A private jet flies through the night. It's a British aircraft.
Inside are two people. One of them, a tall, red-haired magician named Stiyl Magnus, is watching the automatically moving control stick.
"...Hmph."
It's a system controlled by AI that automatically operates the plane and takes them to their destination. Stiyl doesn't know the intricate details of the mechanism. But the programmer who set the destination also doesn't know what this plane is carrying or where it's going.
"Academy City, huh..."
Stiyl mutters and exits the cockpit.
Returning to the cabin, he finds the other passenger. She is a girl in a nun's habit that is the opposite of Stiyl's black one; hers is white with gold embroidery, reminiscent of a high-class teacup.
"How are you feeling? Any problems?"
"Yeah. The due date is still a week away."
Hearing that, Stiyl feels a sense of relief. Stiyl's mission this time is to escort this girl to Academy City and perform a certain ritual.
"Seriously, why do we have to move at such a crucial time...!!"
Stiyl grumbles in frustration at his superior's reckless command. A big part of why he's so irritated is that he can't smoke on the plane.
"Rather, isn't it the Archbishop's consideration? So we can be together until the very end. My transfer wasn't just the Archbishop's decision, after all."
"I don't think that woman has such thoughts," Stiyl says.
He pictures his superior, who speaks in a strange Japanese. Though she seems to not think much, she is the Archbishop of the Anglican Church. There must be some deeper plan.
"(Is that right? Really? Or did she just forget this girl's time limit...?) "
"Stiyl? Is something wrong?"
"...No, nothing."
No matter the motive, Stiyl's principles remain the same.
"(Burn away all obstacles. That's all.)"
Eight hours to Academy City. The escort mission has begun.
---------
The day of Index's transfer.
I went to work at Section 6 in the evening, at 7:00 PM, a time when I would normally be heading home.
"Good evening."
"Oh, you're here," Sakagura-san said.
I poked my head in and greeted him. Sakagura-san was the only one sitting in a chair in the office. All the standby members for today were starting their shift from this time. It seemed I was the first to arrive.
"Are you done for the day, Sakagura-san?"
"Nah, today's just a normal shift plus night duty."
"...You've been working hard."
I wondered if the Bureau of Labor Standards even existed in the Administration.
"We're short-handed. Especially the administrative staff. The commander is keen on reinforcing the action squads, though."
So the burden falls on Sakagura-san. I want to help wherever I can.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Nah, it's fine. You've got work to do from now on. Save your strength. If you guys do well, Section 6's reputation will go up, and it'll be easier to get more personnel. We might even get more volunteers."
I wonder about that. They might just end up seeing us as enemies.
"...Well, I'll take it easy then."
"Go ahead."
"Thanks."
Lam brought me some tea.
Taking advantage of the offer and lounging around, Nanoha-san soon arrived.
"Good evening~"
"Good evening."
"Hey, Nanoha. Is Fate taking care of Vivio today?"
"Yes. I prepared dinner and then handed her off to Fate-chan."
Nanoha-san and Fate-san work things out well to raise Vivio-chan. It seems when Fate-san has a long-term job, Nanoha-san takes care of her, and when Nanoha-san has to be away, Fate-san looks after her.
"Speaking of which, about Fate-san..."
"Yeah, about Fate-chan?"
"It's a bit of an abstract question, but... how is she? How's she doing?"
"...Well, she seems normal?"
If that's the case, then it's okay. I haven't seen Fate-san since we passed each other in the cafeteria, so I haven't been to Section 6.
But from what I heard from Lara... I can't stop thinking about it. I can't afford to have trouble with relationships right after joining.
"She's just normal in front of us. Fate-chan is also confused about a lot of things, since it's her first time. For now, it's best to leave her be... but am I saying this to the wrong person?"
"You probably are..."
The 'person' Fate-san is probably talking about is me.
"Yeah, definitely," Sakagura-san said with a grin.
"This guy..."
Lam also looked exasperated.
After about 30 minutes of chatting,
"Oh, good evening...!!"
"We made it just in time...!!"
Subaru-san and Teana-san slid in, just making it before the meeting time.
"You two were really cutting it close."
