Mahora. That was the name of the place where my accident had deposited me. Given the name, there was little doubt I was in Japan, but "Mahora" didn't exist in any version of the country I knew. And for a place called an "Academy City," it had to be fairly famous.
When I heard "Academy City," my mind immediately jumped to the world of A Certain Magical Index. However, since it was already night, I could only see my immediate surroundings. There were no cleaning robots patrolling the streets, just a typical, peaceful... wait. No, something was off. Looking at the architecture within my line of sight, the scenery felt less like Japan and more like a slice of Europe had been grafted onto the landscape.
As I surveyed the area, a biting gust of wind swept through, chilling my small body to the bone.
"A-choo!"
"Oh dear, you really are cold," the redhead said, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and confusion. "I mean... why is this child wearing such incredibly baggy clothes?"
She looked at me as if I were some strange specimen. I glanced down at myself; while my body had regressed to that of a child, I was still wearing my adult clothes. I looked like a kid playing dress-up in his father's closet—the proportions were utterly ridiculous.
Ignoring the girl's bewildered stare, I spoke up. "Um... this is Japan, right?"
"Yes, of course it is!" the blonde girl replied, her energy still pegged at a frantic high. She seemed eccentric, but fundamentally kind. Alright, so Japan was confirmed. Now for the rest...
"What's the date today? Year and everything?"
"It is January 5th, 2003," she answered brightly.
2003... A year that felt uncomfortably close to a "normal" reality. It certainly wasn't the C.E. era, the Imperial Calendar, or the New United Christian Era.
"Look at you," the redhead said, wrapping her coat around me to shield me from the wind. "If you stay out here dressed like that, you'll catch your death of cold."
"Hey! Chizuru-san! That's... that's not fair! I should be the one taking care of him!" the blonde protested.
"If I leave him to you, Ayaka, you'll literally eat him alive, won't you?"
"I—I—I—I would never! How dare you!" The blonde girl's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson as she sputtered.
She's a beauty, I thought, but what a waste of a personality.
"Now then, little one," the redhead—Chizuru—asked softly. "Could you tell us your name?"
I hesitated. A fake name? Or the truth? Since I was in a world I didn't recognize, lying might only complicate things later. Besides, what were the odds of "Axel Almar" being on a wanted poster here?
"Axel. Axel Almar."
"He really is a foreigner, then," Chizuru said, patting my head. "I'm Chizuru Naba. The hyperactive blonde over there is Ayaka Yukihiro. Nice to meet you."
So, Chizuru Naba and Ayaka Yukihiro.
"Now, Axel-kun, do you know where your home is? Do you have an ID card or a lost-child tag?"
Chizuru tilted her head inquisitively. Obviously, I had nothing of the sort. And frankly, I wanted to avoid the police at all costs. Just like in the worlds of Geass or SEED, I had no official record here. I didn't even have a birth certificate.
I wondered again what kind of world this was. SRW, Code Geass, Gundam SEED... my experience suggested I was usually dropped into worlds with giant robots. Was there a mecha lurking somewhere in this "Academy City"?
"I don't have anything like that," I said simply.
"Oh dear, that's a problem. Ayaka? ...Ayaka?"
Chizuru called out to her friend, but Ayaka was staring off into space, muttering to herself with a glazed look in her eyes. I began to seriously doubt this girl's sanity.
"...Axel-kun. What a noble name. Which means, eventually, I would become Ayaka Almar? No, perhaps we should have him join the Yukihiro family as an heir... Axel Yukihiro. Yes, that's perfect. He's so intelligent, so dignified... I shall take full responsibility for raising him. Ah, Father, Mother... you may call me Ayaka. No, no, please—as his wife, I am only doing what is natural..."
"..."
From the snippets of her "prayer," it was clear: this girl was a total shotacon. And "dignified"? Me? In my mind, "intelligent" described Lemon, and "dignified" described Cornelia. I was just a soldier out of time.
"My, my. Ayaka is at it again," Chizuru said with a small, knowing smile.
Are you really just going to let that slide? I wondered. After a few minutes of delusional bliss, Ayaka seemed to satisfy herself and returned to reality.
"Axel-kun! For the ceremony, do you prefer a traditional Japanese style or a Western wedding?"
...I took it back. She wasn't back yet.
"Listen, Ayaka. It's past 9:00 PM. We need to decide what to do with him."
"You're right... Should we take him back to Natsumi-san's place? It's a drama club training camp, so one more person wouldn't—no! That's impossible! I trust Natsumi-san, but if an... 'accident' were to happen, I would never forgive myself!"
Based on that comment, I gathered that this "Natsumi" person shared Ayaka's questionable tastes in younger boys.
