“That’s obvious isn’t it? If I’m not a student then just what do you think I am, I wonder. Someone who purposefully ordered this uniform, slipped into this place of heavy security, and stared at the scenery in this kind of place?”

“No, you don’t need to find fault in me like that……” (TN: Finding fault here in the raw is written with the kanji of ‘raising foot’. Some kind of metaphor in j.a.pan, but in English it means finding fault.)

“Finding fault? Just why in the world this me has to take the foot of someone like you? Rather it’s a different story if you are the one that cries and begs to me, saying, ‘please let me kiss your beautiful foot’.”

“I’m not begging like that at all!”

“What a dishonest man.”

What was with this girl? Even though her appearance was the most beautiful and cute he had ever seen, but he couldn’t understand her strange thought process at all. Whether she had a bad mouth or a bad personality he didn’t know.

“I am Chidorigafuchi Aine, a second year. It’s fine if you want to wors.h.i.+p me.”

“What I’m talking about doesn’t get through to you at all! Just how does it take this much just to hear your name.”

“Rather, you should express your joy that you can hear the name of this me this easily. Now, dance the dance of joy, make this me enjoy the attraction.”

This was hopeless. Her visual appearance was the greatest, but it seemed that not getting involved with this girl was for the best. He was thinking of asking her for directions, but like this his mind would be destroyed in return for the directions he asked for.

“Ah, well, I’ll be going――”

At that time, a loud siren was resounding.

“Wh, what!?”

What kind of alarm was this? At the very least, it was certain that it was not the signal for the cla.s.s starting.

Or else, was this a disaster drill?

“Evacuate to the shelter immediately.”

Aine spoke to him with a serious expression.

“This is the air raid alarm.”

Ai…… air raid, alarm?

“Tha, that’s impossible. Because, right now we are in the safe area of the Pacific Ocean you know? Those another universe bunch should not have cruising range this far……”

The army of another universe for some reason couldn’t advance outside a certain range from the Entrance. That was why this megafloat was created.

“But, this should not be a false alarm. The enemy has appeared, that’s a fact.”

After saying that, Aine began to strip off her clothes.

“Wha, oi! What the h.e.l.l are you doing!?”

After taking off her upper wear and hung it at the nearby tree, this time she unfastened the hook of her skirt. Like that she took off her skirt and hung it at the tree like her upper wear. Wearing a panty with amazing cut, when she turned her back to him, he could see almost half her b.u.t.t bared naked to him. Furthermore, the fabric was digging into the crevice, so it made him fell into an illusion as if the fabric was not hiding anything.

“……You are still in a place like this?”

Her movements stopped from a little shock.

When he saw that her cheeks were a little red, it seemed that it was not like she was not embarra.s.sed.

“I’ve told you already to go evacuate haven’t I? You dullard.”

“You yourself, just why did you suddenly begin to strip! What are you going to do if somebody sees you!?”

“The one looking here is only you. This molester.”

While saying that, she unfastened the b.u.t.tons of her white s.h.i.+rt.

“Turn away your eyes. If you do that then there will be no problem at all. I’m the victim who got peeped at one-sidedly, while you are the pervert who is one-sidedly peeping at me.”

“You are the pervert who is showing all this to me one-sidedly!”

But certainly if he averted his eyes right now then all this would be settled. Though he couldn’t comprehend this at all!

“If we are going by your reasoning here, then that means exhibitionism is not something obscene you know…… hey, oi!!”

Aine unhesitatingly took off her white s.h.i.+rt.

Kizuna tried to avert her eyes in panic, but his movements stopped in the middle.

“……?”

What could be seen under the white s.h.i.+rt was not bra.s.siere.

What she was wearing under her uniform was a leotard with surface area that was extremely small.

The center of the leotard was opened, it was as if the clothes were flaunting the valley of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s and the navel, exposing them to the open. The cut of the crotch also had a steep angle while her sides were virtually uncovered.

It looked really erotic.

Aine’s body line became completely obvious without anything hiding it, her large b.r.e.a.s.t.s were shaking in jiggles following her motion taking off her clothes.

