Free Electron (3)
Brushing her teeth in front of the mirror, Amy pushed up her short hair.
It wasn't that she disliked it.
She was a soldier and knew how useless elaborate hairstyles were in combat.
But once she left the battlefield and returned to everyday life, she was still a woman.
"Ugh."
She finished washing her face and a knock sounded at the door.
"Amy, are you in your room?" Shirone's voice.
It was everything she'd imagined a thousand times, but now that it was actually happening she felt suddenly nervous.
"Just a minute."
She wiped her face with a towel and opened the door to find Shirone wearing an awkward smile.
"What is it at this hour?"
"Uh, well..."
Amy sighed.
"Come in."
After glancing down the hallway, she closed the door and locked it.
Click.
The sound seemed louder than thunder. Amy was the first to speak.
"You came because of what happened this morning, didn't you?"
"Well, Amy..."
"It's fine. I was hurt, yes, but I decided to let it go. I was too sensitive."
She really had a steady heart.
'That's one of the things I like about her.'
Amy smiled and glanced back.
"Thanks for telling me. I thought you hadn't noticed at all, but you did care."
"Haha, of course."
The morning misunderstanding had been cleared up, but Shirone still couldn't bring himself to leave.
"Then... should I just go now?"
"No, since you're here, would you like some tea or something?"
"Wait, do you want to sit here for a moment?"
Shirone patted the spot beside the bed, and Amy finally realized what he meant.
"Suddenly—why—"
Her words trailed off and she sat down; Shirone quietly leaned in.
"Hold on!"
As if time itself had stopped, Shirone froze.
"Wh-what?"
Amy got up, turned off the light, and came back to Shirone's side.
Shirone hadn't moved a finger while she stepped away; then time resumed.
"Amy—"
Rustling sounds came from the dark and their breaths grew shallow.
"Director Odaesung!"
Someone pounded on the door.
Both of them jolted upright, knocking into things as they tumbled, and Shirone slid off the bed.
"Who's there?"
Amy switched the light on and looked back—she was fixing her clothes under the blanket.
"Director Odaesung! Are you inside?"
It was Principal Nikolai's voice.
If he'd actually come looking for Shirone, it would be a serious breach of etiquette, but there was no time to think about that.
"One moment."
When she opened the door, Nikolai stood there, pale and sweating.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry. A guest came looking for someone... they couldn't find them in their room, so they came here instead."
"A guest?"
A public Grade Four mage should normally remain composed in almost any situation.
Knowing that, Amy strode out toward the door, a rare edge in her voice, and Shirone silently backed her up with a glare.
"Well, um..."
Nikolai dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and took a step back, and only then did Shirone realize by instinct.
"Ah!"
A promise suddenly came to mind.
"Shirone."
The door opened slowly and the guest entered; Amy's mouth fell open.
She wasn't human, and therefore possessed a beauty not seen in the human world.
"Mother."
The archangel Ikael stepped in smiling.
"Mother? Mother, you say?"
Amy's thoughts scrambled and landed on a conclusion that sent a shock through the base of her skull.
"What? Mother?"
Ikael's brows arched at the unexpected reaction.
"I was told the matter was urgent, so I came immediately. Am I intruding?"
It was at the wizard's request.
Also, because of the nature of simultaneous events—two Shirones couldn't occupy the same space—Ikael and Shirone had agreed to meet elsewhere and separated in a foreign land.
'So she really did come at night...'
Shirone sent Nikolai away and awkwardly introduced the two women.
"This is Amy. Amy, um, this is my—"
He hesitated; saying "my biological mother" felt strange.
"This is Ikael."
"Hello. I'm Amy."
Ikael accepted Amy's polite greeting with a gentle look.
'So this is the one.'
She had been one of the women Shirone had tried to save with all his strength when he first came to heaven.
"I've heard a lot about Shirone. You're very pretty. I'm Ikael."
Ikael couldn't bring herself to say "biological mother"—there was guilt left over regarding Shirone.
Sensing that subtle nuance, Amy went straight to the point.
"What's going on?" Shirone explained.
"Well... Archangel Sathiel has become the new commander of the angelic forces. At first the archangels were scattered, but it seems Rayel sided with Sathiel."
Many things were happening within heaven's forces.
"Mother and I have been traveling the world trying to persuade the ordinary angels, but to no avail. Apparently they decided, unanimously, to follow Sathiel."
"Not a single one?"
Ikael explained, "Angels differ somewhat from humans. Unanimity is rare among humans, but angels act according to absolute standards. When opinions diverge, the archangel council—the Hundred Court—decides."
