Chapter 205: Many Human Relationships Begin With Trouble.
Non-Administrated World #97, Star Rail Universe…
Lord El-Melloi II's office smelled of tobacco, old books, and the kind of exhaustion only the Clock Tower could produce.
Stacks of documents occupied one side of the desk. Several open files sat near the center, marked with seals from the Department of Policies, the Department of Astromancy, and, most annoyingly, a notice from Zelretch that said very little while somehow causing many problems.
Waver Velvet, now known to most of the Clock Tower as Lord El-Melloi II, sat behind his desk with his fingers pressed against his forehead.
Across from him, Olga Marie Animusphere stood with a folder hugged tightly against her chest. She was trying very hard to look calm and official.
She almost succeeded.
But Waver noticed the twitch in her cheek as she reported Noah's status.
Gray stood near the wall, hood pulled low, hands placed in front of her thighs. Add's cage sat on the table beside her, and for once, he was unusually silent.
That alone proved the situation was serious.
"…So," Waver said at last, his voice tired enough to file a complaint on its own. "Schweinorg repaired another dimensional tear."
Olga nodded. "Yes. The tear near Uminari City has been stabilized. According to Noah's report, the barrier no longer shows active expansion."
"That is good news."
"It would be," Olga replied, "if that was the only problem."
Waver slowly lowered his hand from his forehead.
Gray looked up.
Olga opened the folder and placed several photographs on the desk. The first showed a distortion above an ordinary street, nearly invisible to normal eyes but violently twisted under magecraft observation. The second showed traces of black-purple fragments scattered across the bounded field. The third was less clear, but even Waver could make out the shape of something humanoid dissolving into static.
Gray's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are those?"
"Quantum Shadows," Olga said. "That was what Argent called it. Noah described them as shadow-like constructs made from dimensional residue and a foreign energy signature."
Waver picked up one photograph, and his expression darkened.
"Foreign energy signature?"
Olga nodded. "It was not Ether. Not normal spiritual matter. Not even imaginary numbers, though the readings came close enough to make every instrument complain in a different language."
"So our instruments know they hate it, but not what it is."
"Annoyingly correct," Olga said sharply, then caught herself. "Apologies."
"Continue." Waver waved it off.
Olga took out another page. "Noah fought and destroyed multiple entities before sealing the tear. Unfortunately, no bodies remained, and he used a Class Card."
"Which class?" Gray asks curiously.
"Saber."
"Charlemagne." Waver raised his brow.
"That sounds… very bright." Gray blinked.
"It was described as very bright, dramatic, and…" Olga's cheeks reddened slightly as she continued. "…heroic, but apparently effective."
Waver closed his eyes.
"Sir?" Gray tilted her head.
"He is Zelretch's grandson," Waver muttered. "Of course, his emergency response involves something loud, dramatic, and effective."
From Add's cage came a muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
"Add." Gray lightly tapped the cage.
Olga let out a mock cough and continued before the mood could wander too far. "There is another matter."
"Of course there is." Waver opened one eye.
"When Noah closed the tear," Olga said, "he reported feeling something behind the dimensional wall."
The atmosphere quickly changed around them. Gray's fingers tightened slightly around her sleeve.
"Something?" Waver set the photograph down.
"He could not identify it. His exact words were…" Olga checked the report. "A pressure from the other side. It could not enter yet, but it was aware and watching."
Gray's face paled a little.
"…Did any of our instruments detect it?" Waver's expression sharpened.
"No," Olga admitted, frustration slipping into her voice. "And that is the problem. The instruments detected instability, dimensional stress, and residue from the entities he fought. But whatever Noah sensed did not leave enough of a trace for the Clock Tower's tools to classify."
"So either it was never there," Waver said, "or it was looking through a method our systems were never built to notice."
"…I dislike the second possibility." Olga's face tightened.
"So do I. Which means it is probably closer to the truth."
"Could it be connected to the shadows Noah-san fought?" Gray looked between them.
"Possibly," Waver said. "Or the shadows were only a side effect of the dimensional walls weakening enough for something else to press against them."
Olga crossed her arms, but worry showed beneath her sharp expression. "Noah also noted that the entities reacted to him. Not like beasts reacting to prey. More like something had noticed him specifically."
"That sounds dangerous." Gray bit her lip.
"It is," Waver agreed.
He reached for his cigar, then remembered Olga was standing in front of him and decided he did not need another lecture from a girl young but proud enough to sound like a department head.
His hand changed direction and picked up the report instead.
"Where is Schweinorg now?"
"Still in Uminari," Olga replied. "He has begun checking the remaining weak points caused by Rin and Luvia's… incident."
Gray's lips pressed together. Even she had heard enough about that incident.
Waver's expression became pained. "Incident is too kind a word."
"Disaster?" Gray offered.