However, this leotard with high exposure rate was not something for the sake of gymnastics.

“That’s…… a pilot suit?”

“Even though you are ignorant, but you are widely knowledgeable only in female underwear aren’t you? The way you are using your head is really troubling.”

“That’s not underwear in the first place! No wait, it lookx like underwear though!”

He was staring fixedly at Aine once again.

There was no mistake, this was a pilot suit.

This girl, could she be――

“Zeros!”

When Aine shouted that, glittering blue lights surged out from her.

“You-, you have done Core’s Install(Internal Operation)!?”

The blue light was turning into the shape of Heart Hybrid Gear.

The created shape of the gear was equipped onto Aine as if digging into her soft body.

Armor modeled after vertebral column ran on her back as if in protection of her spine. And then, the largest thruster appeared on her bottom. This part was responsible for the majority of her propulsion force.

On the other side, the front part of the body had surprisingly few areas which were protected. There was no conspicuous armor from her neck until her thigh. However attack from the front could be confirmed by sight, so evading was easy. Moreover, there was the basic function of Heart Hybrid Gear, the Life Saver(Absolute Territory) system which gave protection to the wearer.

This was a sudden talk, but Life Saver was a powerful barrier equipped on Heart Hybrid Gear.

When the blue light enveloping her four limbs was burst open, standing there was a girl equipped with a gear that combined protector and thruster. There were a lot of thrusters on her whole body, so he could guess that it was a gear with fairly high mobility.

When her silver hair was brushed off smoothly, blue particles danced in the air.

“This is…… Zeros.”

Its brilliance was beautiful, blue light was running through the sleek white armor.

It was a simple but really sharp Heart Hybrid Gear.

He thought that this beautiful gear didn’t lose to that stunningly beautiful girl possessing silver hair and red eyes.

Heart Hybrid Gear was hiding a power that greatly eclipsed mankind’s conventional weapons. It was the ultimate anti-another universe weapon. Behind this technology that displayed an unrealistic performance, there was a rumor that it incorporated the technology of another universe from the enemy.

But, there was one point that bothered him from the Heart Hybrid Gear in front of his eyes.

――There was no weapon.

“Can I ask you a little? Is there no weapon in that Heart Hybrid Gear?”

Her red eyes glared at him.

“Please don’t say impolite things. Of course it has proper weapons.”

What? No wait, perhaps it was an internal type weapon. So even a gear this small had the parts fitted really well.

“It’s a weapon invisible for an idiot. So you cannot see it. How pitiful.”

“Rather than calling me an idiot, the one telling that kind of story is the one that sounded like an idiot!”

“This gear is paying serious attention to its stealth.”

“A technology that make you unable to see your own weapon is just something completely meaningless!”

Aine was crouching down on the ground and then she grasped something like a handle.

What was that? He didn’t realize something like that was there at all.

When the handle was twisted, the ground opened quickly, then a metal box appeared from inside it.

“Eh-?”

Inside the box was firearms lining up in a row.

Aine took one firearm from among them. It was a 89-style pistol.

There was nothing unusual about the gun, it was just the official firearm that the Ground Self-Defense Forces utilized once.

“Yo, you…… you are, using that?”

“What is it, you have complaints?”

No, he was not complaining though.

Heart Hybrid Gear was something that had armor and weapons combined into it. Even his own gear was furnished with a beam cannon although its offensive power was low.

But, Aine’s gear was not furnished with weapons from the beginning.

“You are going to fight with that kind of weapon!? Conventional weapons are ineffective against magic weapons right?”

A ring of blue light was floating around Aine’s waist.

The Heart Hybrid Gear was raising its output. That was the sign of commencing flying.

“It’s fine already, just escape, you are going to die if you stay here.”

Leaving those words behind, Aine faced to the sea and ran, then she flew away from Ataraxia. Blue light stretched out from the thrusters on her waist and feet, flying up Aine to the sky.

“s.h.i.+t-!”

Kizuna started running.

‘Her mouth was bad, but what Chidorigafuchi told me is correct.

