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  As he said this, Sharnid slowly pulled out the student handbook.

  "Let me see, ok? Let’s, see... Let’s see...If there's to be a duel between Military Artists on school grounds, you must first apply to the student council for permission, and after verification of the two student's identities, the duel is to take place at a specified arena. The weapons must comply with the Academy City's regulations...etc. etc."

  He closed the student handbook with a slap.

  "So, you'll have to wait until our trump card decides to apply for a duel before this can proceed. If you piss him off, even just a little, then you'll no longer get to speak reason to him. So let me tell him."

  Da. Da. Da. The sound was continuing.

  Seeing the paling boy, Sharnid continued.

  "So, what do you say?"

  "W-w-w-wait a sec, I, I'm not really a Military Artist, I've only just worn this uniform for a little while. Duels or whatever, just spare me!"

  "Then that makes it very difficult for us. That's obviously against the rules. Then... about the uniform, it's the proof of what kind of student you are, and if there's no valid reason to be wearing another type of uniform then you'll have to receive punishment. It says here."

  "It's much better than a duel."

  As the male student lamented he took off his Military Artist's uniform and threw it onto the floor.

  Da...The sound stopped.

  The boy looked relieved as he collapsed in a heap onto the floor.

  "Hmm... I guess it's ok like that as well. Then we're done over here, but not quite yet over there, eh?"

  "What are you going to do?"

  The blanching waitress looked down upon Sharnid with a belittling expression.

  "This guy wearing a Military Artist's uniform has absolutely nothing to do with me."

  "Woah, acting like you don't know him already?"

  "What are you talking about, acting? I obviously don't know him."

  "Well, if you want to take this approach it's fine as well. Then how did she drop all those dishes and spill it over a customer's trousers?"

  "It was her mistake, I suppose."

  It seems she was going to pretend she didn't hear what the other boy had said previously... No, she was insisting that she didn't even speak to the boy.

  Of course, Layfon and Sharnid both knew Felli, so you could say they were protecting one of their own people and lying.

  "No, that's not such a simple problem."

  As he said this, he took out the camera.

  "I prepared this baby to catch a Kodak moment, but instead it caught a different moment instead"

  "Che..."

  "I got the decisive shot. We haven't broken the student rules by doing this...at least we shouldn't have. Anyway, if the Commerce Department catch wind of some bad rumors, it might be pretty difficult to find any jobs in the future."

  "..............."

  Looking at the silent waitress, Sharnid gave Layfon a signal with his eyes, telling him what to do.

  But Layfon didn't reply either.

  The blood rushing to his head was genuine; him getting pissed off wasn't an act either, but to push a girl in a dilemma to make a choice still seemed low.

  And it wasn't their place to deal with this girl either.

  If he still forced her to make a decision, it would seem a little excessive.

  If they were officially questioned, it would actually be Layfon and Sharnid who wouldn't be able to answer.

  "...Really, what the hell are you guys doing?"

  Hearing a tired, sigh, Layfon and Sharnid's bodies both shivered from the surprise.

  "Oh, Felli-Chan. Are you well?"

  "Of course. I'm having a wonderful time working at some brilliant store somebody recommended to me."

  "Wahh... but isn't that obviously displeasure in your voice?"

  "And on top of that, you make someone your money tree?"

  As she said this, Felli walked up to Sharnid and pulling the camera off him and took out the memory card in an instant.

  "I'm confiscating this."

  "That memory card has a huge storage capacity, and it was pretty expensive. Can you return it to me afterwards?"

  "Denied."

  Hearing this, Sharnid powerlessly lowered his head.

  Ignoring Sharnid's reaction, Felli stood in front of the waitress.

  "What are you doing?" The girl looked at Felli with contempt and provocation.

  Felli brought down her palm with a lot of force.

  The sound didn't seem to match with the small lane...or rather, it was a huge noise you would expect to find on busy highways, reverberating in that tiny side street.

  "Hmph."

  "Ah...."

  The sound was so loud it left Layfon and Sharnid stunned for a moment.

  "Well, with that, your debt to me has gone away quite easily; I'll just leave you to the store owner and let him deal with you."

  Saying that, Felli stared steadily at her and walked past Sharnid, quickly returning to the store.

  The four people behind her watched her leave, stunned.

  It was already deep into the night.

  The shift was over, and Felli came out from the store.

  When she looked up, she saw a familiar person standing in front of her.

  "You were here."

  Layfon stood under a lamppost near the store.

  "Yeah, well..."

  "...Could it be that you've been waiting here for the whole time?"

  "No, even for me that would be too..."

  "No willpower?"

  "Eeehh?"

  As Felli finished speaking, she didn't even stop and left, and Layfon chased after her.

  "I'll walk you home."

  "Of course you will. You've been waiting for so long, so of course you would."

  And just like that, they continued to walk silently. But she still felt conscious about Layfon, who was walking behind her just out of her peripheral vision.