I was surprised, since Teana-san seemed like someone who would be very punctual.
"Hah, hah, Subaru, wasn't, awake, hah..."
"I was taking a nap, but I guess I forgot to set my alarm..."
"When I called to check, she said my call woke her up, so I rushed to pick her up."
"You should've taken a nap at the barracks. Well, as long as you made it, it's fine."
"Here you go," I said, offering them water.
The two of them snatched the water from me and drank it down.
Gathering just in time meant that there was a plan for us to follow immediately.
"Alright, everyone gather up," Yagami-san said, appearing.
"We have a visitor," she announced with a serious face.
---------
We were gathered in the commander's office.
I, Nanoha-san, Subaru-san, and Teana-san were standing in a line, and in front of us, with her back to us, was our 'visitor.'
The visitor was looking at Yagami-san, who was standing in front of the commander's desk.
"I am Kanzaki Kaori, of the Church of Necessary Evil, Necessarius. Thank you for your time."
"I'm Yagami Hayate, commander of Special Section 6. The pleasure is mine."
The two of them bowed to each other. A very Japanese gesture.
"..."
I silently took a step back.
That Japanese sword hanging from her waist is dangerous! She has a nearly two-meter long katana hooked to her western belt, and the tip is about to stab me.
"Wasn't there anyone to hold her luggage?"
"It's Lam-chan, you know..." Nanoha-san said with a wry smile.
Come to think of it, she was drinking tea with us until the very last minute. I guess we just have to give up on that.
"Wow, her legs are longer than they looked in the pictures!!"
"You shut up too...!!"
"Ow ow ow...!!"
Subaru-san's thigh was being pinched.
I sighed and looked back in front of me.
As planned, the visitor to Section 6 was Kanzaki Kaori, who was supposed to be on standby at the airport. It seemed she had arrived on the island the day before to scout out places to stay and things like that.
I felt Kanzaki sensing our presence behind her. Her ears must have picked up what we were saying.
"Don't worry, everyone here is capable when the time comes. You can rest easy," the commander said, offering a follow-up.
Kanzaki's tone still sounded quite worried. This wasn't so much because she thought we were unreliable, but more because she felt there was no need to rely on the strength of others compared to her own. Kanzaki is that 'special.'
Kanzaki is a 'Saint'—one of only about 20 superhumans in the world. A congenital disposition that manifests through the theory of idols, possessing physical traits and 'Stigmata' similar to those of the 'Son of God.'
In other words, she possesses a super rare talent.
She boasts a performance level that seems to say her very existence is on a different plane, moving at supersonic speeds and breaking concrete with her bare hands, with a power that makes you want to shout, "Are you Saitama from One-Punch Man?!"
In the original story, she didn't get much of a chance to shine or was often used as a stepping stone because she appeared too early. But just by looking at her abilities, she's on a ridiculous level.
From her perspective, our abilities are nothing to write home about. It's no wonder she's worried.
We can only do what we can do.
"Alright, Subaru, Teana. Go to the airport with Kanzaki-san."
" "Yes!!" "
"Understood."
The three of them headed to the airport together.
---------
So, after seeing off the airport group, we're left here.
"We have a lot of free time..."
"Right. Right now, you're a good-for-nothing salary thief."
"Heh heh, I guess it's best when nothing's happening."
If an incident doesn't occur, we truly have nothing to do. Even though we know that's a good thing, just drinking tea and chatting like this makes us bored.
"Well, I'm going to take a nap," Sakagura-san said, heading to the nap room.
I sipped my coffee while watching him go.
Maybe I should check the new abilities I've acquired.
Kamen Rider Accel Transformation Set
A set package containing the Accel Driver, Accel Memory, and Accel Watch. If you have the W Ride Watch, you can use it with Zi-O.
Engine Blade + Engine Memory Set
A sword used by Accel. It can be wielded in a human form, but it's incredibly heavy, making it difficult for an average person to lift. By setting the Engine Memory, you can draw power from the Accel Memory and imbue it into the blade.
Medal Set (Heavy-duty)
A set of core medals, items needed to transform into Kamen Rider OOO. This set contains the Sai, Gorilla, and Zou medals.
