1

"This power..."

Kazuki felt the outburst of magical energy creeping through his left arm. The previous occurrence was nothing compared to this. Instead of just his Armament interacting with another, he felt something more.

As if, in this moment of time, his power and Sayaka's power were one.

That's it. An Armament's ability is the reflection of one's soul, right?

He now understood what his Armament's ability was.

It was the ability to connect. An interchange between people, a way to harness the power of someone else's trust.

It was what he longed for, deep inside. It was the one part of him that he had hidden after the series of unfortunate events that caused him to be resented in school.

Along with it, a desire to stand atop everyone and have hordes of people stoking his ego. He knew that it was a bad thing to desire, and he thought that he had abandoned it, but his Armament's ability just said otherwise.

That will always be a part of him, an un-erasable shadow so to speak.

However, he now resolved to use that power to protect.

"Raaaahhh!"

He swung his blade upwards at the incoming spider. Even before the spider had time to rear up and try to impale him from above, his blade cleaved through one of the front legs.

It did not matter that the spider seemed to have those elaborate plates protecting it. The slash went deep into the leg of the enemy.

"Whoa!""

Seeing viscous fluid spurt out of the leg that he just cut, he jumped as far back as he can. He was unsure of what that thing can do, but looking at its texture, it's not just some Nullity blood.

The leg now lay limp as the Nullity let out screeches of pain. That should be able to put it out of commission eventually.

That hope spot was quickly shut down when the limp leg flicked back into place. It did not take long, but the limp leg had quickly stiffened and returned to its place.

"Regeneration?"

He put his left arm in front and blocked a striking attack just in time. The shield portion of his Armament's fused form did its job of blocking the blow, but the impact still left him unbalanced and pushed him back a few inches.

He felt the trouble of keeping himself back up as his shoes rubbed against the now slightly cracked floor.

The spider's rampage had done a number on the room, and with each second of the battle, dust and rock particles flew around from the walls. The whole place collapsing won't be a concern any time soon, but if this battle drags out longer than it should...

Kazuki pushed back the incoming attack with his shield before rotating his left arm for a thrusting attack with the bladed end of it.

In a rare defensive maneuver, the spider placed both legs in front of its head. As the blade drove itself deep into one leg, Kazuki swung the blade sideways, trying to cut one leg off.

His efforts to do so were thwarted by a body blow as the spider surprisingly charged him from such a close distance.

Kazuki found himself soaring through the air once more, the force of the charge having pushed his blade off the Nullity's leg. The Awakener braced himself for impact, but even with his best preparations, he still found himself shaken as his back struck the floor.

Roaring, the Nullity leapt up. It looked to either crush its enemy or drive those big fangs deep into him.

Left with no choice, Kazuki stood up and placed the shield in front.

It won't be enough to completely protect him, but at least it could block those fangs with enough precision.

The whole weight of the black widow came crashing onto him, and as far as his plan goes, he managed just enough to block the two huge fangs coming down. Still, the force of the fall was something else, and Kazuki felt the ground beneath his feet crack as he sunk a couple of feet down in the impact.

"Ahhhhh!" he yelled in pain as he felt the sheer force of the spider crushing him down. He felt intense pressure on his joints and ankles as he tried his best to keep himself together.

The magical extensions from the edge of his shield slowly showed signs of fizzling.

Channeling his emotions for strength, Kazuki tilted his shield arm and forcefully twisted the blade onto the spider's midsection. With his full strength, he pierced through the underbelly of the monster.

The resulting screeches filled him with hope. The spider pulled back immediately and started motions that made it seem like it was undergoing a seizure.

In a rage, it reared back, and in doing so, exposed its abdomen that pointed forward.

Having seen this move already, Kazuki was one step ahead and rolled away from the web attack. The concentrated stream of silk missed him handily, and he was back off to his run.

He had little time to take advantage of this miss, and his feet carried him as fast as they can for that decisive moment.

The exposed underbelly that he had repeatedly wounded stuck out like a target, and putting all force behind his strike, Kazuki pulled back his left arm and buried the blade deep into the previous wound.

The spider screeched, but in response, it also took a stab at its opponent.

