“Hah…!”
Shizuku praised herself—it was the perfect ambush.
The moment she hurled an insult at the “nasty woman,” Iris had just thrown Cklares and couldn’t react in time. So, with all the momentum she could muster, Shizuku swung the rifle down in a full-force strike—
“You’ve got no class.”
“Hah!?”
A roundhouse kick from Iris collided with the blow.
For an instant, Shizuku’s body floated midair from the sheer impact—but what shocked her more was the reaction speed. Suppressing her astonishment, she acted.
She slightly adjusted the angle of the rifle stock.
“Tch…!”
Aiming the barrel at Iris’s body, she pulled the trigger—
“Not even a circus act.”
Iris dodged the bullet with just a slight twist of her body.
“Wha…!?”
“Sniper rifle or not, if I can see the barrel, I can predict the trajectory. Didn’t they teach you that?”
But Iris’s twist wasn’t just for evasion. The moment she dodged, her pivot foot kicked off the ground—
“───!”
A leaping high kick exploded against Shizuku’s skull.
Agony burst through her, and her vision went black.
“Ghk… hah… guh…?”
When she came to, the taste of blood and dirt filled her mouth—she was already sprawled on the ground.
Through her blurred vision, she saw:
“Pathetic. Is this all you amount to under Hamish’s wing?”
Iris, flicking her wrist dismissively.
Her eyes were cold as ice, sharp and piercing—
“I really should’ve killed you a year and a half ago.”
A frigid killing intent surged like threads unleashed.
●
“───Hm.”
Iris was faintly surprised as she swung [wörgl].
Dordinium threads could easily slice through human flesh—she had intended exactly that.
But it didn’t happen. The sensation through her gauntlet told her:
“A fairy’s [Hand], huh?”
It might’ve been a mistake to send both the fairy and the Tearflower girl flying to the same spot. But then again—
“Less like a fairy and a flower, more like a turtle and a weed.”
With just a slight twitch of her fingers, Iris set the monster-slaying threads into motion.
●
“Hah… hah… What the hell was that!?”
“Who knows, really? Though, I’ve gotta say… this is bad.”
The two of them caught their breath inside the air wall Cklares had created.
“I can hear this weird hyun-hyun sound—is that really threads? And her movements make no sense either!”
“[Nine Herbs] has that kind of thing, apparently? I only heard bits from Sensei. …Still, this is way beyond what I expected.”
“Using up so much stamina fighting that illusion earlier didn’t help either.”
“Guess we’ll have to redo our endurance training.”
Cklares’ wry smile was damp with sweat.
Even now, the air wall she had created was being whittled away. Though she had also deployed barriers around Natalia, Iris was only targeting Shizuku and Cklares.
“[Lingering Echoes – Tears of the Flowers] didn’t work either. Any ideas?”
“How should I know? If she’s not an [Unlaw], then… the only one it’s ever completely failed against is Norman.”
“Worst news today. So, what now?”
“We have to take her down. Somehow.”
Shizuku responded bitterly. Unlike usual, she was in her innerwear, rubbing her exposed arms.
“If I hit her with my ability in [Deepened State]… maybe it’ll work?”
“Doubt it. It didn’t do anything earlier—we’d need to amplify it further. My [Deepening] might be able to block her threads to some degree… maybe.”
“Ugh… damn it!”
“Language, Shizuku-chan.”
“What choice do I have!? I’m pissed!”
Cklares watched as Shizuku cursed.
The Tearflower girl grimaced and stood up.
“She just had to show up right when things were settling down! I mean, sure, from her perspective, she’s got a point—but this is way too extreme! And worst of all, she keeps bringing up Norman-kun like it’s nothing!”
“That last part’s what really gets you, huh?”
Cklares chuckled wryly as she rose too.
“But yeah, now that you mention it, I’m pissed too. Honestly, she’s way too old to be showing up at this school. This place is for teenagers only.”
“What about the teachers?”
“Teachers get a pass.”
The two cracked identical smirks.
“………………Alright, good news and bad news.”
“Good first.”
“Good news—I think I figured out how to amplify your [Echo]].”
“And the bad?”
“We’ll have to sync up. You know how [Unlaw] powers run on emotions, right?”
Shizuku gave Cklares a deadpan stare.
Cklares smiled faintly, meeting her gaze.
“I hate you, you know.”
“I know. Same here.”
But, the fairy continued:
“Right now, at this moment… what we want to protect is the same, isn’t it?”