My apt.i.tude with Heart Hybrid Gear is low, and to begin with I haven’t trained for battle with it since I was a child. So that I won’t drag her down, I should evacuate to the shelter.

――But,

I just can’t forget Chidorigafuchi who was standing still alone with tears s.h.i.+ning in her red eyes.’

Kizuna was walking towards the direction where Aine was heading.

His speed was gradually turning faster, before long he had started to run.

From here he couldn’t see well the sky of the city. He had to go to a more open place!

When he ran along the outer edge of Ataraxia, before long he exited the forest and came out into a wide park.

“Wha――”

A gigantic object was flying above his head where it almost grazed him. A terrific gale attacked Kizuna.

Giant!? No, that was a magic weapon!?

By crouching on the ground, he somehow endured from being blown away.

That was the magic weapon of another universe! He had seen it before from a photo.

It was a mechanized giant with a total height that surpa.s.sed ten meters. Even among the magic weapons which were designed with armor impression, this one had a pair of wings that possessed flying ability, an [Albatross].

No matter how he saw it, it shouldn’t be able to fly in the sky based on aviation mechanics, but it was soaring in the sky with mobility that was even higher than an airplane. He didn’t understand at all with what kind of technology it was flying in the sky.

The technology of the another universe far surpa.s.sed the common sense of mankind.

And then, after that a small shadow was pa.s.sing through him in an instant.

‘Chidorigafuchi!?’

He chased the back of the figure flying past him with his eye, but the figure was gone already. When he looked up, he could see a white Heart Hybrid Gear ascending high to the sky chasing after Albatross.

Aine pulled the trigger of the type-89 gun in her hand and scattered sparks on Albatross’ back.

That was a good skill.

If this was a dogfight, then this would be Aine’s victory.

However, the armor of Albatross repelled those bullets really easily.

On the contrary Albatross stopped still in the sky and directed its bayonet towards Aine while turning its body behind. Normally, a bayonet was a rifle which had a short sword fixed on its tip, but the bayonet of another universe had the shape of sword blade fused with gun grip and trigger as its handle.

When the trigger of that bayonet was pulled, the sword emitted light and a bullet of light was fired heading to Aine.

The speed of the bullet was fast. It was hard to chase it with eyes, but Aine evaded that bullet nimbly. And then she was encircling Albatross and rained bullets from all directions.

But there was no effect.

Aine threw away the magazine that had become empty and inserted a new ammo magazine.

She beautifully evaded the bullet of light that Albatross fired again then she closed the distance in one breath.

And then――

She struck.

“Wait…… eeeh-!?”

A strong punch hit Albatross’s chin, making that giant body bend backwards greatly.

‘Eh…… isn’t that attack the most effective compared to all she had done until now?’

Aine thrust the muzzle of the type-89 gun into the gap of the raised neck and pulled the trigger. She kept shooting until her ammo ran out, then Aine kicked the Albatross and took some distance.

The kicked Albatross powerlessly began to fall, after a while it exploded largely. Its scattered fragments transformed into fragments of light while raining down to the ground.

‘Amazing! She really defeated a magic weapon with a normal weapon!’

Aine descended down to the ground. Kizuna hurried on to the location where she would land in order to greet her.

“Oi, that’s amazing just now! You did it! You defeated a magic weapon from another universe!”

However, Aine ignored Kizuna, she once again crouched in the corner of the park and twisted a handle of a hatch.

The box that flew out from the opened ground was lined up with firearms.

“Wait, this kind of thing is everywhere in the float!?”

“Of course. We don’t know when the enemy will come attacking after all.”

This time Aine took out an even bigger gun than the type-89. It was a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. Normally it was not something that a human could use by carrying it by hand, but this one had been forcefully remodeled so it was usable by hand. Just its main part had the total weight of nearly 40 kilo, but Aine lightly lifted it up.

“Type-89’s firepower is just too weak.”

After wrapping ammo belt on her body, she flew up to the sky once more.

Seeing off her figure, Kizuna felt like he had been left behind.

