My name is Rikka Flowers.
I'm a nineteen-year-old woman, having moved out of my parents' home when I turned freshly eighteen.
I wasn't the strongest there was, nor was I weak; I was...average, especially for my field of work.
Rikka Flowers was sitting in her dorm, writing in her book about different strategies.
I would say I am quite beautiful. People often praise my pale, shoulder-length hair, my red eyes that resemble red wine, my smooth, light skin, or my breasts, which are much larger than average, measuring about 98 cm, as well as my thighs and curves.
None of that really mattered to me after all, what mattered was that I needed to do what I needed to not be weak.
I should head out. I could get stronger somehow, at least in terms of strategic combat, since I'm only a Supporter, not a Striker.
Getting up, Rikka put on her uniform, coming together as an official mage.
It consisted of her blue jacket that had been decorated with white lines on the sleeves, the Mage Force symbol placed on the right shoulder sleeve, and a white shirt underneath that. A black long skirt was held on with black leggings and black shoes.
It was a simple and decent attire for those in the force.
Stepping out of the dorm, it was very quiet, which wasn't unusual, at least for this base, since everyone either didn't leave their dorm or was already out, except for one.
Rikka hesitated for a moment before deciding to step out, but as she went through the door frame, she was surprised to find a strange, small boy sitting outside, sleeping.
He was quite small, about 141 cm tall, making her wonder why he was sitting outside the door in the first place, sleeping. His hair was a cream white color, quite off, especially for this area, since, unless it's hair dye, she doesn't think people are born with white hair naturally, unless she was wrong. His skin was also quite pale, appearing malnourished and unhealthy with a slim build.
Even his clothes were a little dirty and too big for his size, wearing an oversized white sweater and oversized black pants.
"Um, excuse me, are you okay?"
Rikka crouched over, tapping him on his shoulder.
"H-Huh? Who are you?"
The boy looked towards Rikka, revealing his blue, orange, and red layered eyes that were quite beautiful, yet alien. It caught Rikka off guard, having never seen something like this before, and she had met a lot of people.
"I am Rikka Flowers, Regular Mage of the Mage Force, designated in the Subaru Branch."
"...I don't know what that is."
...he doesn't know? Could he be from a secluded area?
Rikka found this boy strange. A sudden small boy appears at the front door, sleeping with no idea what the Mage Force is. This kind of situation was not something she would have ever expected, especially with how well-known they are. If anything, it made her suspicious of him.
"Um, alright. Well, can you tell me where your parents live so I can bring you back home?"
"...wait, you think I'm a little kid, don't you?"
"Are you not?"
"No. I'm eighteen years old. I'm an adult."
"Oh."
"Yeah, my height does not complement my age."
"Well, is there a reason you are here?"
"Yeah, I heard someone here is really good at cooking. I'm hungry, but I don't think my money is useful."
Does he mean he's broke? Well, we are to assist in even the minor things as per the policy.
Offering a small, reassuring smile, Rikka said, "I don't have any real cooking talent as of now, but I can buy some dinner if you want."
"No, no, I couldn't ask you to pay out of your own Ne-wallet."
Rikka immediately caught that, but didn't question him on what he originally intended to say.
"The Mage Force has a company card. Come on, let's go."
The man got up, stretching for a bit before following Rikka down the road.
It was a bustling place, with people weaving in and out of shops to satisfy their needs and desires, street vendors serving food to eager customers—a scene brimming with smiles and joy.
"Is there something you want specifically?"
"Uh, I don't really know anything here. Introduce me to something."
Maybe he really does come from a secluded place.
Rikka decided to bring him to a hotdog stand, using her card to buy a hotdog for him.
"Do you want mustard or ketchup with it?"
"...what is that?"
"It's a sauce people put on their hotdogs for flavor."
"Oh, both then."
Rikka took the hot dog, gave it to the short man, and paid for the meal. They then took a seat at a bench far away from the loud streets in a park.
Rikka and the short man watched the ducks fight each other in the large, clear pond in front of them. It was a very peaceful scene that felt undisturbed as nature did its work, creating nature art for their eyes.
"By the way, I never asked for your name. Could you tell me what it is?"
"Oh, the name's Ark, nice to meet you."
That's a strange name. I never heard of an American name sounding like that. Maybe it comes from another country.
"So, where do you come from?" Rikka asked.
"...well, I'm not sure myself. It was a very small village."
"I see."
Awkward silence came, leaving them with nothing to say. Rikka tried thinking of something to talk about, but she knew Ark was already isolated from knowledge, so talking to him about anything would most definitely be pointless. Ark wasn't bothered by such silence, eating his hot dog with glee and astonishment.