Ikael had been the ultimate approver.
"The reason the ordinary angels chose Sathiel is that they agreed with his absolute standard—a special mission to restore heaven's authority."
Shirone added, "The Hundred Court is heaven's highest coordinating body. That two of them shared the same view had a major effect. If Uriel had taken mother's side, he might have shaken the army... but—"
Uriel intended to kill Ikael.
"Hmm."
Amy propped her chin and thought for a moment.
"What is Sathiel planning? If he had reassembled heaven's forces, something should have happened already. I only heard about this today."
"We don't know exactly. At some point tracking became impossible. We're sure they're on the planet, but according to Mr. Rampa's investigation, their trail disappeared in the Zive Kingdom."
"Zive, huh. A powerful country."
"Yes. It likely has ties to the Holy War council. Giants and elves are moving independently as well. Torimia has many cards it can play, but depending on heaven's situation, we can't be certain."
"True. The Fermi side is suspicious, too," Ikael said.
"I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help. If we could have persuaded the angels—"
"It's not your fault. Those angels left because Shirone, and ultimately humans, supported that choice. I'm not here to represent anyone, but I'm grateful."
Ikael's regained composure and warm smile put Amy at ease.
"But... what brings you here tonight?"
"Ah, the wizard asked me to come. She'll help him open his Siok."
"I see."
Shirone had learned ataraxia by resonating his mind with Ikael.
"But isn't that dangerous? You said yourself—one wrong move and he could lose himself."
"That's why his own will matters. He should be fine. He's talented and, above all, young. Age matters when opening the senses."
As she finished speaking, Ikael's face suddenly turned cold and she shifted her gaze.
It was so brief no one noticed, but Ikael sensed an abnormal movement in the flow of charge.
'What is that?'
Shirone might have felt it if he'd concentrated, but Ikael's senses were constantly active.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Shirone, whose awkwardness had mostly faded, asked. Ikael relaxed her expression and said,
"It's late. I'll go for now. You two spend a little more time together. I was a bit oblivious."
Ikael was one of the few angels who had experienced how humans loved.
"No, I'm about to sleep too. I actually called you to discuss something. Right, Shirone?"
Amy ground her teeth and shot Shirone a glare telling him to get out.
"Oh, right. Right. Get out then, Mother. I'll ask if there's an empty room."
"No need. I have something to do, so I'll be back by morning."
Shirone assumed she had some errand he didn't need to know about and accepted it as a courtesy.
"Good night. Shirone, sleep well."
Amy walked Ikael and Shirone to the door, closed it, and leaned her back against it.
"Whoo."
For the time being, idle thoughts seemed unlikely to surface.
In the early hours, while everyone slept, blue electricity tangled on the dormitory rooftop and took the shape of a person, crouched like a cat.
Fwooooo.
A long exhale revealed a man wearing tight black tights.
"…fussy."
Electricity ran across the white mask covering his face and a neon expression lit up.
A childish, drawn-on face. The eyes were Xs and the mouth rippled like a sine wave.
"But I was paid, after all..."
Gunjo Bedium.
He was the father of Gunjo Raikon, whom Shirone had killed, and the Black Line's top assassin.
When he heard the news of his son's death, Bedium's mask displayed a crying expression.
That was all.
'Let's test the waters first.'
If Ikael hadn't come to the room, this would have been the perfect opportunity to kill Shirone.
'Amy.'
Given the situation, his priority was to shake Shirone's heart.
Tssss!
His body dissolved into free charge again, and the mask showed a broad smile.
He vanished downwards and reappeared in a room that smelled pleasantly fragrant.
Amy was fast asleep.
Bedium monitored her brainwaves through the free charge and nodded slightly.
'Extremely stable.'
In his hand was an electrical dagger shaped like an elongated S.
'No emotion.'
If he stabbed her with this, the current would run through her organs and stop her heart.
'That's life, I guess.'
He intoned the incantation that would remove the will to live and brought the dagger down toward her solar plexus.
Pzzzzzt!
At the same moment, electricity spread across his own chest.
'What the—?'
Realizing a fist had passed through his body, he slid to the corner and lifted his head.
'An archangel.'
The silhouette of a beautiful woman over two meters tall looked down on Amy.
'But why now? Could she have sensed me?'
Ikael slowly turned her head and asked, "Who are you? Why are you targeting this child?"
Bedium's mask displayed a cute squint and a tongue stuck out to the side.
'What a bother.'
A single bead of sweat trembled.