In contrast with Aine’s action which had no hesitation, Kizuna didn’t know what he should do. He was standing still in that place for a while.

――’Shouldn’t I also fight?

No, no, just what kind of impertinent thought you had, me.

With my apt.i.tude for Heart Hybrid Gear, I cannot properly fight the enemy’, that was what his mother told him. He had beam cannon, but it was hard to break through the armor of magic weapons, and even if he could fly in the sky, he couldn’t fly while carrying something heavy.

{Kizuna, it’s pointless for human without any talent no matter how hard he works. Talent will s.h.i.+ne if it is polished, but if there was nothing to be polished in the first place, then it won’t turn into anything.}

The words of his mother were revived in his ear.

His mother was a genius. A person that was like a ma.s.s of talent.

His mother’s last academic background was as a third year student of elementary school.

At that time she was already publis.h.i.+ng numerous reformative papers on the internet. She had tied contracts with several corporations and research inst.i.tutes as a researcher and mysterious consultants at the same time. Even with her ident.i.ty unidentified at that time, her existence was like a kind of deity.

The Heart Hybrid Gear was one of the inventions of such a mother.

His big sister was also an abnormally superior person since she was a child. It was overwhelming for him to always be compared with his sister.

But, that big sister herself was always kind to Kizuna.

{Kizuna. The worth of a human is not from the height or depth of their ability. It’s a problem of how you live.}

On top of being superior, she was a really good person.

‘Among such superhuman family, how should this me that is the most average should live?’

Kizuna stared at Aine who was fighting in the sky.

Even if he couldn’t fight directly, wasn’t there still something else he could help with?

To equip his Heart Hybrid Gear, there was a need to yell that, its name.

“E……”

‘No, no, no!

Calm down, Hida Kizuna!’

Courage was necessary just to shout that name.

Of course, courage was also needed for fighting.

Courage was also needed even for facing his past where he was abandoned by his mother.

And then, it was embarra.s.sing to speak of the code for equipping his gear.

‘s.h.i.+t-! Of all things, just why did that mother of mine pick a naming like that!’

He absolutely hated that name!

When he was a child he didn’t understand its meaning and he yelled that name innocently, but then he knew the meaning of that word at a certain time and he felt greatly wounded――

“Hm? What?”

A small shaking was repeating in the ground.

The tiles covering the park were beginning to open like accordion curtains.

“Uwaa-, this is bad-!”

Kizuna started to run.

“s.h.i.+t-, so this park is using interception system!”

He crossed over the road and hid in the shadow of a building nearby.

From the opened ground, a missile was fired, rising to the sky while trailing flames behind. However, there was no figure of magic weapon where the missile was going.

“Just what are they aiming at?”

Suddenly the missile exploded in the sky.

He took a deep breath and then looked up to the sky once more.

“……hm? That’s, what’s that?”

The sky where he looked up was strangely distorted when he looked carefully.

When he focused his eyes, that distortion was like something rectangle that was slim and long. It was fairly big.

No way…… was that the battles.h.i.+p of another universe!?

s.h.i.+vers ran through his back.

It was mainly rumored that the s.h.i.+p from another universe couldn’t be discovered by radar searching. If it couldn’t be identified by eyesight on top of that, then there would be no way to hit them.

And then from that wars.h.i.+p, new magic weapons were descending down.

The second wave of missile was further fired from the park. When he turned back, the wall of the building behind Kizuna’s back was beginning to open like a shutter.

“Oi oi! This thing is also a camouflage!?”

Megafloat was constructed with the a.s.sumption of fighting the another universe. Due to that, defense systems were incorporated everywhere.

From the defense system that was camouflaged as a building, a large type particle cannon appeared.

“Aa―, I cannot keep up with this at all!”

At the same time with him sprinting away, a tremendous roar resounded from his back.

He felt severe heat at his back, but he somehow managed to not end up dead by being roasted.

He patted his chest while sighing in relief before looking for a place where he could calm down, he continued to run recklessly.

After a while, he arrived at a place where there were many warehouses lining up.