"So, what exactly is the Mage Force? I hear people talk about it all the time, but I don't really know what it is."
"The Mage Force is a defensive force that was created after the invaders began att—"
Before Rikka could finish speaking, the ground began to shake as if signaling an earthquake. The sky began to warp, and a small circle that looked like a peek into outer space continuously enlarged, fluctuating repeatedly.
Oh, that's a rift. Ark thought to himself.
"Invaders!"
Rikka revealed her blue wristband, tapping on it, which allowed the circuits underneath to be revealed for a moment before her entire body, from neck to toes, was enveloped in a glowing light.
"Damn, why is that so bright?" Ark covered his eyes, feeling like he was about to go blind if he stared for too long.
From the light, Rikka's new attire revealed itself. A beautiful and smooth white dress with a circuit design in black, with a black dress layered under, the breast area unbuttoned to reveal the black dress with long white sleeves, black leggings, and white and black shoes.
"Type.Form."
<
A pink outline of a large ax appeared before a large, heavy ax manifested in her hand, one made of pure steel, accented with red.
Oh! So they're just like us.
Emerging from the dimensional rift, a large four-legged white creature that had hexagons designed around its body, appearing very similar to an axolotl, landed in the large lake, splashing water over the shore.
"That's good. I heard these ones aren't too strong."
<
A pink hexagon with symbols inside it appeared under her feet, and she used it to leap high into the air.
Ark looked up to the air, wondering what she could potentially do to this thing. He decided to observe this fight with a smile on his face.
"Rah!" Swinging her axe down with powerful force, the blade dug into its head and leaked green blood.
"It's durable."
<
The same hexagon appeared under her feet in midair, and she used it to leap far away, then used [Type.Leap] to go higher in the air for more altitude, finally, using [Type.Leap] twice, double-layering it to increase the power of the push.
The creature wouldn't let her get a free shot of it again, opening its mouth to reveal a metal interior despite its biological outer.
Oh sheeeeet.
Ark knew what was coming, wondering how Rikka Flowers would handle this attack. It had him quite excited, having never watched someone fight, only fighting himself.
Wish I had some popcorn for this. If only this money were useful.
He took out money from his pocket, holding a fat stack of five hundred dollars.
The creature's mouth began to illuminate a bright red color, one that illuminated the area to become a red shade.
What!? Since when could they do that!?
The ground shook even more, cracks rupturing across the ground, gravity becoming distorted, causing pebbles and dust to rise to get heavier, and finally, a wide-sprayed beam of red energy.
<
Her body was covered in a pink solid barrier before the beam reached her.
Hold, hold! CRACK Ah!
Her barrier had broken, and she was scorched with the beam, her skin getting burned immediately to third-degree.
"Type.Heal, STAT!"
Illuminating pink, she began to heal while being scorched by the attack, holding out for as long as she could, bearing the pain despite tears rolling from her eyes, tears that immediately evaporated.
Eventually, the beam had stopped, and Rikka was left to land in the water.
<
Looking towards land, she had herself teleported to the flat ground, revealing her charred body that was slowly healing.
She was already extremely from the pain, her body becoming numb.
"I need to call back up."
She tapped her wristband, trying to call for help, when she noticed Ark walking forward.
"Ark! Step back! You can be seriously injured!"
"I'll be fine."
"WAI."
"Sir." From under his hoodie, a strange black goop with circuit lines on its body peeked out, its body appearing very humanoid.
"Full body."
"Understood."
Rikka couldn't wrap her head around what that thing was on Ark's shoulder. She had never seen any technology like that before. It only baffled her more when he was covered in a black jumpsuit designed with a few yellow lines and yellow soles that had low heels in only a few seconds.
"Are you a Mage Force Mage?"
"Nope, not at all. Like I said, I don't know what that is."
The big monster tried to use the same beam it had previously used to attack Ark, now seeing him as a threat.
"You seriously think that would work on me? You gotta be joking."
[Scanning...]
[Scan Complete]
<
Using the same attack it had used against Rikka at an even greater level of power, he had unleashed a blast of pure destruction that left nothing in its wake, vaporizing even dust that would have been left behind, leaving behind an empty lake and a path of charred dirt and stone.
"...how did you do that?" Rikka questioned, stunned to see what was before her. She had never seen this in her whole life, having never planned for something like this. "If you aren't a mage, what are you?"
"Me? Based on my understanding of everything in this world, I'm a Klyintar."
...An Invader!?
Rikka Flowers, for the first time in quite a long time, would encounter something she didn't expect to happen on the battlefield.
Meeting a nice invader.