Kazuki recoiled in pain as he found both sides of his stabbed by the sharp front legs of the spider. His muscles screamed in pain as the two legs were driven into them. Nevertheless, he fought through the pain and held on, pushing the blade deeper into the wound.

The Awakener yelled as he fought the pain. Looks like it's become a battle of endurance at this point, and with each second, Kazuki was not sure how much longer he can hold on.

Not fair...

"Arata, get down!"

The voice of his classmate broke him out of his thoughts. The surprised Kazuki then turned to the direction of the voice, only to see a flash of black before hearing the clean sound of a blade whirling in the air.

It happened in an instant, but when Kazuki next looked at his opponent, he noticed that its head had already been lopped off. The head of the spider came tumbling down, and it rolled on the floor several times before dissipating.

The force holding him in place also disappeared, and the rest of the gigantic spider Nullity's body fell down with a crash, laying lifelessly in front of him.

Beside the body was Sayaka Uehara with her back turned.

The sword on her hand dissipated into particles after it had done its job.

"Thanks. You saved me there, Uehara." Overcome with relief, Kazuki spoke.

"That was all that I had left. It's you I have to thank for setting it all up."

With her newly-confident profile, she put her fist out. Her face showed all signs of the weary battle, but Kazuki saw a look of relief on her eyes and expression.

Kazuki knew what that meant, and he likewise did so with his right fist. His right fist gently met his classmate's for a fist bump.

Before the two can celebrate, Kazuki realized that their job here was not done. There was something that they were close to forgetting about, but his classmate was quicker to it and asked the question.

"Where's the doctor?"

Kazuki shut his eyes and focused in response.

It was an ability that has come in handy for quite some time already, and he had been using it to great effect in detecting human presence inside Mu.

Eventually, he shook his head.

"Nothing, I don't feel any other presence now."

Dr. Kagami had disappeared. Could he have died? Impossible.

It seemed that his classmate had the same thoughts, as seen in the disappointed look on her tired face.

"He got away," said Sayaka, who ran her hand through her long hair. "We can't even go after him now."

"Can't be helped," answered Kazuki with a similar disappointment in his voice.

"Looks like after we recover from this, I'll have to go back to protecting everyone. The fight ahead is still gonna be long..."

"Protecting everyone?" Kazuki began laughing. "You really do sound like an anime character! That makes us even, then. I'm not the only one who embarrassed himself spouting lines like that today."

"W-what are you getting at?"

"All that talk about protecting everyone like you're some invincible hero. Uehara, have you ever considered someone for yourself? Who's gonna be there to protect you?"

That drew a shocked expression on the girl's face.

Moving on, Kazuki looked at the surroundings and gazed at the ruined structures, the cracked ground, and the crushed shrine with a defunct stone tablet.

It was as if the whole room, one resembling an arena or an amphitheater, had been through an earthquake or a similar natural disaster.

With things finally having settled down, he finally felt fatigue.

His body ached, and all the emotional highs assaulted him at once. They all came collapsing on him, and found the world all over him spinning.

He felt a weight being lifted from his left arm, and he realized that his own mana had already given out and was no longer able to maintain the Armament. When he saw his arm, the shield-blade fusion had already dissipated into particles after a short eruption of particles.

His feet failed in keeping him up, and he fumbled in place, not aware of where he's headed. His vision became completely unfocused, and the world around him began to turn into blots of color blending into one other.

"Anyway, moving on from that.... We did it, Uehara..." he gingerly spoke despite his condition. "We did it together."

Normally, he would have followed it with more words to lighten the mood, but he knew that he's not in any condition to do so now.

From what he can see, his classmate simply continued looking at him with her worried expression.

Then, he felt something push him from behind.

"H-hey, Arata! Arata!"

It was not a force that pushed him forward, but rather his own body that has lost its balance. Her worried voice echoed repeatedly as Kazuki began stumbling headfirst. Fortunately, his classmate got in front of him and caught him.

On the other hand, he continued descending. The force of his fall was apparently too strong, and it sent both Awakeners crashing down the floor.

After landing, Kazuki blinked several times as he briefly regained consciousness. Pushing himself against the ground, he tried to get up, only to realize that he had accidentally buried his face and hands into his classmate's chest.