Perhaps there were stray shots. .h.i.tting this place, but there were many cardboard boxes scattered around haphazardly, the snacks stored inside the boxes were scattered everywhere.

Kizuna put his hand on the wall and tried to put his breathing in order.

“Haa, haaa…… a, anyway, seems like this place is not a dummy warehouse. As expected it’s not a defense system.”

At the other side of the warehouse was immediately the sea. In the end, it seemed that he had run along the edge of Ataraxia.

He could see explosions happening in the sky far away. A red light was drawing a line, flying around in the sky.

Was that Chidorigafuchi Aine?

Suddenly, while he was thinking about such thing, a gigantic hand appeared before his eyes.

“Wha-……!?”

That hand which had sea water dripping from it caught hold of Ataraxia’s edge.

With a pull-up trick, that body showed its figure.

A giant body with horn growing on it was overflowing with sea water, a magic weapon was landing on Ataraxia.

Its total height was ten meters. A category-B magic weapon, [Viking].

s.h.i.+t-! Now that it had come to this, he wouldn’t be able to escape without making some sacrifice. There was nothing to do but equipping his Heart Hybrid Gear.

It was not for fighting, but for escaping.

“E――”

At that moment, a hole opened in the Viking’s body.

‘Chidorigafuchi!?’

Thinking that, he looked for the Heart Hybrid Gear with blue light running on that white body.

However, what entered his eyes was a girl holding a katana charging here.

“Go! Blade!”

Together with that calling voice, the black haired girl moved the swords floating at the surrounding air. With agile movement, the swords flew in the air and a.s.saulted the Viking. The Viking tried to intercept them, but the blades skewered it like a joke.

“Haaaa!”

The girl took a stance of holding her sword above her head and slashed at the Viking.

The Viking was bisected into two from its head.

The girl landed in front of Kizuna and waved her sword as if a.s.suming a posture.

The Viking raised an explosion as if that gesture was the signal.

The splinters turned into cl.u.s.ters of light in the air.

‘E, eh?’

Was he, saved?

However, when that girl swung her sword, the tip was directed right at Kizuna’s nose.

“What is an ordinary student doing in this kind of place! Furthermore in casual clothing like that!”

“Eh, who, are you?”

“You don’t know about me? I am Himekawa Hayuru, a public morals committee member of Ataraxia! What year and what group of students are you!?”

“E, err, I’m a transfer student, this is my first day……”

The girl who introduced herself as Himekawa Hayuru was taken aback before she stared fixedly at Kizuna’s face.

“Then you are the new team member then! Do you have a Heart Hybrid Gear?”

Kizuna nodded his head repeatedly.

“Then, please fight together with us! Right now is an emergency situation!”

‘Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! That’s, even if you suddenly told me! No, rather please don’t expect any fighting ability from me!’

Himekawa seems to be losing her temper when Kizuna didn’t reply, she snapped at Kizuna.

“What are you doing! Please hurry! We who possess Heart Hybrid Gear are existences that should become the s.h.i.+eld of the people! We have to become the sword of the powerless people!”

Himekawa talked pa.s.sionately, but Kizuna could only feel uneasy.

That was because new magic weapons were descending down to here.

Furthermore, this time their number was many. There was ten category-C Blue Head. Also, there was even a larger group of Brigands coming down here.

Even when looking at that large group of enemies, Himekawa didn’t falter at all.

“Hmph. Again they come…… come! You too, let’s fight together!”

“No, that’s why, I――”

Blue Heads raised a tremor in the ground with their landing, they brandished their swords and headed here.

At that time, flashes and sound of shockwaves pierced the sky of the park.

Wind hole was opened in a Blue Head’s body, then it exploded greatly.

He thought that it was Himekawa launching her Blade once again, but the Blades were still floating around the back of Himekawa this time.

“Hayuru? Can you stop playing around I wonder?”

There was one more person in the air, a girl with Heart Hybrid Gear put on her body.

It was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

‘So this is what they mean by dynamite body’, Kizuna thought.

