AtE Arc 2: The Magical Girl’s Commandments – Chapter 3
In the dead of night after the sun went down.
In order to avoid involving students, after the students had returned to their residences, a number of teachers assembled and began investigating.
「Group 1 lead by Minami-sensei will start investigating from the school building west of the scene, group 2 lead by Kurume-sensei will start from the school building north of the scene, and group 3 lead by Seto-sensei will start from behind the Fourth Practice Room.」
「Those of us from group 4 will be here, right?」
Me, Mutsu-sensei, and one more person gathered at the scene that was discovered in the afternoon.
While the only thing that we had found up until now was the emblem, this place with the bloodstain was the sole “clue” left behind outside of that.
There was naturally a reason why we were assigned the most important location. It was because of our “other member”.
「How is it——Nana. Do you think you’ll be able to get it?」
「Hm. I’ll try.」
It was our first clue after so long. There wasn’t anything that we wouldn’t try to do.
Due to his division as a teacher being different to begin with, the only one who had no obligation to cooperate with these sorts of cases was one person alone – the counsellor Nana.
When we requested for his cooperation, he immediately nodded happily in response.
「【Apelefthérosi (Release)】」
*T/N: アペレフセロスィ(Apelefthérosi) → Greek for Release
When Nana held his hand over the bloodstain and recited an aria, the dried blood began to boil and flowed upwards like a living being.
Eventually, it rose up, and transformed into a marble-like crystal.
「Ohh, this is “Water’s”……」
As Nana made a wry smile at the impressed Mutsu-sensei, the marble stayed in place.
「【Anazítisi (Search)】」
When he said that, the marble transformed into a figure like an arrowhead, and slowly began to move.
Water user. This was just one part of the hero who was also called Blue Rain (Aoshigure). Mutsu-sensei, who saw that power being displayed before his eyes, timidly followed the back of Nana as he started walking.
――／――
Now then, Tokusen’s Kantou Area, which possesses enormous premises, is situated in Tokyo’s suburbs. Though it wasn’t to the extent of being called an academic city, it not only had a plethora of school buildings and practice rooms, but residences for students and faculty. In addition, it was also furnished with various places such as mountains, valleys, and rivers, for outdoor exercises.
Within the enclosed area which barely contained such a vast number of facilities. The pointed tip of the blood arrow was pointed towards the depths of a gloomy valley.
「Could it be at the bottom of the valley? Shall we go down?」
「I suppose so. You…Mutsu? Do you have a way to get down?」
「No, sorry. It’s outside of my area of expertise.」
When Nana asked him, Mutsu-sensei shook his head in a regretful manner.
In any case, his ability was a Support type that uses illusions. It couldn’t be helped that it was outside of his abilities. Meaning……
「If something happens down there, request for backup. As long as we don’t know what the culprit’s ability is, I will avoid using the terminal right now to request for support, but if it is possible I will contact you, so could Mutsu-sensei act as the intermediary and remain here?”
「……that’s…true. Sorry…….please leave it to me.」
After I spoke, Mutsu-sensei hesitated for a while before finally nodding his lowered head.
「But…um…just this!」
Saying that, Mutsu-sensei made me hold onto a charm.
I wonder which shrine it is from? The words “Wish for Safety” suited the kind Mutsu-sensei, and somehow gave a sense of relief.
「Thank you very much.」
「No…….it’s because this…is all I can really do.」
Lowering his head, Mutsu-sensei said that while giving a bitter smile.
「Well then, Nana.」
「Alright, Michi. Let’s go…….Mutsu-sensei, I will be leaving this place to you.」
「Yes! May fortune be with you……!」
Nana transformed water into an impromptu one-person foothold that floated up, and then smiled at Mutsu-sensei in order to comfort him. Iyaa, it’s a bit inappropriate, but he’s as pretty as a picture.
「【Open・Form・Physical Enchant・Arm・Back Position・Parts・Fly・Ignition】」
In order to follow after Nana, I also utilized a flight technique. Thin insect wings, no, wings like those of a fairy’s unfolded from my back, and I gently floated upwards.
It would be rather difficult to use them for high speed flight, but if it’s just to go down to the bottom of the valley, then it’s enough. After giving Mutsu-sensei a bow, I accompanied Nana in descending to the depths of the valley.
「If it’s him, then you don’t really need to worry, right?」
「That’s impossible.」
「No matter what you wear, Michi is lovely.」
「Don’t wanna.」
Even though you were biting your lips while trembling at that reunion, goddammit.
……is what I wouldn’t say, as one might expect. Since Nana’s common sense was quite off, he might’ve been compromising somewhat, but no matter what, it was impossible for me.
Prior to the age of 10, I was somehow able to persist through it. After the age of 10, it might have gotten a bit serious. However, now…no, ever since about five years ago, it was definitely impossible.
There was also a matter of my social standing, and for my occupation in which I had guide and teach many people, if I were to……reveal that appearance that was too repulsive to even talk about, then……-I began to think about such things.
「I am not the only ally of justice. Even now, everyone has continued to do their best somewhere. I don’t plan on pushing it all onto them, but I want to try doing things differently – though that may be selfish of me.」
I do think that I am being selfish.
Because there were people without power who were struggling because of that.
But, even so…….at least my hairdo……no, if I wasn’t at least allowed to hide my face, it was seriously impossible.
「No. Don’t think that way. There is no need to fuss about the means to the point where it’d whittle away at the important places of Michi’s heart. If you really wanted to be selfish, then you could even depend on us while spending your time leisurely. But you didn’t even try to do that. That’s why the Michi that is fighting here right now is a wonderful woman.」
「Nana……」
In the past, he was an innocent but timid boy.
Nevertheless, right now he’s become this cool. That fact gave a slight sense of loneliness, but also a sense of reliability.
「Fufu, thanks. I guess I can’t act like your older sister anymore.」
「That’s right. Michi is a girl. It’s fine if you don’t act like an older sister, so depend on me more?」
「I’ll think about it. For now——」
We landed at the bottom of the valley.
There was a cavern with its entrance gaping wide.
I braced myself at the “bad feeling” I felt coming from deep within it.
「——this is the end, isn’t it.」
Nodding at Nana’s words, I dissolved my magic art.
The arrowhead pointed towards the interior of the cave.
「Umm——-【Open・Form・Light・Ignition】」
As a ball of light dimly appeared, floating, I walked into the cave while remaining vigilant.
The inside of the cave wasn’t “unnatural” in the sense that it had been made by human hands. Caves made by nature were born over the course of time, and were subject to the laws of nature during their creation. However, this cave had neither wind nor water, and even though there was only a profound darkness, the passageway and its walls were uniformly “weathered”.
「Michi」
Answering to Nana’s quiet call, I stopped my legs.
The light naturally came to a stop, and illuminated the depths of the cave.
「……seems like we’ve got a hit.」
Further within the cave. Scanning the walls of the large space that suddenly spread out before us, you could see four students stuck to it as if they had been embedded.
Those weren’t the black uniforms of the Magical Arts Department. All of them were wearing the white uniforms of the ESP department.
「There’s no doubt that they’re the children from the documents.」
「Yup. We have to hurry up and release them.」
We carefully advanced deeper in, approaching the wall.
They were evenly spaced on the wide surface of the wall. The fact that they were positioned so that if just one more person was added, a pentagon would be completed, only gave a bad feeling.
And then——.
「——it’ll be finished with just one more person. Could you wait for a bit?」
——a voice reverberated.
Kiriko Translations 
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Thanks for the new chapter!
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