He hesitated to turn his gaze upwards, but he still did so, and was met by the red face of his classmate who was shaking. He also instinctively looked at his palm, not knowing that it would only make things worse.

"S-sorry?" he meekly apologized with the little consciousness that he had.

It's not going to cut it.

Sayaka Uehara shut her eyes before swinging with her right hand.

Kazuki took the full impact of a slap that felt as if it was meant to kill him and yelled.

The slap finished off what remained of his fleeting consciousness.

2

The phone on the edge of the dressing room table rang with a catchy melodic tune as the clock hit 7:30 p.m.

Yuki-tan, seated in front of the table, reached out for it and set the alarm to snooze. She then proceeded to lean against her mesh seat and stare at the mirror.

A young girl with a confident smile stared back at her.

She felt solace looking at the girl in the mirror.

Gone were the sidetail and the colorful idol attire. What faced her was a girl with her red and pink hair down and wearing a standard peach dress and a scarf.

Despite the simple appearance, she looked content, and most importantly, free of the rules and standards that her superiors, especially her lavender-haired manager, have spent so long drilling into her.

Staring back at Yuki-tann was a simple girl who loved music and idols.

"Sure was a fun day today, Manager."

Her songlike voice reached the other end of the dressing room, where the sharp-dressed woman with lavender hair sat on a sofa and flipped through the pages of a magazine. Knowing her manager, Yuki-tan assumed that she was reading either a magazine about the latest idol trends or more niche interests.

In the back of her head, she shivered recalling the risque... and rather deep-end suggestive images the latter entailed. And there's no way she could say no to her.

The manager gave an almost silent hum of acknowledgement, something that the idol had learned to interpret in their long time together.

"Those five people were lucky, huh? They better thank the gods of luck when they get back. It's not every day you get a cute girl like me to cheer you on."

Yuki-tan stretched her hands up and let out a relaxed sigh.

After a successful event, she was able to cool down and recall the events of the day.

"Five people, huh?" she whispered her thoughts to herself.

She knew that she was lying to herself. Among those five winners, one person stood out in particular. Yuki-tan thought about it more, and she slowly saw the awkward guy with the long bangs in her mind.

"Awww, what a killjoy. Why did he have to be number 39? That was an embarrassing moment for the both of us. Then he had the audacity to run off from me, from the one and only Yuki-tan! Anyone else would kill to win such an exclusive reward!"

Yuki-tan looked into the mirror again in the midst of her whining, and she saw that the girl in the mirror now had a pout on her face, a far contrast from the happy and excitable persona she displayed hours ago.

"For someone who looks so socially-awkward, he's way too blunt!" whined Yuki-tan, remembering how that Kazuki Arata guy outright told her he's not a fan and was not at all interested in idols.

Her charm had never failed in converting potential fans into idol hell beforehand.

Yuki-tan had spent some time talking to herself, and when she finally became aware of it, she noticed that her polished and colorful nails had already dug into her palm.

"You better relax instead of getting worked up over one person," advised a cold voice from the other end of the room. "Once we leave this room, Yuki-tan cannot be seen with anything but her trademark cute smile."

"Yes, Manager." Yuki-tan's answer to her manager was one of resignation.

Of course she cannot be allowed to show something like this outside. It's the rule of idols, especially one under an agency like hers. The moment she steps out of this room into the ground floor of Imperial Tracks, it should be all smiles as she waves goodbye to the few fans who stuck around and the ones who were browsing CDs.

She then realized how lucky she was that she got nothing but a slap on the wrist for her slip-ups on the mic a while ago. Then again, it's that guy's fault anyway.

"Argghh, he pisses me off even more."

What's with that guy's awkward honesty anyway? The more Yuki-tan whined and spun her mesh chair around, the more appealing that door on the right end of the room looked.

She made up her mind. "Ahh, that's it. I'm heading out for a breather, Manager!"

Stepping off her chair and putting on her slippers, she walked to the door at the right end of the room. She slowly opened the door, and the cold night breeze rushed in.

She stepped out through the back door of Imperial Tracks and shut the door behind her. With her wearing just a thin dress and a scarf, she felt the cold spring air dig into her delicate skin.

