"Speaking of my sisters, there is one person you must be wary of," Rhea's voice suddenly turned grave in Natsuha Shinomiya's ear. "The youngest of our warband, Zonaya. We've lost many memories, and I no longer know which artifacts they are sealed in. But if you ever hear me scream that name, you must run as far away as possible."
"Run away? Is this youngest sister really that powerful?" Natsuha was genuinely surprised. Usually, in stories, the youngest was the weakest.
"She's not necessarily strong in raw power," Rhea sighed. "What's terrifying is the mana trait she developed."
"Mana trait?" Natsuha caught another new term.
"Yes. Anyone truly seeking to ascend to godhood must develop their own unique mana trait. They can be similar, but never identical. You haven't even reached the Transcendent stage yet, so don't worry about the details. I will tell you this: our little sister's trait is 'Control and Devour.'"
"I see," Natsuha replied, falling silent. Rhea didn't push the subject further.
Sitting in front of her, Mina Morita was also in a daze. Since discovering her physical abilities were skyrocketing, her mother had pulled her out of school for a few days to return to the family estate. Between the sudden awakening of her potential and being thrust into family politics, her head was spinning.
The fact that an "Older Sister" named Horyaz lived inside the family's ancestral shield felt like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Because she hadn't made a habit of wearing the badge yet, she had left the shield at home today. However, the esoteric knowledge Horyaz had dumped into her brain was enough to keep her occupied for a long time.
If only Alistair were here... he'd understand all this 'Mystery' stuff so much faster. It's a shame he's away on that exchange program... Mina looked out the window, her mind drifting.
"Yawwwwn..."
Alistair let out his third yawn of the morning. He felt sluggish. Mrs. White was constantly scanning the room; both Alistair and the class rep, Tomomi Sakurazawa, were her primary targets of observation.
Thanks to the Horse Talisman, Alistair's body was physically energetic, but the mental exhaustion of a sleepless night was weighing on him. He had evolved, but he wasn't at the "never sleep again" level yet. Without a nap, he was going to snap.
Ring!
As soon as the final bell of the morning session rang, Alistair's head hit the desk with a heavy thud. He closed his eyes instantly.
"Alistair, did you not sleep well last night?" Tomomi Sakurazawa pulled two bento boxes from her bag. She had intended to invite him to a "sweet" lunch, but seeing his state, she simply tucked one of the boxes into his desk drawer.
"Yeah... some nuisance showed up in the middle of the night. Couldn't get back to sleep after," Alistair muttered into his sleeve.
Tomomi didn't disturb him further and began eating her lunch quietly.
The "nuisance" had actually only taken half an hour to kill, but cleaning up the mess was the real nightmare. Alistair had spent the rest of the night scrubbing succubus remains and dealing with the structural damage. By dawn, he was so frustrated with a stubborn pile of rubble that he punched a piece of stone.
The impact cut his hand. In a fit of irritation, he flooded his hand with the power of the Horse Talisman. To his shock, the energy didn't just heal his skin; it resonated with the "Mystery" in his body and physically restored the shattered stone, pulling the fragments back into a seamless whole.
It was exactly like Josuke Higashikata's Crazy Diamond.
Alistair had stared at the floor in disbelief. He had spent hours manually cleaning when he could have just "healed" the room back to its original state. The realization kept him awake with sheer annoyance until sunrise.
The afternoon classes were a blur. Since he was just an exchange student and the teachers didn't care much, Alistair slept through the rest of the day.
"Time flies. Better get moving. I have to return this to Sakura Miyajima." Alistair rubbed his stiff neck, checked the time on his phone, and stood up.
"Alistair, are you going to return the pendant to Miyajima? I'll go with you," Tomomi suggested, eyeing the ring-pendant in his hand.
"Sure, let's go." Alistair nodded. But as they walked, he noticed something strange about Tomomi.
Yesterday, when they borrowed the ring from Sakura, Tomomi had stayed behind to chat with her. Now, Alistair noticed a thin black cord around Tomomi's neck. Though the pendant itself was tucked deep into the "Mariana Trench" of her cleavage, Alistair knew exactly what it was.
"What? Is something wrong with my outfit?" Tomomi noticed him staring and began checking herself.
"No, nothing. You just look particularly good today. By the way, when did you get that pendant?" Alistair asked casually.
"Oh! You noticed?" Tomomi beamed. "I asked Miyajima-san to help me get one yesterday. Do you want one too, Alistair? I think they're quite charming!"
It's like a virus, Alistair thought. Spreading through the campus.
So far, the "infected" included Sister Anna, Sakura Miyajima, and Tomomi Sakurazawa. He suspected Nina and the others were next. The worst-case scenario was that the "infection" spread simply by looking at the object.
They arrived at the Kendo Club. The dojo was mostly empty.
"Miyajima-san isn't here. Let's check the lounge," Alistair said.
He knocked on the lounge door. "Excuse me, it's Alistair. I'm looking for Miyajima-san."
"Come in. We aren't in a meeting," a muffled but familiar voice replied.
Alistair opened the door and saw Nina Tsubahara sitting across from Sakura Miyajima. And there, on the table, sat another "pendant."
"Oh, Alistair. What brings you here?" Nina asked.
"He's returning my pendant. He was curious about it yesterday," Sakura explained smoothly.
"I see. But you don't seem that interested in it now, Alistair," Nina teased, remembering his bored expression from the previous day.
"Yeah, not really my thing." Alistair stepped forward to place the ring on the table. As he did, Sakura reached out and caught his hand. As he let go of the ring, she used her fingernail to lightly scratch the center of his palm—a secret, electric touch.
He looked at her, but her face was a mask of polite concern. "Is something wrong, Alistair-kun?"
"No. I've returned the item. I won't interrupt your chat. I'll be going now." Alistair kept his cool and excused himself. Tomomi stayed behind to join the girls' conversation.
Once outside, Alistair opened his palm.
Meet me here at 7:30? Heh, interesting. He recalled the sensation of her tracing the words into his skin.