  His expression at that time was the exact opposite of that when he was fighting Filth Monsters; it really made people want to sigh. It was like a child throwing a fit... Felli sighed.

  "Really, thanks for before."

  "No...I'm sorry, I just went ahead and did something unnecessary."

  "You were really pissed off, weren't you? I could feel your killing intent from all the way inside the store." At that time, as Felli was repenting on her actions, she had already felt Layfon's killing intent. "Looking at you threatening those two people, you seemed pretty happy to me."

  "No, that was all Sharnid-senpai's idea."

  "Why were you so angry?"

  "That...It seems I really can't bear to see my friends being bullied."

  She had guessed it was probably something like this much earlier, and her expectations for any other reasons were disappointing.

  "Well...that's just how you are."

  "And besides..." As if countering Felli's words, Layfon began to say something. "I also wanted to help senpai...Felli trying out things other than being a psychokinesist."

  He whispered this at a barely audible volume to himself, surprising Felli so much that she couldn't catch her breath.

  (This person really is...)

  She wanted to live a life outside that of a Nen-I user.

  Her brother knew that Felli had this dream. Other than him there was only Layfon.

  (He really is...He really is...He really is...!)

  Nobody else knew; only Layfon. She never even told her captain, Nina, and this man she did tell didn't even understand the meaning behind it. But at that time, she didn't know what kind of expression to put on.

  He was cheering for me, worrying about me, it really makes me happy...

  But Layfon, who knew of her dream, didn't recognize the deeper meaning to this dream at all, and his slowness really made Felli angry.

  Now, how was she going to show both those expressions at once...

  (Right now, she was completely lost
on what expression to use.)

  "Fine, I'm going home!" Felli loudly ended the conversation, and continued on forward and as she confirmed the sounds of Layfon's chasing footsteps. She walked a little bit faster.

  Interlude 02

  "........."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Speaking of which, there aren't any Heaven's Blade Successors who use metal whips, are there?"

  "I think you should know more about these things than I do."

  "I guess I should. Well, including me, there're three people who use swords, and if you exclude Delbone, there's a person using his fists, a long sword, a shield, a gun, a staff, a bow and metal spheres. There isn't anyone who uses metal whips."

  "What's the matter, bringing up these things now."

  "Well, it's about my captain, Nina-senpai."

  "Yeah, I know, you're always talking about this person in your letters, and she seems to be very hardworking."

  "Yeah, it was just teaching her some moves. But I've taught her a lot of different moves before..."

  "Because Layfon isn't used to teaching others, that person must be having a hard time learning, right?"

  "Hmm, maybe it's like that. So that's why, I suddenly thought of a move at that moment. It's a move that couldn't be more suitable for her. But I can't remember where I picked up that move from."

  "...You've gotten dementia?"

  "Hmm...Maybe it's like that. But as long as I've seen a move once, I can immediately recognize the direction of its Kei flow, so maybe it wasn't a Heaven's Blade successor's move. I should be able to remember a person who used such an elegant move, even if I've only seen him once."

  "But to make Layfon so eager to teach her that move, that person must be really talented."

  "Yeah, she's really hardworking as well."

  "Oh...?"

  "Not only that, she's also very frank. I doubt there's anyone else who's as direct as she is. But then again, she's a little bit of a klutz at times."

  "You don't have the right to say that about others."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, really."

  "But I'm a little bit envious. Even though she's clumsy, she's still very straightforward about everything. It really makes me envious."

  "Yeah, maybe."

  Diamond Passion

  To Layfon Alseif, Nina Antalk was someone who held many secrets.

  In the Academy City of Zuellni, as a Military Artist elite, she was allowed to enter a platoon as only a 3rd year, making her a very accomplished girl. At the same time, she was a person who was involved with the dilemma Zuellni was facing and was very passionate about doing something for the city.

  But where did this passion come from?

  He felt that if he went and asked her, he might be able to understand her feelings completely, but then again he might never be able to understand.

  "Is it really okay?" Nina asked Layfon in an unsettled manner.

  "It's okay."

  A completely spiritless Layfon nodded his head.

  They were in a training area that was especially reserved for the 17th platoon of Zuellni. Soundproof and shockproof materials were used to isolate this huge space, and in it, stood the Captain of the seventeenth squad, Nina and her platoon member Layfon. Only platoons with the bare minimum of four fighting members, such as the seventeenth squad, felt that the training area was extremely spacious. And in a situation like today when there were only two people, it felt even more spacious.

  It was also an unavoidable reality.

  Today was a rest day with lessons only before lunch, so most of the platoons had finished training by dusk. Even if the sounds of training came through the neighboring walls, it would be probably be some hardworking individual practicing by himself.

  "Is it really okay?" Asked Nina almost naggingly, as she confirmed the sensation of the two restored Dites she held in each of her hands. The whips that she wielded were weapons designed to emphasize offensive capabilities.

  "Anytime is fine."

  Again, he nodded as if unaware of anything.

  "I can't say how this'll turn out."