Yuki-tan looked at her left and right. On her left was the narrow passage that eventually leads to the bustling district. On the other side, a long path that extends all the way to a dead end.

In this lonely and cramped space that can fit three to four people at most, Yuki-tan found solace. It's not that she secretly disliked the spotlight or the paparazzi like a number of idols.

In fact, she craved it.

However, with such status comes the set of rules and a whole library of masks, both for her and her audience, that she had slowly grown sick of.

She stared up and found herself looking at the twinkling stars shining bright on this spring night. The sight of stars has calmed her for as long as she can remember.

Was she like this ever since she was a child?

She cannot recall her childhood, but her sights remained glued on the tranquil spectacle above her.

"Yui... Kimura..."

The sudden mention of her real name, clear as day in the quiet back alley, caught her attention. In one swift motion, she turned to her right, the source of the slow and sinister voice.

"W-what is it?" she snapped at the person that she cannot see. "Show yourself!"

She put her hands out in a position that would make her easy to defend herself as she awaited the being from the shadows.

Eventually, he appeared – a man with purple hair. He had his head down, but Yuki-tan got a glimpse of the rest of his body.

A worn-down doctor's coat loosely hung from his shoulders, and he walked forward in a slow, swaying motion.

With help from the distant lights of the buildings, Yuki-tan also made out some large veins seemingly protruding from the man's hands. They were long, and they looked like they would erupt at any time.

Where did this drunk guy come from? That way is a dead end!

The idol tried her best to keep calm in the situation, but she found it hard to continue maintaining her composure. Something told her to make a run for it, but she found her feet frozen. Her eyes remained fixed on this dangerous-looking man.

"Yui... Kimura..."the man repeated. "Was it you?"

All of a sudden, he raised his head and spread his arms wide.

Yuki-tan failed to hold her scream at the sheer horror of seeing the man's face.

Crazed eyes with bulging veins surrounded by blood and scars were what greeted Yuki-tan. In addition to that, a pool of dried up blood decorated his chest, and the sight of those were enough for Yuki-tan to instinctively cover her mouth with her hands.

The sight of that stunned her even more, and she started uncontrollably shaking in place.

"W-w-w-who are you?" her voice cracked. "Stay away!"

Instead of a straight answer, what she got was the outstretched arm of the strange man reaching out to her.

Just before the clammy-looking hands can grab hold of her, the back door swung open.

"Don't even think of getting your dirty hands on Yuki-tan!"

Yuki-tan immediately recognized the stern, fiery voice and immediately hid behind her manager.

Dead silence followed, and Yuki-tan felt the tense air of the stare down between her manager and the coat-wearing man press down on her and her fast-beating heart.

For Yuki-tan, her manager was an arguably attractive woman, but she still exuded an intimidating and indomitable air like no other thanks to her height and the way she carries herself.

Surely, this strange man would back off, right?

Seemingly getting a hold of his senses, the purple-haired man exhaled and straightened himself up. He kept his eyes locked on Yuki-tan. Silently passing by the imposing manager, he went on his way.

With the way he looked, he would sooner or later stick out whichever way he went. However, none of that mattered to Yuki-tan, who quickly buried her face on the chest of her manager and followed it up with a tight embrace.

"Thank you! Thank you for saving me, Manager!" she cried, gripping the back of the adult woman with her hands tightly.

In response, the woman gently pat the back of the idol repeatedly. She then gently rubbed Yuki-tan's back while talking in a soothing, motherly voice. "Calm down, Yuki-tan. It's safe now."

Yuki-tan continued to let the tears of anxiety flow in between deep breaths.

She walked out here to unwind for a while, but what she got was a truly tense experience. Past it all, she knew that she had to get this over with soon. In just a little while, she would be exiting through the dressing room's other door and greeting a few dozens of people awaiting her bright eyes and cheerful smile.

And crying like that is a no-no for Shiroki City's top up-and-coming idol.

3

It has been a long while since Kazuki felt a slap like that, and it was definitely the first one that knocked the lights out of him.

His eyes slowly opened, and he found himself gazing into a wrecked wall. He turned his head around when he realized that the back of his head was against a soft and smooth surface.

