They must have realised that if blocking the attack is impossible, then you can just do it with a different method.”
“U-Umm there is something I feel suspicious about….. Can I give my opinion?”
Irina asks. “Yes, please.”
Irina starts saying her opinion with Buchou’s request. “I think the actions of the Hero-faction are ‘weird’ if they came to research about us or to defeat us.”
“Weird?”
Xenovia asks and Irina nods. “Because if they really are planning to defeat us, then I think they would have made battle tactics after 2 or 3 battles. Then they would attack us seriously in the fourth battle, right? But even in the 4th or 5th time they attacked us, nothing changed. I did think they are just being very cautious but…… How should I put it….. It seems like their bosses are doing some kind of experiment.”
“Experiments? Do you mean about us?”
Irina tilts her head at Akeno-san’s question. “More like….. It feels like they are experimenting on the Sacred Gear possessors….. It’s just my gut feeling so I can’t express it properly…… They are sending their forces apart from this town which belongs to the other factions, so maybe they are just sending their forces to the places where the ones with strong abilities are at.”
Everyone became quiet at Irina’s opinion. Even I started to think hard about Irina’s opinion. I see. So you can see it from that way, huh. I thought they were just sending their forces to each force because they have them down as their targets. ……So there must be a reason why they make the Sacred Gear possessors clash with us. “……A sudden change.”
Everyone put on a serious face when Koneko-chan said that. Wait, that is…! “……W-Wait….. Don’t tell me….. Then the reason why Hero-faction send those guys to us is so they can reach Balance-Breaker?”
“But Ise-kun. That response that shadow-user showed before disappearing into the magic-circle….. Don’t you think it resembles it?”
I couldn’t disagree with Kiba’s opinion. That weird atmosphere that shadow-user had. It certainly seemed like he was trying to obtain something different. –So you are telling me it was Balance-Breaker. “But can they reach Balance-Breaker just by fighting us?”
Buchou says it while sharpening her eyes. “…..Sekiryuutei, the one who controls holy-lightning, Holy-demonic sword, Holy-sword Durandal and Ascalon, the time stopping vampire, Nekomata senjutsu-user, and also an exceptional healer….. Ise, from the enemies' viewpoints, I think they see us as irregulars and as very powerful opponents. More than winning or not, to humans fighting us is something not normal.”
So we are basically ‘rare-monsters’ with high EXP to them, huh! Ah, but she’s right. I had a start for my power-up by training with Old-man Tannin, and I reached this high by fighting the legendary youkai Sun Wukong and a Nekomata who uses senjutsu. Though I needed Buchou’s oppai in the end…. The last stage of reaching Balance-Breaker is different for each person. “But you can say that their methods are too forced and messy.”
Irina continues after Kiba. “It feels like even if dozens or hundreds of their allies are killed, it would be okay as long as one of them reaches Balance-Breaker. We have so many opinions about them now, so I think they know that we are getting a grasp of their true aim.”
We couldn’t conclude our opinions, so it’s decided that we will leave for now. We activated the magic-circle and then returned to the base. When we took a breath after returning to the club room, Akeno-san started humming and singing while we were preparing to go home. She looks really happy. “Ara, Akeno. You seem to be in a good mood. Did you find something which will satisfy your S-personality?”
Akeno-san then answers Buchou’s question with a big smile. “No, that's not it. Ufufu. It’s tomorrow. I can’t help myself from smiling. The date. Tomorrow Ise-kun is my boyfriend.”
Yes, tomorrow is the day off and is the day for our date. The atmosphere changed immediately, and it was scary that all of the girls were directing their killing intent at me……. We returned home after the battle. “……How is it?”
Koneko-chan in cat-ear mode who came into my room and was getting embraced by my arms asked me. “Yeah. It feels good.”
Koneko-chan was using her whole body and……was using her senjutsu on me. Lately I get my fatigue taken away by Koneko-chan who uses her senjutsu on me. I get my external wounds healed by Asia, but I can’t get my stamina healed with it. Koneko-chan controls the flow of the ‘ki’ to replenish my stamina so I don’t have any fatigue the next day. Apparently by controlling the flow of the ‘ki’ properly, the natural healing ability increases and the circulation of blood and things which are good for the body happen. Koneko-chan is trying hard to improve that. Right now I’m having Koneko-chan use the ‘ki’ on me and it feels warm and good……. I’m sure Koneko-chan is wearing a thin white cloth. Apparently it was given to her by Akeno-san because it purifies one's body and will be easier to use ‘ki’……. But this white cloth is so thin so I can feel the body of the woman directly. Koneko-chan is small but she has a soft body so I again realise that she is a girl……. No, no! I shouldn’t think like that about my junior! From her soft body, a warm feeling gets sent to my body and spreads to my whole body. It feels as if I am taking a bath at the ideal temperature and it feels so good. At the same time even the inside of my body is getting warm. “………At the same time I’m removing the fatigue you have, the life energy which was consumed by [Juggernaut Drive] can be healed bit by bit if I use the healing-type senjutsu on you.”
Koneko-chan says that to me while smiling. Maybe the reason why her face is a bit red is because she is being embraced by me who is a man. Like Koneko-chan explained the feeling, it feels warm inside because the life energy which was taken away is being healed bit by bit. “Yeah, it seems like my life has been taken away quite a lot by the thing called [Juggernaut Drive]. I heard that I would be in danger at this rate.”
[At this rate you won’t live longer than 100 years.] After the sports festival I was told that by Sensei. When I was unconscious, Sensei talked to Ddraig regarding my body. Even if it was incomplete, due to the effect of [Juggernaut Drive] my lifespan was shortened drastically and I was finally told that I won’t live more than 100 years. In the battle from earlier, my life as a devil was shortened very much. A hundred years would be plenty for humans but it is very short for devils. Buchou heard that and……she was crying afterwards. I couldn’t let Asia hear it. If she finds that out after we promised to stay together forever, I could see her falling into despair. I was told that I would die if I go into that form, whether incomplete or perfect. After I was told that, my face remained pale for a while. I was shocked.