Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia Volume 9 - Ch 1
Then to celebrate the victorycheers.
Nayuta raised her glass smilingly.
It was at the highest floor of high class hotel in Ataraxia, [Royal Ataraxia Hotel]. Inside the Chinese food restaurant that was among the lined up high class restaurants there, Kizuna and others of Heart Hybrid Gear squad, and the Magic Knight of Vatlantis were gathering.
As expected from a hotel that was usually a purveyor for VIP, it had a magnificent view of Ataraxias night scenery from the large window. However, Megafloat Japan that was usually visible was nowhere to be seen right now. When the sight was moved to inside the restaurant, the combination of Chinese outfit that made one recalled the world of Hokuto and the modern design was really pleasing for the eyes. Even while proclaiming the high class perception, the atmosphere was mysteriously calming.
However the gathered members were similarly making disheartened face.
Checheers.
Inside the strange atmosphere that was drifting, whispering voice of cheers with timing that really late and didnt match with Nayutas rally was raised.
Certainly they had defeated one of Deus ex Machina, Hokuto and recovered a part of the worlds configuration information, that was a great achievement.
On the large round table in front of their eyes, high class Chinese food were lined up in astonishing amount. Starting from Peking duck, there was also whole shark fin. Crab soup with swallow nest. Dried abalone steak. Ise prawn, foie gras, sea urchin and so on, high class ingredients were used generously, cooking that usually one couldnt really witness were being lined up.
There were also foods they had familiarity with like mapo tofu or steamed meat dumpling, gyoza, xiaolongpao, chop suey, pepper steak, fried rice and so on, but even those foods were somewhat different than what they could eat at school cafeteria. Most likely its ingredients and the effort for seasoning and the skill to make it was not merely somewhat different but at another level entirely.
The aroma of those foods was mercilessly stimulating the appetite of everyone in attendance. However,
Right now wasnt the situation to celebrate so carefree like this wasnt it?
Which reminded him until now he had never thought about but, from where these high class ingredients were coming from?
Such question kept bothering the mind of the participants here.
Hmm, whats the matter? Even though we finally manage to defeat a machine god and recover half of Lemuria after a great painaah, the people of Vatlantis still hasnt recover their own worlds data, so because of that you all cannot get in the mood for celebration, is that it?
Thats not it.
Hyakurath who was wearing Ataraxias uniform with a napkin held between her collar was forming a wrinkle between her eyebrows.
There were two large round tables. In one table was Sylvia, at her left was Kei, Reiro, Nayuta, then Kizuna, Himekawa, in addition was Vatlantiss Hyakurath and Mercuria, Valdy and Ragrus, they were sitting in that order.
At the other table were Masters Scarlet, Henrietta, Clementine, Sharon, Leila. Also Gertrude who obtained permission for going out was participating in a wheelchair.
My, then is it the food? For the celebration of defeating Hokuto, isnt Chinese food the most fitting for this occasion?
As though to say that she couldnt hold back anymore, Reiri hit the table.
Stop joking around! Just when I thought what were you planning to gather everyone like this. You are just making fun of us!
Im not making fun of everyone or anything. I only want to give appreciation for everyones hard work. And then Im thinking that with this everyones willpower can be maintained for the battle we will be heading for after this. Also, for those who are still unable to return home from the battlefront too, I prepare cooking with good nourishment. With the feeling of gratitude toward everyone who had worked hard, I arranged this place butis this a bother?
Uu
What she was saying was extremely proper. There was no ground to complaint where they could only express gratitude.
But that was the story for normal person.
The one they were talking with, was that Hida Nayuta.
No matter how, they couldnt possibly honestly accept this.
Himekawa also knitted her eyebrows and stared fixedly at the foods.
There is nothing inserted in this foods right
That worry wasnt too excessive, Kizuna thought that.
{There is no need to worry in that point. These foods are undoubtedly created in the kitchen of this restaurant. There is no strange point at all, starting from the ingredients, the cooking, until the foods were put on the table.}
Kei typed on her portable keyboard and opened window in front of the face. Together with the text Kei was typing, the image of the transportation of the ingredients and the cooking in the kitchen, and then the image of monitoring camera inside the restaurant were displayed one after another.
{By the way the ingredients are somehow delivered to the market each morning. Tracking from where it was sent to the market is impossible. However, the confirmation of the safety of the ingredient had been finished.}
For some reason, its really suspicious
Toward the frowning Kizuna, Nayuta put her fan covering her mouth and raised a chuckle.
