Chapter 2

JUNE 18, 2022 ~ FROZZENDETH

Through Masters, Akari’s application had reached Aria.

…Akari Mamiya. If you want to be my Battle Sister, you have to play against me…! (TL Note: This is NOT in quotes in raw. I am not sure why. Perhaps because Akari is so stunned she is not paying attention?)

But Akari cannot react to that voice.

That’s right.

That butei star is now looking at me and speaking only to me.

Moreover, the way she is speaking is as if she is declaring a war. It is a formidable challenge from the strong to the weak.

Seeing Akari freeze up, beyond nervousness, Aria was flustered.

As if there was a staircase in the air, she descended from a 4-meter-high cherry blossom tree, with brilliant legs that moved as if she was weightless.

Aria stands in front of Akari, who is still rubbing her eyes, and puffs her chest out with a gulp.

“Opportunities should be given equally to everyone, but the results from these opportunities are not equal. It all depends on your effort.”

Even her talking has a powerful impact on everyone around her.

Her voice is lovely, like an anime voice actress, and she is about the same height as Akari.

Aria has a presence to her. It is so strong that not only Akari, but also Raika and Shino are swallowed up by it all at once.

…this is what they call a first class human being.

“You applied to be my War Sister, didn’t you?”

Akari finally got confirmation from Aria that she had received it.

“Y-, Yes.”

”Yes”, I could barely return those words.

“I am busy, so I cannot babysit you unconditionally, even if Masters orders me to do so.”

After saying this, Aria took out a sticker from her skirt pocket and showed it to me.

It was a star shaped, yellow seal about the size of a fist.

“That is why, using this Emblem, let’s finish this now.” (TL Note: Emblem is in Katakana. For those unaware of this, Katakana is kind of like a “alphabet” in Japanese for foreign words, such as Pan (パン), which is derived from the Portuguese word, pão.)

“Eh? Em-bu-rem?” (TL Note: hence why Akari is confused.)

And in front of Akari’s eyes that have turned black and white… (TL Note: might be a reference to when in Anime a characters eyes shrink and become black and white when they are confused.)

Gui~, Aria rolls up the blouse of her sailor suit.

A small belly button and a slim waist with no unnecessary flab is exposed…

“…AH!?”

Akari’s face turned bright red.

What in the world is Aria going to do now?

Is she going to start undressing?!

“..Wh-, What are you doing?! You are out in the open!”

Raika hits Akari on the head, which appears to be coming to a strange misunderstanding.

“Idiot! Don’t you know what the rules of Emblem are!?”

Akari still does not understand Aria’s intention, so Shino hurriedly explains it to her.

“Emblem is a test recommended by the Assault department for testing potential War Sisters to form a contract with!”

”That is right”, Aria said, nodding as she stuck a star sticker onto her side.

“You have 30 minutes to get this emblem off from me. I will not sign a contract with anyone who cannot do even this. I’ve rejected everyone I have ever tested before with this test.”

(Eh…? She won’t sign… contracts with people who can’t get it…?)

Akari seemed to be doing her best to understand her words…

“Come, it has already started.”

Aria shows Akari her pearly pink cell phone as she utilized and opened it.

A timer was displayed on the screen and was just beginning to count down.

29:59 remaining.

“Bu-, but that is… impossible…!”

The emblem on Aria’s body had to be take off of her. The rules are simple, but this test is…

So far, as many as 20 first-year students, all of which have higher grades than Akari, have tried and none have succeeded.

As expected of her, Aria’s athleticism is not that of a mere mortal.

This is something that was clearly demonstrated by this morning’s incident, which is still fresh in Akari’s mind.

First Akari has to catch up to Aria, manage to flip her blouse up, grab the sticker, and peel it off.

Such a thing…

“There is no way I can do that…”

Interrupting Akari’s words…

“Opportunities don’t wait for people. Just as cases do not wait for Butei.”

Aria gives off a mood denying any questions or complaints.

Yes.

It has already begun.

My hesitation was irrelevant.

Who cares that I failed the fire training test.

It is time for the “War Sisters” test, my once in a lifetime chance to achieve my dreams!

“…!”

I was in a daze before. I was hesitating. I was making excuses.

I was wasting time. This precious time I was given, where every grain of time is equivalent to a diamond!

“Akari!”

Raika…

“Akari-san!”

Shino too was pushing my back…

Aria has extended her hand to me too, albeit with a condition… I have to grab it myself!

(… chances don’t wait for people to reach out…!)

I’m going.

I will take it.

… that star!

“Uwaaaa!”

With a sudden burst of energy, Akari grabbed towards Aria, who had folded her arms.

She reached out desperately for the abdomen where the emblem was affixed, but…

“!?”

Aria, who avoided it with minimal movement, grabbed Akari by the wrist.

The moment Aria grabbed me, it was over.

One second later, Akari’s body spun around once and hit the ground with a Bam.

This was not done by Aria’s power, but with the power of Akari herself.