"Closer."
"Dimensional property damage?" Add chimed in.
Waver stared at the cage.
Gray silently covered Add with her robe.
Olga continued, "There is still the matter of Ruby and Sapphire. Their contracts were severed with Rin and Luvia, and both Kaleidosticks fled before containment could be arranged."
"Two autonomous Kaleidoscope-powered artifacts are missing in Uminari, dimensional shadows are appearing near the damaged barriers, and Zelretch's grandson is handling repairs alone." Waver leaned back in his chair.
"When summarized like that, it sounds worse." Olga's cheek twitched.
"Because it is."
Gray stepped forward slightly. "Then… I'll go, Sir."
Waver looked at her. "...I have not assigned anyone yet."
"…I know."
"And that's not how permission works."
"I know that too..."
Olga glanced at Gray, then became determined. "I should go as well. My family's instruments were the ones that failed to identify the presence behind the wall. If we need to adjust the readings in the field, I can do it faster than sending reports back and forth."
Waver stared at her for a long moment.
"You are both aware that this is not a field trip."
Gray nodded.
Olga's expression remained sharp. "Of course."
Waver sighed. "…You said that far too quickly."
'Teenagers and their budding hormones,' he added in his thoughts.
The office door opened without anyone knocking. Waver closed his eyes, feeling another headache arrive early. Gray turned toward the doorway, and Olga's expression twitched.
Reines El-Melloi Archisorte entered with the grace of someone who knew exactly how much trouble she was bringing and had decided to gift-wrap it.
"Brother," Reines said sweetly, "I heard something interesting."
Waver's shoulders sank. "By the Root, another disaster has arrived."
"How rude! I haven't said anything yet."
"…That has never stopped it from being one."
Reines ignored him with the elegance of a girl who considered obedience an optional accessory. Her eyes moved to Olga, then to Gray, then finally to the photographs on the desk.
"Dimensional tears, rogue Kaleidosticks, mysterious dimensional shadows, and Noah alone in Uminari." Her smile widened. "How dreadful. Clearly, I must go."
"For the sake of formality, I will ask… why?" Waver gave her a flat look.
"Why not? I am personally invested."
"…Are you sure you are not simply being nosy?"
"How could that be?! I am very concerned about our friend, Noah."
"…I can hear something different in the word friend."
Reines simply smiled sweetly.
"Reines…" Olga pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Marie, surely you understand. Noah is burdened by responsibility caused by Rin and Luvia's actions, hunting two runaway mystic codes, and now dealing with something peeking through dimensional walls." Reines turned to her with bright eyes.
"That summary is not wrong…" Gray looked down.
"Do not help her." Olga pointed at Gray.
"Besides, if Gray and Marie go alone, people may misunderstand." Reines placed a hand against her cheek.
"Misunderstand what?" Olga's eyebrow twitched.
"That the two of you are making a move while Rin and Luvia are trapped in disciplinary hearings."
"T-that is not what this is!" Gray's face turned red at once.
"Absolutely not!" Olga's cheeks also turned red.
Add whispered, "Hoho! A romance operation?"
Gray hit the cage harder this time.
Waver stared at Reines with the hollow eyes of a man watching his headache grow legs.
"I am this close to denying your participation in this operation."
Reines' smile widened.
"Brother, if you do not send me officially, I may have to go unofficially."
Waver's expression went completely still.
Olga's face met her palm.
Gray whispered, "That sounds worse."
"Because it is worse," Waver said with a sigh.
"See? Cooperation saves everyone time." Reines clasped her hands together.
Waver leaned back and covered his eyes with one hand.
For several seconds, the office remained silent.
Then he finally spoke.
"Fine."
Gray looked at him in surprise, and even Olga's jaw opened slightly in shock.
Reines smiled smugly as if she had just won a war using only manners and emotional blackmail.
"But," Waver continued, pointing at her without removing his hand from his face, "you are not going there to toy with Schweinorg."
"Brother, I am wounded." Reines placed a hand over her chest.
"You are going as controlled support. Gray will handle combat protection. Olga will handle readings and instrument correction. You will handle communications and political interference only if necessary."
"And Noah?" Reines tilted her head.
"You will not tease him until he becomes useless."
"Brother, that is such a harsh limitation."
"It is the only reason I am allowing this."
Gray looked toward Olga, and Olga looked back at her. The two girls shared the exhausted understanding of watching another girl successfully add herself to Noah's disaster orbit.
Waver picked up the report again, his expression turning serious.
"The priority is still the dimensional breach. Whatever Schweinorg felt beyond the wall, assume it may notice him again. We cannot let him investigate alone."
"I'll protect him." Gray nodded.
"How gallant," Reines smirked at her.
"…That is not what I meant." Gray's face turned pink.