Fufufu, so you are scared. If it is ingredients that originally existed in Ataraxia, then its possible to reproduce it. Saying it in reverse, ingredients that didnt exist when the data of this Ataraxia was collected is impossible to be obtained though.
For example what?
Lets seesomething like grasshopper or frog.
Kizuna replied with disgusted face.
Thats unneeded. Butah
When he noticed, Scarlet and others were beginning to eat.
Hee, isnt this really delicious, this is shark fin you say? The texture is interesting. Isnt it, Henrietta?
I think so. Putting together shark fin and ham is also delicious.
Clementine was sampling every single kind of xialongpao.
This is tasty! Inside it there are sea urchin or shrimp inserted yeah! The spring roll too, it has a lot inserted in it!
Sharon was putting crab soup of swallow nest mechanically into her mouth.
Its said that swallow nest, is good for beautyfufu, fufufufu, Ill eat as much as I like.
Leila was checking the menu of the hotels restaurant in her smartphone while reaching out her hand to the cooking with difficult expression.
In what way I can eat the expensive one with the most effectivenessas expected, abalone is 30,000 yen! No, that highest grade shark fin has unit price of 40,000 yen! Kuh! Whats with this market value! Eei, Ill call them directly!
While eating Chinese ham and spare rib, beef fillet meat black pepper stir fry, Scarlet noticed Gertrude who wasnt moving at all.
Hey, you arent eating? Its delicious you know? Or rather, its a loss if you dont eat.
Gertrude that was staring fixedly at the table with resentful eyes howled.
You are noisy asshole! Im still in the middle of hospitalization, there is this thing called eating restriction! Just why did you bring me here!
Ah, is that so. Sorry. Well, I thought that it would be pitiful if you are the only one left behind thats why.
Dont you asshole talk like that while stuffing your cheek with food-! I cannot see any pity in you for me at all like that-!
Gertrude yelled with teary eyes. Sharon tilted her head with a slightly pitying expression.
Butat the very least, if you can taste the places atmosphereyou will have fun?
Its nothing at all except being tortured you asshole-! (TN: Seems like the anime attached asshole in Gertrudes speech, so Ill also use that here for Gertrudes characteristic way of talking.)
Leila was typing her calculator while smiling nihilistically.
This place is a battlefield! My bad but there is no free time to take care of other people! We have never gone anywhere but fast food joint, school cafeteria, or convenience store. A chance to eat this kind of celebrity food will never come again!
Eating celebrity food that is pointlessly expensive like that is just degradation! Doing something like mimicking those rich people, you dont have any pride of the commoner at all you asshole!
No matter what Gertrude said, Leilas will wasnt shaken in the slightest.
The motto of the commoner, is to eat free food without mercy! You wont be able to eat this kind of high class food if not with other peoples money! Just how much money you think is needed so that you can eat thisfufufu
The foods in Masters table were decreasing in the blink of eye. Kizuna could only smile wryly.
Even if these foods are poisoned, its already too late isnt itlets eat too.
Kizuna reached out his hand toward the mapo tofu in front of his eyes.
!? Wait Kizuna. Ill taste for poison first.
The moment Reiri said that, she rotated the part of the round table that was a level higher. The tofu that was dyed with the redness of chili oil and the black of minced meat finally arrived in front of Reiris eyes. Immediately the fragrance of capsicum, black pepper, and Japanese paper stimulated her nasal cavity.
Fufufu, but perhaps that deep vigilance is advantageous in battle. Here, Reiri.
Nayuta scooped up white rice into a bowl and gave it to Reiri. Reiri was staring at that bowl with a face as though she was looking at a monster that sprang out from the abyss.
What are you doing?
Nayuta tilted her head in puzzlement at Reiri who was having cold sweat.
What a strange child. Im handing over rice to you see? Are you feeling a little nostalgic?
No. Since I was born, not to mention handing over rice to me which you had never done even once, in the first place I dont have even a single recollection of you cooking.
Is that so?
After Nayuta made a slightly puzzled face. She put the rice bowl in front of Reiri. And then she prepared the next bowl and served white rice again.
Reiri was having cold sweat while glaring at the bowl put before her eyes with a grim face.
Hyakurath who was sitting beside Himekawa who was sitting beside Kizuna, she was holding chopstick while biting her lips with a troubled feeling.
Excuse me, Himekawa-san. This thing called xiaolongpao, what is the correct way of eating it?