From her large b.r.e.a.s.t.s, to her waists that radically turned slim, and a b.u.t.t that was stretching as if it were going to explode in a turn.

She was glamorous and gorgeous.

The gaps between her gear were s.h.i.+ning, that luminescence which was golden in color also played a part in her gorgeous impression.

And then, the armaments which were fixed on her back and around her hips also showed the powerful fire power at her disposal.

The cannon muzzles that could possibly fired in all directions were moving separately, each of them was establis.h.i.+ng a different target.

All of them spouted out fire all at once.

“Uwawawawawawa!”

Intense explosive sound rumbled, particle bullets were grazing Kizuna from all directions.

The shockwave from that made his body stagger.

Until the bombarding was over, he didn’t feel like he was going to stay alive.

The bombarding was over after a few seconds, the surroundings were wrapped in silence.

When he timidly observed the surroundings, the Blue Heads and Brigands had been wiped out.

‘A…… amazing.’

It was not just because the firepower was powerful. That was an accurate shooting. It looked like she was firing randomly to all directions, but not to mention himself and Himekawa, there was no damage at all even at the surrounding facility. She was attacking only aiming accurately at the magic weapons.

When the girl softly landed on the ground, she faced Himekawa and continued talking as if there was nothing.

“That’s why, it’s hard doing this alone. It’s severe doing this when Hayuru slacks off.” (TN: Yurisia had a characteristic way of talking. She often drag off the end of her sentence a little. For example ‘that’s whyy’ ‘slack offf’ like those, I wonder if I should write it like that here or it’s better to just write it normally?)

Hearing those words, Hayuru stepped forward with a clink.

“Yu, Yurisia-san-! This I is a committee member of public morals! And you called me slacking off!? That’s an offensive insult! Please take your words back right now!”

Her face was bright red and she kept talking on and on.

“Araa, I wonder if I stepped on a landmine here?”

The blonde beautiful girl called Yurisia parried Himekawa’s fury with a smile.

“Rather than that, I wonder who is that boy over there―♪ Hayuru’s boyfriend?”

“Boyf……-!?”

Her face that was already too red became even redder.

“I-i-i-I, impossible-! Licentious! Filthy! In the first place even touching a boy is something that is not allowed! We, we are shouldering a lofty goal of――”

“Ok, ok, I understand. Then, let’s just clean up the descending down magic weapons. If we don’t quickly tidy this up, then not only Ataraxia, even Megafloat j.a.pan as a whole will be sunk down you know?”

With a bright smile, she said something terrifying.

“Guh…… I, I understand. Certainly right now is not the time to argue. Let’s properly talk about this matter later on!”

The Unit at Yurisia’s back emitted light. The next instant she flew up to the sky. Her figure turned small in the blink of an eye. Himekawa also followed after her.

Kizuna was left completely by himself alone in that place.

{You too, let’s fight together!}

He recalled back Himekawa’s voice.

Even if he was told that, there were things he could do and couldn’t do.

Just as his mother told him, he couldn’t even stand at the start line if he didn’t have the talent in the first place.

When he moved his gaze to the city’s direction, Chidorigafuchi flying in the sky drawing blue tracks behind her entered his eyes.

‘Even I actually want to be like that――,’

However, Chidorigafuchi’s condition was strange.

Her movement was dull. Her nimble body movement like before this had disappeared, even the machine gun she held in her hand was hanging down heavily.

What? Just what in the world was going on?

And then finally, her movements stopped.

‘D, dangerous!’

Direct hit.

The enemy’s cannon hit Aine. Flame explosion spread in the sky like a blooming flower.

“……That’s”

Kizuna was dumbfounded.

From inside the flame, the figure of Aine with smoke trailing behind her appeared.

However, power had left her whole body, she was falling to the ground.

‘O, oi! That’s seriously bad right there!

Kizuna’s eyes wandered. His gaze roamed the sky, he was desperately looking for the Heart Hybrid Gear of Yurisia and Himekawa.

‘Save her quickly! Your comrade is in danger!’

Even when he yelled so in his heart, there was no signs of those two coming.

