Kanata Yadoya's Monologue
Originally, I had been a soccer player since elementary school. When I entered junior high school, I managed to get into one that had a soccer club, which is rare nowadays. In my third year of junior high school, I was a candidate for the National Athletic Meet, but one day I stopped playing for good.
The trigger was a meniscus injury. The doctor suggested regenerative surgery using iPS cell transplantation, but I turned it down because I had no intention of becoming a professional player when I failed to make it to the youth team.
However, there were times when I regretted my choice, and I went on to high school with a sense of emptiness in my heart. I thought that at least I could spend my time peacefully, and I became interested in astronomy which I had loved since I was a child alongside soccer. However, my high school life, far from being peaceful, became thrilling and so turbulent to the point that I feared for my life.
It all started when I met an "Ice Queen" in that classroom. Meeting her was the beginning of my crazy high school life.
. . . . .
. . .
.
Around Yokosuka Imperial Navy Facility
Time goes back to a short time ago. After finishing their diversion at the park, Yadoya, Koba, and Hagane were on their way home in a rented car. The driver's seat was occupied by the license holder, Yadoya, while Koba was in the passenger seat and Hagane was in the back seat. The age for obtaining a regular driver's license in this country has been lowered from 18 to 16 due to the advancement of fully automated driving technology.
They were now driving in the outer garden of the Yokosuka Imperial Navy Facility. This is the port from which the United States Forces Japan withdrew when the Japan-US Security Treaty ended in 2042, and which is now the home port of the flying battleship Fusō and the nuclear fusion-powered aircraft carrier Shōkaku. The site is rather small compared to the USFJ era, as most of the commercial facilities were closed down following the seizure by the Japanese government, and the location of the main gate has also changed.
Their car was approaching the main gate.
"...Huh?"
Yadoya in the driver's seat was the first to notice something unusual. He noticed a fight at the main gate.
"...Demi-humans!"
A clash between a group of demi-humans and Imperial Navy soldiers was taking place at the wrecked main gate. Security androids were in scrums, with naval patrols forming a position behind them with shields. The androids and the security system were working together to deploy a large shock-absorbing barrier to prevent attacks by the demi-humans, but the soldiers, which were unable to launch an aggressive attack due to the proximity of the city, were greatly outmatched.
"...Are they from the Demi-Human Liberation Front!?"
"...I don't know! But... if we can get even the slightest clue!"
Yadoya and Koba nodded to each other silently. Then Yadoya, switching to manual operation, drove toward the main gate, which has turned into a battlefield.
"Hagane-chan! Sorry, but you have to duck!"
"R-right!"
Yadoya told Hagane to take cover. Then Koba unbuckled his seatbelt, rolled down the window, leaned out of the car and brought up his arms, letting his right arm be covered with magic power.
"...HAAAAAAAAARGH!!"
It was filled with rage at having his friend taken away from him, and it had a power unmatched by anything he had ever done before. And as his anger guided him, Koba unleashed his enormous power against the attacking demi-humans.
"...Shirogane no Kamaitachi!!"
A gale like a typhoon, with a slash like a greatsword, swept toward the enemy. The demi-humans weren't prepared for a sudden attack from behind and fell prey to the Kamaitachi.
"W-what the!?"
"AAAAAAAAAH!!"
"KYAAAA!"
The surprise attack by Kamaitachi swept away all the demi-humans that had attacked the Imperial Navy. A furious cloud of dust rose over the main gate. Then, out of it appeared a winged woman who had escaped alone from Koba's attack.
"...What on Earth is going on!?"
The woman jumped out of the cloud of dust, and from the sky above, she demanded what the scene was like. Immediately after that, a golden tendril wrapped around her leg.
"...Huh? ...EEEEEK!"
The golden tendril mercilessly snatched the woman back to the ground and slammed her down. More tendrils that sprouted from the ground restrained the choking woman before she can even resist.
"...Dorado Juicio de Dio."
Hagane, who had gotten out of the car before he knew it, approached the woman. Yadoya hurriedly followed her.
"...I told you it was dangerous, Hinatsu-san!"
"Sorry, but... I don't want to have any more regrets," Hagane apologized.
She had risked so much to make sure not a single enemy escaped. Later, Koba joined them after a delay.
"What the heck happened?" One of the officers who had set up a barricade blurted.
The attackers' screams rose with the sound of a tremendous gust of wind, and the attack that had been so severely unleashed suddenly stopped. When the dust cloud cleared, three boys and a girl were seen, illuminated by the moonlight. Around them lay the injured attackers.