Wing Gundam
A weapon from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. A Gundam built for "Operation Meteor," a large-scale terror operation against the United Earth Sphere Alliance. It specializes in hit-and-run tactics using its 'Bird Mode' flight form and its powerful long-range 'Buster Rifle.' The Buster Rifle can only fire at maximum output three times per sortie. However, if the power is adjusted, it can be fired more than three times like a normal beam rifle. Of the four Gundams developed at the same time, this one is the closest to the original prototype.
Gundam Barbatos
A weapon from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. One of the Gundam Frames developed during the 'Calamity War' 300 years ago. All the armaments and additional armor used in the main story are available. The pilot, Mikazuki Augus, uses the Alaya-Vijnana system to improve the machine's control precision, but this is treated as a powered suit in this story, so it's not relevant.
That's what they were like.
After going over them, I really had nothing else to do. All that was left was small talk.
"Should I set up a flag?"
"Go for it."
Alright then. I have Nanoha-san's permission.
"Man, looks like this is going to end without any incident."
BEEEP!! BEEEP!!
"... "
"..."
"..."
A loud siren blared.
"...Is it time for a sortie?"
"Looks like it."
"That was a spectacular flag."
With Lam sighing behind us, Nanoha-san and I started getting ready to deploy.
---------
The plane was groaning and creaking.
Out of nowhere, a swarm of slender, egg-shaped drones appeared. By the time the plane's warning system went off, we were already surrounded.
Knowing that we were in the air and that the plane was automatically sending out a distress signal, Stiyl decided to hold up inside the aircraft.
"Stiyl..."
"...!"
He gritted his teeth at the anxious voice of the girl beside him.
Fortunately, the drones didn't enter the plane. But the sight of them flying around outside the windows and the impact of the light blasts they fired was more than enough to instill terror.
To prevent her from seeing this, Stiyl covered the girl's face with his robe.
"It's okay. Don't leave my side, no matter what happens."
In contrast to the girl, Stiyl was calm.
As a magician of the Church of Necessary Evil, who had crushed numerous magic societies, he had no reason to be flustered by this much chaos. The only worry was the girl clinging to him. Her presence was precisely what was disturbing Stiyl's heart.
"(My magic is difficult to use in this cramped cabin. There's no way I'll mess up and involve this child, but the plane won't hold up.)"
The walls of the cabin were covered with rune cards, almost filling every space. These were the starting points for Stiyl's magic. Currently, he had a magic reinforcement spell cast over the entire plane, but if he wanted to, he could instantly activate his specialty flame magic.
If he did that, he could incinerate the swarm of drones in an instant.
But if he ended up destroying the plane in the process and, in the worst-case scenario, causing it to crash, it would be pointless.
"(But I have to consider the worst-case scenario. It's fine if we can make it to the airport, but if they get inside, I'll have to destroy them along with this plane. She's wearing the 'Walking Church,' so she shouldn't be too damaged if she falls.)"
The plane was already quite close to the island. Any calculations about what to do with a crashing plane or his own life had been completely pushed out of Stiyl's mind.
But that was only a last resort.
"(If nothing happens, Kanzaki is at the airport. She can handle anything--!?) "
"Huh? Why is it tilting...?"
Stiyl and the girl both noticed something was wrong.
The plane was noticeably tilting.
"(What's happening? Is there a problem with the engine?)"
Stiyl's guess wasn't entirely wrong.
To be precise, 'the plane's overall control was being taken away.'
Taking advantage of Stiyl's lack of resistance, the drones that had attached themselves to the cockpit were hacking into the flight AI. The plane's defense program had put up a good fight, but after repeated attacks and enough time, it finally fell. It was now being slowly infiltrated by a virus program.
"(Is it a computer malfunction? Or has control been stolen? Either way, staying on this plane will put her in danger...!!)"
Just as Stiyl was about to make a decision,
" "!!" "
An orange explosion was visible outside the window. A flash of light different from the beams fired by the drones—the drones themselves were exploding.
"What is it now...!?"
A white figure flew past the plane's window. It was a figure in tricolor armor, riding a small flying machine.
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