Chapter One: Part Two
“You’re the first out-of-system protagonist that I’ve ever seen. Because of that, I need to make precautions to prevent it from happening ever again.”
The girl’s—Asuka—words continued to echo in my head as I sat in the cockpit of Blade in the darkness of the night.
…
“What’s your plan?”
Asuka ate a spoonful of cake and held the spoon in her mouth as she mused.
“You will have to sign the Protagonist Contract and complete at least four [Story Arcs] for me to get enough data to process. Even though it’s called [Story Arcs], some of it may not be related at all. At the same time it’ll prevent anymore unneeded deaths…”
Her voice trailed off for a short pause before continuing.
“The Contract has one section, where you can request for specific individuals to join your party. With it, you can meet many interesting people, or make the so-called strongest party ever. People that you would normally never meet again can suddenly appear as a transfer student or some random person on the street.”
“If you’re saying what I’m thinking…”
“It is possible to revive Irie, but at what cost I am not entirely sure. I’m actually hoping that your glitch would negate the cost, if any.”
“Tch, hearing that I am a glitch feels like a really painful insult.”
“Then I’ll count that as my revenge for calling me flat!”
“Petty.”
“Grrr….”
…
I leaned back in my seat and searched for a constellation in the night sky as I thought of all the people that I had met and fought alongside with.
Everyone who has a dream has a star in the sky. It’s up there so that nobody else can take it away from you. But if you don’t reach out and take it, you will never get it. So reach up and take your star, Rerth.
I remembered the voice of the woman who took care of me when my parents disappeared.
The ice-colored hair of Lumeria Ryi was still burned in my mind, though it could be the picture I had of her that helped keep my memory of her fresh.
Geh… Though she was a wonderful person whom I loved, she had a tendency of hugging me tightly and smothering my face into her voluminous chest. Because of that, I developed an avoidance of breasts for a few years…
She had stood up for what she had believed in and fought hard for her ideals. Her skill with her pistol, struck fear in wrongdoers. Eventually, she had to leave me, to continue her fight, and that led to my involvement with the terrorist group, F.E.N.E.X.
Even though I was turned into a child soldier, I eventually gratefully accepted this part of my life.
Being part of FENEX was the reason I met one the best shots ever, fellow child soldier Teucer Callaway. Only nine years old and he could snipe down any target over a kilometer away with a 100% accuracy rating. Every shot he fired as a sniper killed its target.
In the insane world the both of us lived in, we became rivals, competing to outdo each other in missions.
FENEX also taught me how to fight properly and it was here that I learnt the skills required for the next part of my life, protecting my future girlfriend, Aki.
But before I met Aki, there was a person who is without a doubt the strongest melee fighter ever, the person who didn’t believe in equal rights, Aias Erythen, nickname Jax.
There was never equality in this world. If there was, the world wouldn’t be this fun, he used to say.
Tall, strong, fierce and proud, he was everything a true warrior was meant to be. He never backed down from a challenge nor did he lose a battle. Odds never fazed him, nor did he believe in luck. All he cared about was the next fight, and all he believed in that there was somebody stronger that he could fight.
His white hair was easily seen in battle and it was the exact opposite of his long-lost brother, Teucer.
Surprising how I meet the two best of their strengths and they are both brothers.
Whether it was fate or something else, Jax became my best friend. Maybe it was a connection from Teucer, but together, no enemy stood a chance against us.
As much as Jax was the ultimate warrior, our comrade Rook Eltsác was the perfect knight.
Rook had only two things he needed to protect in his life: His honor and his queen. He never fought dirty, keeping to the rules and using his sheer skill with his [Triple Shields] to overcome any odds. Many opponents that he fought against had come out of the battle with admiration and respect for his honorable style.
But a month ago he failed.
Aki was Rook’s queen, and he failed in protecting her.
I wanted to blame Rook for not saving Aki, but I couldn’t. Aki had ordered him to protect me instead, which he faithfully followed. Because of that, I couldn’t hold it against him.
He had done his part as a knight, and I had to do my part to live on for her.
I stood up and jumped down onto the sand. The cool ocean breeze swept my hair back, and I inhaled deeply.
Irie Sakuya, the person whom I call Aki, the girl I love.
She had become a Protagonist through the contract. Through the contract she met me, and because of me she had died.
I guess I now understood her last words.
I understood what she meant by being thankful for the time being spent with me.
I reached my hand up into the night sky, palm open.
They were people that I had trusted my life with, and me with theirs.
I made the mistake of letting two of them die.
I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
The star is waiting for me in the night sky. I’ll clear the [Arcs] and stand tall, with the people that went in with me, and with the others that we will meet.
I closed my fist, as if I could have taken that star from the sky, and held it against my heart.
Aki, I’m coming for you, just wait a little longer.
For us.
☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*
Interlude
Standing in the middle of a field of many species of flowers, was a large sakura tree in full bloom, even though the season was wrong.
Sitting on one of the braches was the girl named Asuka. Floating screens of light surrounded her, with information scrolling across it. Even then, Asuka still navigated the screens without error.
“Hm-hm, Rerth-kun~! For this first Arc I’ll have to seal your memories for a while.”
She smiled to herself.
But the smile soon turned into a frown.
“But I still don’t understand how he bypassed the system. His earlier data had no signs of corruption… AHHH!!! I need to get to the bottom of this! If R-sama finds out about Rerth, I’m soooo dead... orz”
Sighing in exasperation, Asuka stood up on the branch she was sitting on.
“Off the record, this story is part of the [Contract] that Rerth had signed. In a sense, space and time has and will be warped. In other words, this story comes after the [Contract]. Either way, please enjoy it~!”
The gentle spring breeze continued to blow in the field of flowers and revealed sky blue stripes.