"...Who are they!?"
"!"
The soldiers were wary of the boys and a girl who have subdued the attackers with a single hit. Yadoya stood in front of them, grabbing the student notebook in his pocket with his right hand and raising both hands to reveal his identity.
"We are students of Yokohama Hisui Gakuen Academy! We have come to rescue our friend!"
".........?"
Yadoya then explained who they are, how they came here, and that the girl kidnapped by the Demi-Human Liberation Front was their friend. The soldiers scanned the student ID cards they carried and confirmed that they were who they said they were.
"Much appreciated. It's not safe here, so... you should go home now."
"...Yes, but first... there's something I need to ask them."
".........?"
The one who uttered that was Hagane, who was standing behind Yadoya. She approached the winged woman she had captured with her power. The woman's wings were integrated with her arms, an eagle beastwoman with no special abilities.
Hagane crouched down in front of the woman and asked calmly. "Is that man named Yumenaga who was mentioned on the news here?"
"........."
"Another question, then. Where is Teru Kadoma-san, the girl you took hostage?"
"........."
The woman looked away and did not seem to hear what Hagane said. Hagane's gentle smile changed to a deadpan, and she took out a plastic tea bottle from her bag and splashed the liquid inside it on the woman.
"...Aheck! What was that for!?"
The woman, whose entire body was covered in liquid, coughed and glared at Hagane. She silently touched the woman's right leg.
"I am a Midas who can turn anything I touch into gold. I can't change living creatures, but the sugar and flavoring immersed in your clothes are a different matter..."
"...!!?"
"Can you bear the pain of being transformed into a golden statue while alive? I must warn you, once you become gold, even I cannot undo it."
"...S-stop!"
Realizing what Hagane was about to do, the woman panicked. Everyone watched with bated breath as she summoned her power.
"Tell me where Teru-san is, if you want me to... Mano Derecha de Midas."
"!!?"
In an instant, the tights the woman was wearing turned into brilliant gold. The Imperial Navy soldiers, who had been watching, looked on in awe. The golden clothing, the remnants of the liquid, flowed, and the gold crept from the lower half of the woman's body upwards. It was as if the woman's body itself had turned to gold. And when the gold reached her face, the woman suddenly cried out.
"I-I'LL TALK! PLEASE!"
Unable to bear that her entire body was being transmuted, the eagle beastwoman confessed. She revealed that she was a member of the DLF, that their leader, Yumenaga, had come with Teru, and that their goal was the Fusō.
. . .
Fusō's Berth, Imperial Navy Facility
And now, Yadoya, Koba, and Hagane were confronting the executives of the Demi-Human Liberation Front who were trying to get into Fusō with Teru as a hostage. They had arrived here by getting into a light car, overcoming the soldiers' attempts to restrain them.
"Stay away from Fusō! We'll be taking our friend back as well!"
Koba was the first to speak. Behind him were Yadoya and Hagane who had gotten out of the car. And late behind them arrived the soldiers on duty in armored vehicles.
"...Hey, you!! That's enoug—huh!?"
One of the soldiers disembarked at a quick pace and grumbled to the students who had trespassed the military facility without hesitation. But more than that, the sight before them was so shocking that they were speechless. Terrorists were about to board the unguarded Fusō.
"...Deploy the security androids! Eliminate the terrorist Demi-Human Liberation league!"
"Understood!"
The security androids lined up side by side in front of the soldiers and Yadoya's party, deploying their built-in shields and electromagnetic barriers. The soldiers crouched between the androids and aimed their rifles at them. Immediately after that, the AI on the rifle activated.
"Target acquired... automatic targeting system activated, eliminate the target immediately."
The AI on the rifle automatically locked on the target and set its sights on it. The terrorists, however, held a knife to the unconscious Teru's neck.
"Stop, you soldiers! Don't you see we have a hostage!"
"...!? Abort! Abort!!"
Using Teru, who was being carried by a bird man, as a deterrent, Yumenaga threatened the soldiers. The commander quickly withdrew the order to attack.
"Being military personnel must be very inconvenient, huh!? You can't do shit just because one citizen is being used as a shield!"
"...Grrrrr!"
The Imperial Armed Forces must not harm a civilian by any chance. Confronted with their one and only weakness, the soldiers were unable to pull the trigger. But after that, armed soldiers descended from the ramp leading to Fusō. They stood in front of Yumenaga's group, aiming their guns at the soldiers on base duty, who were supposed to be their comrades.