"Why don't we just take him back to the dorm?" Chizuru suggested. "We can look for his parents tomorrow. I hate to think of them worrying, but we don't have many options tonight."
"The dorm?" I asked.
I hadn't had time to process it until now, but who were these two? They mentioned a drama club camp, so they had to be high schoolers...
My back pressed against the soft, substantial curve of Chizuru's chest as she held me, and I quickly revised my estimate.
University students?
"Yes," Chizuru said. "The Mahora Women's Dormitory. You can stay in our room tonight. You'll be okay without your mommy and daddy for one night, right?"
I nodded silently. "But what about school?"
"It's not an issue," Ayaka chirped. "Fortunately, we still have a few days of winter break left."
Winter break. A nostalgic concept for someone who had spent his life in cockpits and briefing rooms.
"But isn't university winter break usually shorter than that?" I muttered.
The second the words left my mouth, the arms around me tightened with terrifying force.
"Oh? My, my... what did you just say?" Chizuru asked, her voice dropping into a dangerously sweet register. "I could have sworn I heard you say 'university,' even though Ayaka and I are clearly young, blossoming middle school students. Axel-kun, would you mind saying that again?"
...I didn't fully understand the situation, but I understood two things: these girls were middle schoolers, and questioning Chizuru's age was a suicidal move.
"Eh? I—I said you look like middle schoolers, of course!"
"Ufufu. I thought so. My ears must be playing tricks on me."
The crushing pressure vanished. Fortunately, even in this child form, my superhuman durability remained intact, so I hadn't been in any real danger of having my ribs snapped.
"Honestly, Chizuru-san! You're hogging him! It would be cruel to make you do all the work, so let me take over!"
"It's fine, Ayaka. He's a good boy. Besides, you know I deal with rowdy brats every day back home. This is nothing."
As they bickered, I turned my thoughts inward.
Right before the teleportation, I had heard that slogan: "For a Blue and Pure World." Blue Cosmos. They had likely infiltrated the tour group. But how? Then it hit me: the Seirans. Uzumi had warned me through Cagalli that they were up to something. I'd assumed they would strike at the treaty signing, and when nothing happened, I figured Uzumi had neutralized them. I'd been overconfident.
I had underestimated Unato Seiran.
"I guess I let my guard down," I muttered.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Ayaka asked, looking down at me. Chizuru peered over my shoulder as well.
"No, nothing. Just remembering something. You said we're going to the dorm? Let's go, then."
Speaking like a child made my skin crawl, but I had to get used to it. At least until I found a way to reverse this.
"You're right. Axel-kun must be hungry. Or maybe just sleepy, given the hour?" Chizuru let go of me but took my left hand in hers.
"It is quite late for a child to be awake," Ayaka added, taking my right hand. "I shall let you sleep beside me tonight, so let us hurry!"
The three of us began to walk, hand-in-hand, toward the dorms. I watched the scenery as we moved; it really did look like a European town. They called it an Academy City—was it a collection of mission schools?
Just as I was thinking that, I felt it.
A spike of Psychodriver intuition? Yes, but it was different. It was an anomaly in the air itself, as if something was polluting the atmosphere. I felt a crude, amateurish malice—a primitive bloodlust. It was a sensation unlike any I had felt before.
If I had to describe it, it felt like the raw energy used when triggering a Spirit Command.
"Is something the matter?" Ayaka asked, noticing my sudden tension.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
The alarm bells were screaming in my head. I tried to shift into a combat stance, but remembered I was holding hands with two girls. I looked toward a line of trees by the road and mentally brought up the list of my Spatial Warehouse. I couldn't use a gun in a residential area like this. A knife?
"Look out!"
I didn't miss the flicker of movement. From behind a vending machine further down the path, a flash of light erupted. Something whistled through the air—an arrow, straight and true. And its target wasn't me. It was Ayaka!
"Slime!"
My quick thinking saved us. I summoned the Slime from the warehouse instantly. My Ace Bonus triggered its automated defense, expanding into a translucent dome that enveloped the three of us.
The arrow struck the Slime's surface. It lacked any real penetrating power and was neutralized instantly, falling harmlessly to the pavement.
"Hoh? Impressive. Is that... summoning magic?"
"It's that brat," another voice snarled. "He knew we were here."
The Slime dome dissolved. Standing before us were two men clad in heavy, dark robes—the kind of attire preferred by mages in a fantasy RPG. They held wooden staves and watched us with cold, predatory eyes.
Status Update: Axel Almar (Child Form)
Level: 38 (PP: 615)
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost
Abilities: Psychodriver Lvl 10, Attacker, Morale Limit Break, Geass (Inactive)
Total Kills: 374
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