(…I almost just had my wrist broken…!)

If a joint is twisted in a direction that the wrist is not meant to bend in, the person will fall to the ground on their own.

It was the same logic as the aikido technique that Aria used on the criminals this morning.

Akari’s wrists were still tingling and arching, even though she didn’t fight the technique.

After rolling over onto my stomach and raising my face to look at Aria…

Aria is inviting me with her finger, saying “come and take it” with a generous smile on her face.

Akari hit the ground hard and stood up.

“Haa!”

This time, Akari tried to forcefully pin her. If Akari grappled Aria, they would have to wrestle with each other, as people of similar physique do. If they happens, she is surely able to be able to grab Arias side…!

As if to scoff at Akari’s idea as shallow, Aria stepped back.

And so, right behind Aria was a cherry tree…

Aria began running backwards, almost vertically.

(Parkour…!?)

Akri looks up in surprise as Aria twists and turns and passes overhead. Aria had lightly kicked the trunk of the tree behind her while pushing off of the back of Akari’s head with a thud, ending up behind Akari.

“!!”

…Guchi!

And so, do to Aria using Akari’s head a launchpad, Akari crashed into the tree nose first.

(…so… so strong…!)

Akari held her bruised face and became teary-eyed, but still turned around to make sure she did not lose sight of Aria.

“Akari, you can’t just use your bare hands!”

To Raika’s advice,

“I don’t care. Use your gun or your knife.”

Aria openly urged Akari to use her weapons.

Akari, rushed by the time limit that was ticking away, did not hesitate any longer…

Akari pulled out her tactical knife, a Uzi Heavy Duty Defender, which was tucked into the back collar of her sailor suit.

She then used a reverse hand to cut across…

“…!”

Akari’s right hand grips the knife, and something cold pierces the space between her index and middle fingers.

It was the tip of a Japanese sword that Aria had drawn.

The sword easily pierces through the hard plastic grip and snatches the knife from Akari’s hand, which loosens its grip in surprise.

“Do not let go of your weapon, no matter what the enemy does to you.”

Aria told me this while discarding the knife stuck into the tip of her Japanese sword.

Akari saw this as an opportunity.

(In that case…!)

I pulled the micro UZI out of my skirt with my right hand.

No matter how bad my aim is, I cannot miss at this close of a range.

That is what I was thinking, and so I pulled the trigger.

Akari’s gun made Aria’s eyes even sharper, and she instantly closed the distance and swiped her arm away with the slide of her Government pistol she had pulled out with her left hand.

“!!”

Akari, unable to cancel the trigger pull, fires the micro UZI to the side, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!, embedding bullets into the ground.

(Aru-Kata!?)

Akari’s eyes went wide at Aria who had just used an elite technique without cutting corners against even a junior…

“Do not waste bullets.”

With her sword still in her right hand, and her Government in her left hand, Aria Basu!

She shot Akari in the through from the top of her skirt.

“…!”

While the bulletproof uniforms are impervious to bullets and disperse the impact…

If the bullet hits, it wont penetrate but will still inflict striking damage to the wearer.

The pain is so great that it can be likened to a serious beating by a professional wrestler.

Even though Akari works out somewhat, it is regardless not something that a petite high school girl can withstand with her height and weight.

With a thud, Akari fell on her butt…

Akari collapsed on the spot, sitting like a young girl. (TL Note: no clue what sitting like a girl means, just think a stereotypical anime girl sitting on the ground after falling I suppose?)

Martial arts, blades, firearms… in all of them, Aria surpasses Akari.

This can only be because the gap between the two in general is a dimension apart.

(This is a S rank butei…!)

One gun and a one sword stance… Looking up at Aria from below her…

“Akari!”

“Akari-san!”

A worried Raika and Shino run towards me.

Raika was even a little tearful at the sight of her friend, Akari, being hurt, even though Raika is usually so gung-ho.

“It’s okay, I’m fine, it is bulletproof…”

In response, Akari tries to be strong.

But, like Raika, the pain in her thighs is making her tear-up.

But the tears in Akari’s eyes…

It was also being blotted out by joy.

It was blotted out by the concern that Raika and Shino had for me. And…

(Aria-senpai is teaching me to fight right now…!)

That was a fact.

When Akari turned her head again, Aria had disappeared from where she had been earlier.

This time, she was standing a short distance away, with the Butei High school in the background.

Kuikui, Aria beckoned to me…

She had such a cute smile that I couldn’t believe she was a year older than me.

“Come here. Let’s play tag.”

After Akari this, she started running, he twin-tail hair twirling behind her.

And just like in a game of tag, she turned her back on Akari and ran away from Akari.

…I cannot let her get away.

…I cannot lose sight of her.

Aria is Akari’s star of hope. I must not give up until I reach that star, that star shaped sticker on her side.

Akari stands up, her eyes full of determination.

Shino and Raika still look worried though.

They look at Akari as if they have no choice but to watch her off now.