"...You!? What are you doing!?" the commander demanded the soldiers confronting them over the loudspeaker. One of the rebel-turned-soldiers opened his mouth with vacant eyes.
"We... we're about to be shown a happy dream...!"
"WOOOOOOH!!"
With these words as a cue, the rebels charged toward them, roaring. The soldiers aimed their rifles in reflex, but the triggers were locked, preventing them from pulling the trigger.
"Friendly troops in the line of fire detected. Friendly fire prevention system activated. Locking the trigger."
"......FUCK!"
The anti-friendly fire mechanism had been activated, locking the rifles. Seizing the opportunity, two demi-humans jumped out from behind the approaching rebels.
"I am the lightning-controlling Sugaar!"
"I am the fire-controlling Enma! Take this, foolish humans!"
The two men attempted to attack with electric blasts and fire, respectively. Koba, who was preparing to attack, also unleashed his technique as soon as he could.
"...Shirogane no Kamaitachi!"
"GAH!"
"URGH!"
The full force of the Kamaitachi struck toward the enemy. However, the thunderbolt and flames that surpassed it drowned out the blast. The powerful attack blasted away the security androids and the incapacitated soldiers. Then, with a thundering explosion, a could of dust rose up.
"I'm sorry to say that the interior of Fusō is already under our control. This is the power of the Dreamer race...!"
Yumenaga, who had received the personnel list of the Fusō executives from the bribed defense bureaucrats, had been working steadily to ensnare some of the Fusō's crew with his power, and had even brought their souls under his control. It was truly a plan that came to fruition after a long and steady preparation period. The Imperial Navy soldiers, neutralized by the presence of a hostage and the treachery of their comrades, were helplessly subdued.
".........?"
However, out of the dust cloud, where no one should have been able to stand, a mysterious golden dome appeared. It melted away like chocolate, revealing the three young teenagers inside.
"...Dorado Escudo."
Yadoya and Kobane were protected from the thunderbolt and firestorm by Hagane's act.
"...Thanks, Hinatsu-chan!"
"Haah...! W-we're saved!"
The two of them calmed their racing hearts and thanked Hagane for her help.
"No... not yet."
Hagane, who protected them, released the golden defensive wall and stared at the enemy in front of her. Witnessing her ability to manipulate gold, Yumenaga and the others cannot hide their surprise.
"...Hey, Amamiya. What is that power?"
"...I don't know, a demi-human that can manipulate gold."
Even Amamiya, the brains of the DLF and a Hex, was unaware of Hagane's existence. It is no wonder. She is a demi-human that has only recently been identified and whose existence has been concealed by the government. In response to the shocked DLF leaders and the rebels, Hagane made a new move.
"...Gold transcends all! Mano Derecha de Midas!"
Hagane touched the ground, instantly turning the concrete of the harbor into shining gold. And the fluidized gold swallowed the rebels' feet, depriving them of their freedom.
"W-what is this...!?"
They were shocked. The follow-up came soon after.
"Dorado Juicio de Dio."
Golden tendrils sprouted from the ground and hit the soldiers in the face. They fainted at the impact.
"...Did she just annihilate the Imperial Navy's soldiers!?"
One of the DLF's executives, a Hex woman, was so shocked that her face turned pale. The strong Navy soldiers had been manhandled in the blink of an eye by just one girl.
"...If she is a threat to us, we'll just eliminate her even if she is our fellow demi-human!"
The previously-incapacitated Sugaar man rushed toward Hagane. His hands were clad in lightning and swung them toward her.
"Roar! Raimei!!"
But almost at the same time, several golden pillars emerged from the golden ground.
"Dorado Pararaios!" (Golden Lightning Rod)
"!!?"
The conducting golden pillars became natural lightning rods, guiding the blasts and letting them escape into the sea. The Sugaar, whose thunderbolt was disabled, was shocked.
"...Now! Chokusen no Kamaitachi!"
Koba took advantage of this opportunity and attacked through the gap between the lightning rods. He fired three small Kamaitachis from the middle and index fingers of his right hand, which he held up like a gun. They pierced the man's body like bullets.
"...Yoshikiyo, no!"
The Sugaar called Yoshikiyo was thrown away and knocked unconscious. The Enma man was left open because of his comrade's defeat. Hagane then attacked both of them with the golden tendrils she had been secretly conjuring around their feet.
"...!?"
The golden tendrils wrapped around the limbs and bodies of the two men, binding them in the blink of an eye.
"Shit!"