‘What to do?

What to do!’

{Kizuna. The worth of a human is not from the height or depth of their ability. It’s a problem of how you live.}

His sister’s words resounded in his mind.

‘That’s right isn’t it, Nee-chan. If not right here right now, then just when I’ll use it!’

Kizuna took off his jacket.

He wasn’t wearing a pilot suit, that made his affinity with the Heart Hybrid Gear even lower.

“Kuh, can’t be helped!”

In order to make up for the demerit of not wearing pilot suit even for a little, he also took off his T-s.h.i.+rt vigorously. When his upper body became naked, Kizuna took in a large deep breath.

 

“EROS!”

 

All over his body was wrapped in pink light.

This sensation…… how many years has it been already.

The pulsation of his heart released particles of light, those particles united and created magic armor that wrapped his body.

Kizuna put on the Heart Hybrid Gear [Eros] on his body.

On the black armor, pink streaks of luminescence were running.

When he concentrated his consciousness, he raised the output of the thruster and beads of light danced from the jet propulsion nozzle.

The sensation was not different at all with what he felt as a child.

“Okay-, I can do this!”

Kizuna flew to the sky.

With all the speed that he could muster, he headed to Aine’s falling point.

Aine’s natural falling continued, it would only take 100 meters more before she crashed.

“Make it in time!”

The yell of his heart accelerated the Heart Hybrid Gear.

Kizuna’s arms caught Aine’s body.

“I did it! E, eh?”

It was all fine that he caught the body, but he couldn’t support Aine’s weight. That was just how weak the output of Eros was.

“U, uwaaa!”

He was dropping diagonally and fell on a field that had gra.s.s growing.

He embraced Aine to protect her before he slid on the lawn.

After rolling for several tens of meters, he finally stopped.

“So…… somehow, it looks like I’m saved.”

‘So I can actually do it when I try.’

He soaked in a prideful feeling for a moment. Aine was still breathing, but she looked as if she was in a great pain.

“Oi, Chidor――gah……”

Aine was. .h.i.t by enemy attacks and bore damage.

There was no problem in her Heart Hybrid Gear, but the damage to her pilot suit was great.

In other words, it was torn.

The suits already had great exposure rate in the first place, but it became even more terrible with this damage in addition. Like this he guessed that it could actually put up a challenge against a micro bikini.

Around the collarbone and around the stomach were holes opened from tears of the fabric. Like this, it was nothing more than some sorry patches that hid the b.r.e.a.s.t.s and nether region.

*gulp* Kizuna made a noticeable sound from his throat.

‘N, no. This is not the time to think about perverted thoughts.’

He persuaded himself like that, but he still wasn’t able to oppose the absolute eroticism of the beautiful girl.

He had seen erotic manga on the internet before, but the presence and pressure of the real thing far surpa.s.sed his imagination.

Moreover, this was a girl with transcendental beauty. Trying to resist was an impossible talk from the outset.

He barely mobilized all his remaining reasoning before talking to Aine.

“O, oi, Chidorigafuchi. You okay? Get a grip of yourself.”

There was luminescence everywhere on her body that was the proof that the Heart Hybrid Gear was operating. However, Aine’s light looked dim, it looked like the light would go out anytime.

But anyways, she was safe for the time being. However, he better bring her to a hospital as soon as possible――

At that time, in front of Kizuna’s eyes a floating window opened. Projecting monitor window in the air where there was nothing could be done by using Heart Hybrid Gear’s communication function.

“What is it, at this kind of time!”

A close-up of a beautiful woman was projected on the window.

{Kizuna. It’s me.}

“Ne-, Nee-chan!?”

The transmission was from his sister, Reiri.

“Ne, Nee-chan!? Right now, I got a serious――”

{Shut up.}

“-……!!”

He reflexively swallowed his words.

{I understand your current situation. Listen well to what I’m going to say after this. Understand?}

He didn’t know what was going on, but for the time being he nodded.

“I got it. Then, what should I do?”

{First, rub Aine’s breast.}

Kizuna reflexively held Aine’s breast.