"Noah is the one reckless enough to run toward dimensional shadows alone. Protecting him is basic crisis management." Olga crossed her arms, cheeks still faintly red.
"Of course," Reines said smoothly. "Crisis management."
"Do not start." Olga glared at her.
"I would never." Reines smiled like a cat sitting on forbidden documents.
No one in the room believed her.
Outside the office window, London's gray sky pressed against the Clock Tower like a lid over a boiling pot.
"Achoo!"
Far away in Uminari, young Noah Schweinorg sneezed as he continued searching for Ruby and Sapphire.
"Huh? That's weird. Is someone talking about me?"
He shrugged it off.
The silver belt around his waist chimed once.
"Statistically, Master, it is highly probable."
"What do you mean by that, Argent?" Noah looked down.
"Yes, Master?"
"Why did that sound like you know something I don't?"
"Because I do."
Noah stopped walking.
The narrow street around him was peaceful, and very much pretending that dimensional damage had not nearly torn reality open earlier that day. A few students passed by in the distance. A cat sat on a wall and stared at him with the judgment only cats and old magi seemed capable of.
Noah stared at Argent.
"Explain."
"Current probability assessment suggests Miss Animusphere, Miss Gray, and Lady Reines are discussing your situation."
Noah blinked. "That's normal. Olga is handling the report, Gray is probably worried, and Reines is…"
He paused as his expression turned flat.
"…Reines."
"Correct."
"Please tell me she is not coming here." Noah rubbed his forehead.
"Would you like a comforting answer or the real answer?"
"…That already answered it."
"Then yes. She is likely coming."
Noah closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath. Somewhere, in a faraway dimension, he could almost hear his grandfather laughing again.
That made the headache worse.
"I'm repairing dimensional tears," Noah muttered. "I'm searching for two runaway Kaleidosticks. I fought unknown shadow things. And now Reines might be coming here?"
"Correction, Master. Miss Gray and Miss Animusphere may also be coming."
Noah opened his eyes.
"…All three?"
"Likely."
His eyes went dull before he slowly looked up at the sky.
"Grandfather."
No answer came.
Of course it didn't. The old troll was probably enjoying this from another dimension.
Noah lowered his eyes again, looking far too tired for a thirteen-year-old boy who should have been worrying about homework, not dimensional tear repair and social ambushes.
"This is not a mission anymore," he said. "This is becoming a gathering."
Argent chimed again.
"Romantic convergence event detected."
"…What?" Noah blinked.
"Correction. Strategic support convergence event."
"No, no, no. I heard the first one."
"I apologize. That was an unfiltered behavioral analysis."
"There is nothing romantic about this." Noah's face went slightly red.
"Of course, Master."
"Don't say it like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you don't believe me."
"I am a Mystic Code. Belief is not required."
Noah's cheek twitched.
"However, observational data indicates that Miss Animusphere becomes unusually strict when concerned about your safety, Miss Gray shows increased protective behavior around you, and Lady Reines has a strong tendency to provoke emotional reactions from you for personal satisfaction." Argent with dreadful politeness.
Noah stared at the belt Mystic Code. "That is not romance. That is three different kinds of trouble."
"Many human relationships begin with trouble."
"Argent."
"Yes, Master?"
"Stop analyzing my social life."
"Understood. Temporarily suspending social hazard report."
"Temporarily?"
"Would you prefer 'until the next obvious incident'?"
"…You were supposed to be my support device." Noah's shoulders sank.
"I am supporting you."
"If that is what you call support, why do I feel emotionally attacked?"
"Accurate support is sometimes emotionally inconvenient."
Noah opened his mouth, closed it again, then sighed. "…I hate that you sound like Waver-sensei when you say that."
"Thank you, Master."
"That was not praise."
"I will accept it as one."
Noah's expression became even flatter.
'Is there any version of me who doesn't have a sarcastic and annoying support device?'
—--
Somewhere else in Uminari City…
A red streak of light zipped between the rooftops before stopping above a residential street.
Kaleidostick Ruby is flying in the sky, staring at the nearby park.
"Hmm…"
The city below looked normal. Children were walking home. Bicycles passed along the road. A nearby bakery had just opened its door, letting the smell of sweet cakes drift into the afternoon air.
But Ruby could detect the thin hole in the world. It was not fully open yet, but it was close enough to cause trouble.
"Dear me," Ruby murmured. "This is becoming much worse than expected."
On the street below, Alisa Bannings was walking home with her schoolbag in one hand and her phone in the other. Her expression was already slightly annoyed, though that was nothing unusual for her.
Nanoha had not answered her message.
Fate had not answered either.
Hayate had sent only a short reply earlier, saying she was "busy with something important," which, in Alisa's experience, usually meant something magical, dangerous, or both.
She stopped near the park entrance and looked down at her phone again.
"No reply…" she muttered. "Those three better not be hiding something again."