The Enma tried to burn off the golden restraints with red flames from his body, but the gold only heated up and did not melt.
"Even though the melting point of gold is lower than that of iron, it is still over a thousand degrees Celcius... it won't melt unless you use the flame of a gas burner. You are not powerful enough."
The temperature of the flame the man could release was limited to 900° Celcius, and Hagane had foreseen this from the color of the flames he was emitting. The golden restraints were not strong enough to be destroyed by his power.
"They're the ones specialized in offensive power, how...!"
"...S-she's strong!"
The DLF executives were shocked by Hagane and Koba's powers. In particular, Hagane of the Midas race, for which no prior data existed, drew their interest greatly.
"...Hah, hah!! ...Uuhh!"
"Are you okay, Hinatsu-san!?"
Hagane was breathing hard and covered her mouth to suppress her nausea. Yadoya quickly took her to a place where she could not be seen. He supported her body, but Hagane could barely stand up.
"...So, tired already?"
The Hex woman sensed Hagane's limits. Although she overwhelmed two DLF cadres, there are still other powerful demi-humans waiting in the lineup besides the Sugaar and Enma whom she had restrained. The difference in strength between the two was overwhelming, and it was obvious that she will run out of steam eventually. The leader, Takuya Yumenaga, who learned of their limitations, used the overwhelming difference in strength as a backdrop to sway Hagane and Koba.
"...I have seen your powers. It's been honed. So? You and the Kamaitachi boy... why don't you join us? When the world is painted in our image, we can wield our powers as we wish! You can freely use your power to annihilate those foolish human weaklings without care for their idiotic laws! ...Isn't that exhilarating?"
Yumenaga was smitten with Hagane and Koba's power and tried to recruit them into his group. Deep down inside, he sensed that they were harboring the same resentment as he was, and tried to sway their instincts. But they both had an answer.
"Alas, I do like my present inconvenient life, so no."
"...Hehehehe!"
Hagane flippantly brushed off his offer. Hearing this, Koba couldn't help but laugh.
"........."
Yumenaga did not lose his expression, but the fact that he was mocked by a middle-schooler little girl struck his nerve so much that veins appeared at his temples.
"...Hmph, whatever, then. This country will meet its end sooner or later. And by that time, you can come on your knees begging us to join our cause..."
Yumenaga once again ascended the ramp leading to the Fusō. On the first bridge, the ship's chief of staff, Commander Dairen Kureshika, and his men looked down at the guests coming aboard. They were those who have been captivated by his power through secret meetings with Yumenaga. Teru, who had been knocked unconscious by a chemical agent, was also carried into the ship. Yadoya rushed out and extended his hand in a panic toward her as she disappeared into the Fusō with the terrorists.
"...WAIT! RETURN KADOMA-SAN!!"
The entrance to Fusō was closed in spite of Yadoya's cries. Immediately after that, a powerful engine drive sound echoed, and the huge ship, over 500 meters long, began to move.
"This is dangerous! Yadoya, Hinatsu-chan! Let's run away!"
Koba pulled the hand of Yadoya, who was standing there stunned, and hurriedly ran from the coast toward the interior, carrying a dizzy Hagane by his side. Then the engines at the roar of the behemoth ignited and a tremendous blast hit the coast. The ramp extending to the ship was destroyed, and the ship, which was forbidden to ever move again, slowly moved away from the military port.
".........!!"
Yadoya, Kobane, and Hagane managed to retreat to a place where they could escape the blast. They were just staring in horror at the Fusō's first bridge, which was moving slightly away from them. The soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Navy who rushed to the scene later were also speechless at the sight.
. . .
Flying Battleship Fusō First Bridge
Almost all of the sailors on duty aboard the Fusō were seduced by Yumenaga's power. Other soldiers who had no ties to the DLF were detained and imprisoned by the traitors. They were commanded by the ship's officer, Commander Kureshika. Normally, he would not be here at this time, but he was hiding inside the Fusō as the alliance's plan went into effect.
From the elevator doors leading to the bridge, the executives of the DLF appeared. Yumenaga, in the lead, glanced around the bridge and gave an order to Commander Kureshika.
"If you want your happy dream to come true. Fly the ship..."
"...Yes, sir! All hands, prepare to flight operation!"
"Preparing for flight operation! Activating graviton inhibitors!"
Commander Kureshika ordered his men to take off from the water. With the activation of the graviton inhibitors, the gravity around the ship faded. The jet thrusts created a large splash on the sea surface, and the Fusō gradually moved away from the sea.