CH 17

(Akira POV)

“Whew.”

Once Hono-san expresses her surrender, I dissipate the power I have been gathering in my right eye, then open my left eye and move away from her to leave the maneuvering ground.

[The timing is right. Let me explain to you my abilities. Take the fireball that was turned into ice earlier and go outside.]

“(I understand.)”

But before that, Ys sends me an instruction, so I follow it and collect a handful of the fragments of the fireball that I froze during the practice match earlier.

But still.

[[[…]]]

“(There’s no cheers or anything…)”

[That’s not on a human level of power, you know. It only makes sense.]

From outside the maneuvering ground, I observe the faces of the candidates who are gazing at me from the inside.

Their faces are dominated by fear… no, it is more of awe. In any case, those who had been skeptical about my prowess seem to have lost all such doubts.

If so, I may say that I succeeded in achieving my goal for this practice match.

“(By the way, it’s not my imagination, is it?)”

[Yes. No mistake, because I feel it too.]

However, like I have mentioned, there are a number of people who are looking at me with a gaze that is short of awe.

The source of these feelings is not exactly clear, which makes it tricky to know what they are, but there are some that seem to be assessing, others that seem to be calmly observing me, and then there are those that seem to be… yeah. For some reason, I can clearly tell the type of this one, regardless of the source.

“(There’s a definite lustful, vicious look in their eyes without a doubt…)”

[Yeah, there is. It’s beyond wonder and fascination, but more than that… it’s a feeling of relief and terror that they’re displaying it to you after all the power you’ve exhibited to them.]

“(Right.)”

I force my way through the crowd and take a seat before redirecting my focus to the wire netting because even though there are fewer people gazing at me, the intensity per person appears to have risen.

It seems that inside the wire netting, under the direction of Instructor Suzunari—one of the first to recover from the shock—preparations are being made for the next match.

“(So, when are you going to give me an explanation?)”

[Right… For now, keep your line of sight on the wire netting. Understanding how much you and the others differ from one another is a benefit, not a loss. And as for the ice you retrieved, it shouldn’t melt unless you are willing to let it melt, Akira.]

“(I get it.)”

As soon as I agreed with Ys’ remarks, I focus my attention on the practice game taking place inside the wire netting.

Now that I have the opportunity to study anything, I must learn it thoroughly. After all, I am only benefiting from Ys’ power at present.

■■■■■

(Third person POV)

“Well, that was portentous…”

“I never would have dreamed that incorporating a whole God would be this profound…”

In a room of the Security Organization, Otachi Yuzuru and his superior are having a discussion while peering through a window into the maneuvering ground.

“As I recall, the wire netting that surrounds the maneuvering ground is equipped with a mechanism that prevents both divine and physical intervention.”

“As a side note, the wire netting also ensures that no one inside can sustain more than critical wounds during the training.”

“Part of the wire netting has turned to ice, not frozen, right? What do you think would have happened if she had really exerted her power?”

“You know the answer to that question, don’t you?”

“Well, I suppose I do.”

[[…]]

Both of them silently exchange glances at each other, and from the way they meet one another’s gaze, it is clear that the scene they are envisioning in their minds is the one that coincides perfectly on both sides.

The spectacle that the two of them are envisioning is that if Akira was to exercise her freezing ability—no, to convert things into ice, all of the devices protecting the maneuvering ground would be reduced to ice and disintegrate.

At the same time, what comes to their mind is the sight of what would ensue if the earlier ice-forming ability had struck a human being directly.

What would happen in that case is only based on their imagination, but neither of them believes that the scene would be very different from what they had pictured.

The power that Akira demonstrated was simply that potent.

“How can I put it, I feel as if Susanoo-sama had handed us the short end of the stick for both you and me.”

“But if properly controlled, she can be a major help to us and the Security Organization, and the fact that the God who empowers her is always nearby indicates that if there is an emergency, we can request that God to stop it. In short, it depends on the relationship. I wouldn’t say to fear, but excessive trepidation will lead to nowhere.”

“Well, that is certainly true.”

Yuzuru gestures that he comprehends his superior’s words while his shoulders tense up.

“However, we will make sure to maintain information control. Not everyone inside the Security Organization is aware of this, but from time to time there are people outside who are not conversant with the common knowledge of the world.”

“Seriously, you say lines like it’s a good thing that no one else is listening… But yeah, I agree. It is better for her and for us to keep her involved in the ‘Maze’ as much as possible and limit the number of people who learn about her details. But then again, too much control over her life is also a problem.”

“And if so?”

“The aim is to create a gap that appears near enough that if she attempts to act, the fear of the distance will prevent her from engaging. If we can prevent the majority of the planned events, it will be easier for her to adapt her lifestyle; nevertheless, she will have to deal with the unforeseen events on her own.”

“That’s like being an idol.”

“Maybe. Then let’s start working on it.”

“Right.”

The Security Organization Intelligence Unit—the members behind the scenes of the Security Organization—Otachi and his team then begin their operation.

However, whether or not their work would be conveyed to Akira and the other front-line personnel remains a question.

——————

A/N:

From the perspective of a normal human being, she is currently treated as a monster.

Though some strong people are attracted to her because of her power.