The Tearflower girl narrowed her eyes.
“Never thought you’d treasure anything besides Norman-kun.”
“Likewise. I didn’t think anything but Sensei could shake a Tearflower’s heart.”
Still, Cklares shrugged.
“Since we can’t compromise on what matters most, maybe we can agree on the rest. Second or third place—who knows?”
“…Ugh. Agreeing with you makes me sick.”
Shizuku sighed. Cklares nodded with a wry smile.
“That’s more like you.”
Then, in unison, they shouted:
[────Critical Deepening!]
●
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
The explosion of dual-colored light made Iris narrow her eyes.
As the air wall shattered and [wörgl]’s threads were deflected, two monsters stood.
The Tearflower’s hair glowed a deep, vivid blue.
The fairy’s back bore shimmering green wings.
The matching badges on their chests and hats reflected the light.
“…………I see.”
Iris understood upon seeing them.
She had suspected Norman was hiding something about the four members of Elementary—this must be it. Or perhaps it was one of the reasons Jim Adamworth had fixated on Norman last month.
“But what changes?”
She already knew their capabilities. Exhausted from their earlier fight with the [Weeping Woman], they posed no real threat.
The Tearflower’s [Echo]] didn’t affect her. The fairy’s [Hand] could be severed easily.
“Hah, you still don’t get it!?”
Shizuku thrust out her left hand, middle finger raised.
“What changes? Our damn mood! We’re fired up to beat the crap out of that smug-faced bitch! This form’s made with 1000% of Norman’s love, so you bet we’re hyped!”
Cklares followed up:
“I’ve given up on Shizuku-chan having manners, but yeah. That’s it.”
Iris clicked her tongue.
“That’s exactly why you two disgust me. You make my skin crawl.”
The revulsion rising from her chest forced the words out.
“Still relying on Hamish? Just like earlier. Pretending you wanted to protect that [Weeping Woman], yet not even trying to do what you could yourselves.”
She exhaled.
“This is why I hate you [Unlaw]. Whining about what you want, what you hate—just throwing tantrums with your powers.”
She couldn’t understand it. Their way of thinking was alien.
“If something’s unforgivable, do what’s necessary. If it’s nearly impossible, stake your life on it. If even that fails, then die.”
“…Cklares-san, this woman’s insane.”
“She’s insane, so she’s here.”
“Fair, can’t argue that.”
Nodding, Iris spread her fingers.
“That’s why I’ll kill you.”
●
“[Fairy Hand Spriggan Hand] ───!”
First, Cklares summoned a slender sword rolling nearby. In an instant, a green flash streaked through the air—
“─────[Fountain Script]!”
Countless emerald lines erupted across Iris’s vision.
“Tch───”
Iris frowned—but Cklares was just as shocked.
Using the [Hand] at full power in [Deepened State] made even solidified air glow.
With little combat experience in this form, this was practically her first time consciously using a derivative ability.
The fairy [Hand]’s invisibility was diminished, but—
“It’s working…!”
The heightened durability was indeed deflecting Iris’s threads.
That was the first condition.
“Shizuku-chan!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Beside her, Shizuku emptied her magazine into Iris.
“And?”
The bullets never reached her. [wörgl]’s threads intercepted their trajectories. But it was enough.
“Hah…!”
Cklares exhaled sharply, raising her free hand to the sky—
“[Spriggan Hand]…!”
She swung down, thrusting her palm toward Iris.
And as if following the movement of her hand, six pillars glowing green descended around Iris as the center.
●
“What is this…?”
Shizuku heard Iris’s slightly confused voice.
The air pillars that Cklares had created had no offensive capability in themselves.
The attack would come now.
“Well, this is where it begins, Shizuku-chan.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Shizuku nodded,
“——[Echo Howling]”
She pulled the trigger.
The bullets were already spent. But instead, something else was fired.
“The fairy’s [hand]… well, it’s a bullet though.”
As Cklares said with a wry smile, the air bullet she had created.
It flew straight, trailing blue and green light.
It didn’t hit Iris—but the air pillar standing before her.
Upon impact,
“—!?”
A sound rang out.
And that air vibration spread to the adjacent pillar, resonating.
It then propagated to the next pillar, and instantly all six pillars shook, repeating amplification and reverberation.
Iris’s face, standing at the center, contorted, and her movement stopped.
“This is… a tuning fork…!?”
The sound generated from the bullet was amplified by the resonance between the pillars and hammered into Iris.
But that was,
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