Then the air at the end of the street bent.
Alisa blinked and frowned.
It was subtle at first, a small distortion beside a low stone wall. The light around it curved strangely, as if the world had been pressed by invisible fingers. Out of common sense, she thought it might be some kind of illusion.
Then something came out of it.
Alisa let out a wordless gasp in shock.
The thing dragged itself forward little by little. It has a translucent, dark purple body with star-like lights twinkling within its body. Alisa unconsciously took a step back, her face paling as she tightened her grip around her phone.
"Oh no… is this what those three are dealing with right now?"
Her thumb moved quickly across the screen and dialed Nanoha's contact. Her phone rang, but still no answer.
"Come on, Nanoha…"
The shadow creature turned as a small cry came from the park's entrance.
Alisa turned sharply.
A little boy stood frozen a few steps away from the distortion, his ball bouncing once on the ground before rolling to a stop. He stared at the monster with wide eyes, too scared to even run.
The shadow's head turned toward him.
Alisa's heart nearly stopped beating. "No…"
Her phone was still ringing. The boy was still frozen. And the monster… took a step forward. Alisa looked at her phone, then at the child, then at the thing crawling toward him.
"Mo…!" Her fear stopped her from moving, but… with her anger crushed through it. "I said move!!!"
She shoved the phone into her pocket, dropped her schoolbag, and ran.
"Hey, you monster, get away from him!"
The boy flinched and turned toward her.
"Onee-chan, help!!"
Alisa reached him first. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back just as the Quantum Shadow's limbs crashed down. The ground broke apart under the force of its attack.
Alisa covered the child with her own body as debris struck her shoulder. Pain shot through her arm, but she still pushed herself up, breathing hard.
"Run," she told the boy. "Run now! And don't look back!"
"B-but…!" The boy stared at her, crying.
"Go!"
Her shout finally broke through his fear. The boy ran away to the other side of the park. Alisa turned back toward the shadow. Her legs were shaking, and she hated that, so she clenched her fists harder.
Above the street, Ruby had gone completely still. She had seen everything. The hesitation. The fear. The phone call. And then the choice.
Powerless, frightened, and completely outmatched, Alisa had still run forward.
Ruby's jewel glowed brighter.
"Oh… Oh… OH!" Ruby said softly. "How wonderful!"
Alisa heard the voice and snapped her head upward. Only then did she notice the strange red wand floating above her, with a yellow star set inside a ring, six white wings spread from its frame, and two red beads shining along its body.
Alisa stared, and she tilted her head. "…Are you perhaps what Nanoha and the others are calling a device?"
"I don't know what that device you are comparing me too… but I am not!" Ruby descended gracefully, spinning once as if making an entrance was still important even during a crisis.
"Kaleidostick Ruby, miracle-class Kaleidoscope-powered Mystic Code, currently unaffiliated and accepting applications for emergency heroism!"
"This is not the time for jokes!" Alisa stared at Ruby as the Quantum Shadow twitched in front of her.
"Oh, I completely agree," Ruby replied, her voice suddenly sharper. "Which is why I will be very direct. You cannot defeat that thing as you are."
"I know that even without you telling me!" Alisa bit her lip as helplessness crossed her face.
"And yet you are still here." Ruby floated closer, the two jewels in her body frame shining like warm red eyes.
"You tried to call for help. A reasonable choice. A wise choice, even." Ruby twirl. "But when someone needed help, you moved before anyone answered."
"You saw that?" Alisa's eyes widened slightly.
"A very normal observation."
"…That sounds creepy."
"It often is," Ruby admitted cheerfully. "But right now, it is also useful."
The Quantum Shadow took another step closer.
Alisa stepped back, placing herself between the monster and the path where the boy had run to.
"I can give you power." Ruby's tone softened, just a little. "Maybe not enough to make this safe, but enough to give a chance for a grand reversal."
Alisa swallowed. Her body still hurt. Her shoulder throbbed. Her phone sat useless in her pocket. Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate had not answered, but the child behind her was alive, and the monster was still coming.
Alisa looked up at Ruby. "What do I have to do?"
Ruby floated down in front of her hand. "Take me. Accept the contract."
"That's it?" Alisa stared at the stick.
"That is the first step."
"And the second?"
"Fufufu." Ruby's jewel flashed.
The Quantum Shadow finally lost patience and jumped at her.
Alisa quickly reached out and grabbed Ruby.
Red-pink light burst between her fingers, bright enough to wash over the street. Ruby's voice rang out, clear and triumphant.
"Contract accepted."
"Wait, what exactly did I just get into?!" Alisa's eyes widened as light wrapped around her.
Ruby laughed, delighted and completely shameless. "Fuwahahaha!!! Now the magical girl heroine's story begins!"
The red light swallowed them both.
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