  Facing Layfon's attitude, Nina felt a little annoyed. She felt that she was being underestimated. Considering their strength, that would be understandable as well. The problem was that he wasn't even holding a Dite in his hands, and not only that, he had loosened his sword strap as well while still standing around with a complacent look on his face, which made Nina feel like he had seriously insulted her dignity.

  She wouldn't ask him again.

  She immediately got her internal-type Kei flowing. Using the internal-type Kei generated from within her to reinforce her entire body, she immediately cut down the distance between herself and Layfon.

  Following up on her charge, she brought out her right-hand metal whip.

  Nina locked onto Layfon's left shoulder.

  Layfon was in the center of her vision as she charged at him, and showing no signs of moving just caught Nina's strike just like that.

  The force in that strike was more than enough to rend flesh; to smash bone into little pieces.

  Even though the strike was that powerful, it was as if it had fallen upon a steel wall, and her wrist received a jarring impact instead.

  "Ugh..."

  Even though she didn't let go of the steel whip, Nina was caught completely off guard, and kept her distance from Layfon.

  "Do it more seriously."

  Layfon turned to face Nina, whose wrist was wracked with pain and spoke to her in a critical manner.

  "That attack was nothing like Senpai's usual attacks. You have to attack even more seriously, and make it so that I'm forced to evade it. If you can't do that, then there's no meaning to what I'm going to show you next."

  She's had been training with Layfon for a long time now, and it wasn't only after the platoon training sessions, but also with him during their rest days, but she had never seen Layfon like this before.

  "What's wrong?"

  She didn't ask him like that.

  A part of it was because she knew now wasn't the time to ask something like that, but she knew the real reason was her curiosity for what Layfon was going to show her next.

  "....................."

  Nina quietly increased the density of her Internal type Kei. Being able to do this in a blink of an eye was thanks to Layfon's training as well. The unique breathing method she used when using Internal type Kei was also the result of taking Layfon's advice. He told her to keep her breath the same as it normally was, and as a result she managed to master Internal type Kei.

  When she first started, she would get exhausted very quickly. It felt like she couldn't properly control the Kei which burned within her, but now she could stabilize her Kei easily.

  She could feel her muscles expanding beneath her skin. It wasn't just her muscles, even the bones which held up her body was filling with Kei, making them harder.

  Her body was like a spring, coiling up and gathering energy, and then releasing it all.

  The target that she had locked on to hadn't changed; it was still the left shoulder.

  She brought her arm down in a direct stroke from up high.

  She released all her Kei at the moment of impact.

  "Wu..."

  Again, her wrist sent out a signal of pain as Nina looked at an unperturbed Layfon.

  This time Layfon moved. Grabbing Nina's right arm which was targeting his left shoulder, he punched her with the other hand in the stomach. The Kei which he released from his fist caused Nina to be flung against the opposing wall.

  Her back rammed into the wall, then Nina fell onto the ground with a crash.

  "What the hell's going on..."

  Layfon didn't hold back with his strike at all. Nina stood up quickly.

  Layfon stood there showing no signs of being injured, completely still.

  "Do you understand what I just did?"

  "No, filling your whole body up with Kei, I have no idea what you did
" replied Nina, shaking her head.

  It was true; that's all she had figured out from all that.

  Her right wrist was aching. It was the evidence that all the power in her strike had been deflected back easily. If she hadn't loosened her grip at the moment of impact, the recoil would probably have been even greater.

  Layfon carried the first aid kit over, deftly treating Nina's wrist.

  "Ah, I'm sorry."

  "...It's ok."

  He sprayed her wrist with a cooling mist to ease the pain, then used a bandage to wrap it up and secure it. Nina concentrated her Internal-type Kei near her wrist. Even though she didn't expect any real results, at least it would speed up her recovery.

  "What was that you did back there?"

  Compared to the pain in her wrist, she cared about that more.

  That move was probably what Layfon was going to show Nina.

  Even if it was like that, she couldn't understand it at all.

  "It didn't feel like striking a person at all, it felt as if I was hitting something very hard."

  "That was the Heaven's Blade Successor Reverse's move."

  "It was a Heaven's Blade Successor's move?"

  The Heaven's Blade Successors of Lance Shelled City Grendan were really powerful Military Artists who could single-handedly take on Filth Monsters.

  And standing in front of her, Layfon was also a Heaven's Blade Successor before he came to Zuellni.

  "This technique is the only reason Reverse became a Heaven's Blade Successor, and it's no surprise."

  "Is it really that powerful of a technique?"

  No doubt it was; deflecting Nina's technique so easily.

  But relying on just that technique to become a Heaven's Blade Successor seemed a little surprising.

  Layfon is very strong.

  He warded off two attacks on Zuellni from the Filth Monsters by himself.

  But during those battles, Nina was standing aside and watching.

  That stunning scene made you forget to breathe.

  And the second time, fighting that mature form Filth Monster, Layfon performed moves which were impossible for Nina.

  But most importantly of all, when he was facing such a huge existence, he didn't show any signs of fear.