After coming to his senses, Shido followed Reine’s guidance to the command room and heard many things from Kotori.
Starting with the true nature of the [Spirit]s, and the fact that they were the cause of [Spacequake]s. She even told him that a unit called AST fought against those [Spirit]s.
Learning the truths hidden behind this world left him dizzy.
But Kotori had no intention of helping Shido sort out his confusion. In the first place, there was no way to resolve it.
So all she did was introduce the person who would be guarding Shido from now on.
“Stop spacing out and come with me, Shido. There’s someone you’ll be spending a lot of time with from now on.”
“Spending time with...?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. He’s the one assigned to guard you.”
Kotori stood up and headed somewhere. Shido followed behind her.
The place she was heading to was the staff lounge—though now it had been occupied by one particular person—and the closer they got, the louder the sound of something burning became.
“Haa...”
A low sigh slipped out. Kotori’s eyes already held the look of someone who had given up.
Could something have gone wrong?
Just as Shido was about to ask in concern, Kotori frowned and quickened her pace toward the lounge.
Startled by the sudden speed, Shido still managed to keep up and soon reached the door.
Tadak, tadak
Now the sound was clearly audible.
There was even a strange warmth coming from beyond the door, making it seem as if a fire had broken out.
But Kotori’s expression was not one of surprise, only irritation. Shido realized that the situation inside was not an unexpected fire, but something Kotori already knew exactly about.
Then what on earth was happening in there that made that burning sound, along with this warmth?
Shido’s question was answered the moment the door opened.
Wiiing
When Kotori placed her palm against it, the door slid open, revealing a blazing flame—and in front of it, a knight sitting blankly and staring at the fire. The knight wore armor scorched by flames and warped by heat, and gave off an indescribable presence.
“...Hyun.”
“You’ve arrived.”
At the call of his name, the knight turned his head and faced Kotori with shameless composure.
Vein-pulse
At that brazen sight, a vein bulged on Kotori’s forehead.
“Hyun, you really!!!”
In the end, Kotori could not hold it in another second and exploded, lunging at him.
“I told you not to install a bonfire in the lounge!”
“Hmm. My apologies.”
“Apologies?! Apologies?! If you’re sorry, then stop already! Honestly, did you even learn our language properly? You’re not senile, so why are you like this!”
“As I said before, my rest is to gaze upon a bonfire. Since the lounge is a place for staff to rest, I had no choice but to install one for my own rest.”
“Ah...! Aaaagh...”
She had told him they would find him a house later, so he must not install a bonfire inside Fraxinus where it would be dangerous. Yet before she knew it, he had installed one anyway and now stood there with shameless calm, and Kotori’s blood pressure shot up.
For the first time, Kotori understood why important people grabbed the back of their necks when they got irritated.
Shido watched the two of them, not knowing what to do.
Hyun’s gaze shifted to Shido.
“So, is the boy behind you the one in question?”
“...Hah. Yes. As you know, his name is Itsuka Shido. Now, greet each other. This is Hyun.”
Trying hard to suppress her anger, Kotori introduced Hyun to Shido.
Hyun gave a slow nod, and Shido bowed awkwardly.
Hyun’s atmosphere was somewhat difficult to approach, so Shido cautiously asked Kotori, “Ko, Kotori. Just who is he...?”
Could he be a male [Spirit]? Sensing Shido’s worry, Kotori shook her head.
“At the very least, he’s not a [Spirit]. He’s not a normal human either.”
“Then, what in the world...?”
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“We don’t know exactly where Hyun came from, or what kind of abilities he has.”
Not even Kannazuki, not even Kotori, and not even Reine, the interpreter. No one aboard Fraxinus knew exactly what kind of being Hyun was.
A being who had suddenly appeared and possessed combat power similar to that of a [Spirit]. A strange being whose lack of common sense drew out Reine’s and Kotori’s anger.
That was how the crew saw Hyun.
Hearing that they did not know Hyun’s true identity made Shido uneasy. At the very least, shouldn’t they know who he was before entrusting him with their backs?
But Kotori had not assigned him to guard Shido for no reason.
“Hyun has combat power on par with a [Spirit]—maybe even exactly the same level.”
“Yeah, he does seem like it...”
Shido nodded without meaning to.
The atmosphere around Hyun was similar to the one around the girl he had seen today. Perhaps even more severe.
“N-nice to meet you.”
“Yes.”
Unlike when he had been explaining why he installed the bonfire, Hyun answered briefly.
Shido wondered if he was deliberately rejecting him, but Kotori spoke up beside him as if to say that was not the case.
“He just likes answering simply. He’s a strange guy whose tongue only gets long when he’s making excuses.”
“I deny the commander’s statement.”
“See?”
“Ahaha...”
Shido gave an awkward laugh.
His future did not look peaceful at all.
“Well, anyway. Hyun will be in charge of guarding you from now on, Shido. Take some time to get to know each other.”
Saying that, Kotori irresponsibly left Shido alone with Hyun and walked off.
“Ko, Kotori?!”
Shido was horrified and tried to chase after her as she left the lounge, but Hyun’s glare from behind made it impossible.
And so, an awkward silence settled between the two men left in the lounge.
“Itsuka Shido, was it.”
It was Hyun who broke the silence.
“Ah, yes. Please just call me Itsuka.”
“Very well. Itsuka. From now on, you’ll have to deal with countless women. How does that feel?”
“......Ah.”
Shido thought he was beginning to understand Hyun’s personality.
This man had a problem with the questions he asked, completely unlike the atmosphere he gave off. There was no malice in his words, and that made it even harder to respond.
It was the evil born from pure curiosity and honesty.
“...Hmm. In the outside world, they seem to call that kind of situation a harem. How does it feel to be the protagonist of a harem?”
“......Ah.”
Shido felt dizzy.
Thinking about the life ahead of him made the world go dark before his eyes.
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