……What?

“Uwawawaaa! Wh-, what are you making me do!”

He released his hand as if it was repelled away.

{Kizuna, do it more gently. Gently, but slowly put more strength into it, rub and wrap it in your hand.”

“No, listen! Why do I have to rub the breast of a girl that I just met for the first time!?”

{Don’t think. Feel.}

“Feel what!?”

{Aine’s heart and body. Unless you can do that, you guys will die for real.}

He could see an Albatross landing down on the roof of a nearby building.

If that thing came here, it would be seriously bad.

{Then touch Aine’s body to make sure if she has wounds or not. Look through every nook and cranny of her body.}

“A…… go, got it. If it’s something like that then……”

With trembling fingers, Kizuna touched Aine’s body.

‘s.h.i.+t-, don’t get nervous.’

Kizuna was sliding his finger tips from her shoulder to her arm while looking at the girl’s reaction.

The thin glove that reached until her upper arm was torn and had holes opened in it. However, it seemed that she was not injured. The softness of her arm was directly transmitted to his hand.

“Uu……n”

“Chidorigafuchi?”

She was groaning, but it seemed that her consciousness hadn’t returned.

{Don’t mind, just continue.}

“Ah, yes. I got it.”

He ascertained other places similarly like that. From her armpit to her side, her waist, and then her thigh, her calf.

Was the body of a girl really this soft?

He thought that because they were the same human, even though they were male and female it was only their shape that was different, but it was like they were made from different raw materials.

{Open up her legs. Enter between, then pay thorough attention to her leg one by one.}

“Ri, right.”

Before he realized it, Kizuna had already become absorbed in the pleasant feeling of touching Aine’s body.

“Aa…… n, haa……”

The girl’s cheeks were colored red.

Somehow, the feeling of fondling the body of a beautiful girl earnestly was not bad.

Furthermore, in the current situation, he opened her legs and right now he was in a position between those legs where he was holding in his arm her thigh.

Suddenly he could smell a nice aroma like a flower.

He didn’t notice it in his fl.u.s.ter, but this was the aroma of a girl.

Her blus.h.i.+ng face was truly bewitching.

He unintentionally gulped his saliva.

Sweat flowed down the nape of her neck.

Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s largely moved up and down.

And then, the tips of the breast were obviously conspicuous even more than before. It was standing up as if going against the suit, pus.h.i.+ng up the fabric from below.

‘No, no good! My eyes cannot move!’

He put all his power to the muscle of his neck and tore away his gaze from the b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Far below her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, there was her navel.

The navel itself was not a big deal, but the fact that the shape of the body under the suit was blatantly displayed uplifted his mind mischievously.

‘s.h.i.+t-! Even though I’ve finally get away from the breast’s binding spell! What a body that I can’t let my guard down with!’

However, ahead from that area was a spot that was even more dangerous.

The triangle zone made up from the body and the thighs. For Kizuna it was an unknown territory.

The pilot suit was digging into that between, shadow and highlight were creating a valley that looked soft.

His head was dizzy from the charm of her body. The throbbing of his heart was strong, becoming faster. The desire welling up from his depths was driving his body mad, as if an unendurable pain was going to explode.

And then, pink radiant light particles were born inside Kizuna’s eyes.

A painful sounding voice leaked out from Aine’s lips.

“Nn…… haa…… an”

Aine twisted her body as if she was feeling Kizuna’s gaze on her.

At that instant, blue particles scattered from Aine’s body.

This was…… the light of Heart Hybrid Gear?

“Uu…… n”

Aine dimly opened her eyes.

Her expression was entranced, she looked completely defenseless, she was irresistibly lovely.

The moment he saw that, pink particles of light also raised from Kizuna’s body.

{Right now, Kizuna! Grab her b.r.e.a.s.t.s!}

When he returned to his senses in surprise, he moved faithfully following his sister’s instruction.

His hand reached out heading towards the magnificent b.r.e.a.s.t.s which were drawing beautiful lines.

Just how could this thing possibly draw a line this e