“Akari-san. Due to regulations, I cannot help you, but… I can wish you good luck.”

Shino was calm.

“Good luck, Akari!!”

Raika cheerfully gave Akari a boost.

Akari smiled a little and nodded broadly.

“Maybe this is too much for me, but… I’m off!”

With less than 25 minutes remaining in this test…

Aria entered the monorail station that leads from this artificial floating island to Daiba.

Akari followed and runs into the station.

Akari, who was imitating Aria, leapt over the gate like a pommel horse before the gate could open after she swiped her Suica pass, but her foot got caught in the gate and she fell grandly. She fell with such force that both of her legs went straight up, but she quickly got back up and ran up the stairs.

We both got onto the platform of the Mutetokou station…

“Ah!”

The monorail on which Aria got on was just about to depart.

From behind the closed doors, Aria is waving and winking at me, as if saying “bye-bye”.

(Aria-senpai…!)

If I wait for the next monorail, I will never catch up.

Then…

“…!”

Akari climbed the fall-prevention fence with desperate effort.

Then, she jumped… to the wiper installed on the window at the tail end of the monorail.

The monorail, which is autonomous and has no conductor, is oblivious to what is going on and continues to run.

(…falling, falling, falling…!)

This monorail has a maximum height of 16 meters above the ground, or so my classmates in Logi have told me. If I fall, my life is seriously in danger.

However, for a butei to capture someone, dangerous acts like these are occasionally performed, just like in an action movie.

This is the kind of thing that, when teamed up with Aria, would become an everyday occurrence.

I told myself that and endured the fear, and…

I managed to crawl down to the platform from the monorail that stopped at Daiba station.

Ignoring the stares of the surprised passengers, Akari followed Aria as she ran for the exit.

Aria flips her skirt up again and jumps the automatic ticket gate while paying the fare properly.

But…

Akari looked around and saw escalators and stairs leading down to Aria.

Daiba station is more crowded than Buteitaka station. It would be impossible to run through the crowd.

(Here… I can close the distance!)

And then, right in front of Akari’s eyes.

“!”

Aria lightly kicked up an empty can that had fallen on the street, then stepped on it and used it as a contact point to… slide down the railing like an inline skate handrail grind.

“…tsu…!”

Akari runs down the stairs, ziggzagging and avoiding the crowd.

Instead of closing the distance, Aria widened it. Beyond the stairs there was a square crowded with stalls.

(…ehhh!?)

Even there, Aria managed to run up the wall and run vertically through it.

Akari, chasing after Aria who was running on the wall like a ninja, fell down the stairs because she was looking away and plunged into a pile of cardboard boxes by the wall…

(… I can’t do this…! I will never catch up with you…!)

I look at Aria’s back, which is now far away, and get up to my feet, wobbling.

We are just running. But even comparing our performance here, Aria is a dimension away from me.

The chances of catching up would be almost zero.

But…

She hasn’t lost sight of her yet. That is why Akari is still pursuing her.

The chances are almost zero, but not zero…!

The time that Aria had declared, 30 minutes, was already half done.

Akari cannot believe her eyes when she sees Aria still running from Akari’s persistent pursuit… Now at the Expressway 11 Daiba Line, which connects Tokyo’s central and sub central areas…

… Aria is standing on the main tower of the “Rainbow Bridge” and looking down at me.

Rainbow Bridge is a huge suspension bridge nearly 800 meters long.

The two main towers that support the cables suspending the bridge are 126 meters above sea level.

The top of the main tower is as high as a 30-story building, but unlike a building, it shakes just as much as it looks it does. Aria stood on top of such a tower, looking exactly the same as if she were standing on stable ground.

To get to her, Akari must…

Teeth clattering, she desperately walks up the thick cables.

The cable has a gentle curve at the lower levels and gets steeper the higher you get towards the main tower.

At first, Akari upon discovering Aria at the top was desperate and eagerly climbed forward, but within 10 meters, Akari’s whole body instinctively began to tremble.

It was also a bad idea to look down towards her feet when she was about halfway up.

Without any support to hold onto, this place seems much higher than it actually is.

Even someone not afraid of heights would feel faint and the intense urge to jump out of their skin.

But, even then.

(Chances… don’t wait… for people…!)

Akari, half-conscious again, climbs up one step, and then another, and another.

To Aria.

To the stars.

I want to be strong. Like Aria. That is all I want anymore.

That is my longing…

If I only admire her, my dream will just remain illusory for the rest of my life.

(I will absolutely be… Aria’s Amica!!)

To get to my dream, I have to go.

No matter how hard that road may be… I have to go.

This is my first test.

This path is also my training.

This training will help me become the person I admire.

And this time… this training is in the form of suspension wires above the Rainbow Bridge…!

… as Akari approached, Aria’s face became visible.

Her face displayed half admiration and half dismay.

Apparently, Aria has given this ordeal to every junior prospective War Sister who has followed her to the platform. However, Akari was the only one who has seriously tried to climb up this main tower.