"Oh, you've finally come to!" said a female voice, one filled with relief. "For a second there, I didn't know what I was supposed to do."

Sayaka Uehara continued.

"Sorry about that. I got too ahead of myself."

She spoke in a reserved yet concerned manner as she looked down on him. It was then that Kazuki realized that he had been resting on a lap pillow. He tried moving around, but his back and neck ached and prevented him from doing much.

"I-I should have been more careful too," he answered, as he looked at the slightly flustered face of his classmate. "Sorry, Uehara."

He forced himself up into a seating position, and pain radiated all over his upper body. He had barely gotten up when he felt the transfer classmate's hand forcing him back down, back to the lap pillow.

"Don't push yourself, idiot!"

"Uehara, t-this position..."

Now, it was Kazuki's turn to be flustered as he looked at his classmate.

"The Nullities have stopped appearing after the Class B was defeated, so we should be safe to take a quick break."

She paused before seemingly realizing what Kazuki's words really meant.

"I-I-I don't really mind, okay?"

She placed her hand over her chest and composed herself.

"Besides, I have to thank you for saving me. You're hopeless, you know? I tried my hardest to not get you involved, but you just found a way back, just like that guy."

"Hmmm?"

"Three years ago, I first wandered into Mu. A similar phenomenon started happening in my home city, and I found myself a lost victim inside a Fragment. Luckily, I was saved by my older brother, who also kept me alive by giving me part of his power."

Kazuki nodded as he continued to listen. Uehara now had a longing look on her face as she stared into the distance.

"He always seemed cold, distant, and disinterested. However, he was fiercely loyal to his family and friends, even those whom he just met, and he would often act out of impulse. He was an idiot full of dreams and was extremely ambitious in using Mu's power for the good of mankind. I really admired him for it."

She now looked down at Kazuki, and he noticed some water in her eyes.

"Maybe that's why I saved you that fateful night. Not only did you resemble him, your personality really reminded me of him... of the only family that I loved. He was certainly more of a father than that old man who spent years coming home drunk and abusing me... and I lost him months after first entering Mu."

She then looked away from Kazuki and gently wiped the tears before they can fall.

"It was that event that allowed me to learn the true ability of my Armament. That was the day I first activated Crimson Lust and slayed the Nullities that took him away from me. That was the day I swore my revenge on the Nullities and anyone who would dare use Mu's power foolishly."

"So I've heard."

"Really?"

"You know, before getting here, I had a duel with someone. That someone told me the slightest bits about you, and after hearing your story, it all makes sense now."

"Oh," replied Uehara in an unsurprised voice.

"To be frank, I was not sure what to make of it when I heard about your quest for vengeance. If anything, it made me thankful that I went through a far luckier life, and I never had to consider those things you had to go through."

He now looked Uehara in the eye.

"Uehara, I am not going to condemn your quest. I will not spout clichés and tell you that nothing good will come out of the road of revenge. However, I do have a request in return."

"What is it, Arata?"

"From now on, I want you to share your burden with me. Whatever pain and burden you had resolved to carry by yourself on your lonely road, I want you to share it with me. Do not tough it out by yourself anymore. I may not be the ideal knight or hero, but I want to protect you, I want to grow closer to you, and I want to fight alongside you."

Kazuki swallowed hard.

"Would you trust me?"

He then chuckled. At the back of his mind, he cannot believe he uttered such cheesy words, but he meant those with all his heart.

On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to live it down if Shiki had heard those words.

"What if I refuse?" asked Uehara.

Kazuki smiled.

"Just so you know, when it comes to things I've resolved to do, I'm not the kind to easily take no for an answer. You already experienced it yourself, right?"

"You're just so stubborn, you know? Just like my brother," chuckled Sayaka before pausing. "Don't worry. Consider your request granted."

For the first time, Kazuki saw it.

An honest smile.

A sincere, honest smile from his normally reserved classmate.

It was one that made him happy. It warmed his heart, and he could feel the body aches going away for the meantime.

"Thank you for everything, Arata. Rest easy now. Then, let's go back to our world together."

She gently brushed his hair with her arms.

For now, the battle is over, and all that's left would be returning to the real world. However, Kazuki felt that he would rather stay in this position, if just for a bit longer.