Is this your first time eating this Hyakurath-san? Err lets see, first take it using your sppon, then break the skin and let out the meat juice inside, put sauce and black pepper
Oi, Hyakurath. Why did you ask Himekawa? How about asking me first.
Mercuria murmured with a dissatisfied face. However Hyakurath answered nonchalantly.
You dont know anyway Mercuria.
Wha-! Its not about that. Go to me first before Himekawa.
Himekawa-san is different than Mercuria, she possessed common sense, intelligence, and also sense of duty, she is a really diligent person. Rather than someone with bad behavior like you, she is far more reliable.
Himekawa could only laugh dryly at the exchange of the two. When her gaze was swimming around looking for help, her eyes suddenly met Kizunas.
Hayuru is really popular.
Can someone like you really say that
She looked up at Kizuna with moist eyes.
Captain, is it okay if Sylvia rotate the table desu?
Sylvia who was sitting at the opposite side was waving her hand. After Kizuna nodded, he rotated the table. In the middle Sylvia took after him and brought the Peking duck in front of herself.
Is, is thatthe Peking duck?
Ragrus who was sitting beside Sylvia stared doubtfully at the duck meat with thinly sliced skin.
Somehowit looked, mostly skin though.
This is that kind of food desu. You eat it by wrapping onion and cucumber together around it desu. Its delicious desu!
And then Valdy that was beside Ragrus, she was also not touching the food like Gertrude though because of a different reason. Ahead at the direction where she was staring fixedly was Reiri. If she averted her eyes even for an instant, in that opening Reiri might be attacked. Thinking that, Valdy didnt let her eyes went from Reiri even for a moment. That Reiri wasnt touching the rice that was served in the bowl, she was carrying a steamed dumpling into her mouth while murmuring toward no one.
Good griefeven though Oldium and Golden Dragons whereabouts are unknown right now. This carefree gathering is just
Nayuta stared at Reiri as though she noticed sharply.
If its their location then I know it you know.
What?
Oldium and Golden Dragon are applied with my remodeling, I shared a part of my body with them. And so, I understand in which world they are in.
Whwhy, didnt you say that sooner!?
Reiri hit the table and stood up vigorously.
The two ships other than battleship Ataraxia who departed in journey to search for Deus ex machine, Oldium that was boarded by Vatlantis Empires members, and the Golden Dragon that was boarded by the alliance of Izgard and Baldein. Nayuta knew the whereabouts of those two ships. That truth also shocked Kizuna.
Thats right! Then, we have to head there immediately!
However Nayuta was scooping apricot pudding while replying in a calm state.
Just wait. Even if you rush, there will be nothing good coming from it.
Hyakurath also raised a condemning voice.
But, even while we are doing this, Grace-san and student council presidentno, Grace-sama and Zelcyone-sama, alsoGravel-san too.
Everyone didnt hide their irritated feeling and waited for Nayutas reply.
I understand your feeling of wanting to hurry. But even the battleship Ataraxia is largely damaged because of the emergency landing in Hokutos world and the escape from the worlds crumbling. A little more time is necessary until it is repaired. Until then, please set aside this time for resting.
Even if he was told that, Kizuna couldnt calm down. The other two ships were in similar situation with them, they were swallowed by space-time tsunami and should be landing at unknown world somewhere. Right now, he couldnt even imagine what kind of situation those girls were in. Perhaps they arrived at a terrifyingly dangerous world, perhaps they had fallen into a terrible danger.
Themselves unexpectedly arrived at machine god Hokutos world and narrowly obtained victory. That was because him and Hayuru who had finished Cores reinstall and also Nayuta were there. However, the other two ships beside Ataraxia were,
Its fine you know.
Nayuta smiled thinly.
In those two ships, there are Magic Knights that had done Cores reinstall too isnt it?
!?
Himekawa didnt miss that conversation.
She didnt know that there was anybody else that had done Cores reinstall. Together with a light shock, she felt desolateness that it wasnt just her. And then, she became fiercely concerned who were the ones who had the reinstall done on them.
Kizuna was completely ignorant of what was happening inside Himekawas heart. He was anxious about the safety of the crews of Oldium and Golden Dragon and dropped his gaze on the table.
Nayuta who was sitting beside him looked up at Kizuna as though she had just remembered something.
By the way, Kizuna.
Was there any other information!? Kizuna turned at Nayuta vigorously thinking that. Kizunas desperate expression was met by Nayutas lax smile.
Do you want second?
After evading Osiris and Yurishia, Grace who safely escaped Necropolis was flying in low-altitude above the desert. She was flying in quite a speed, but no matter how much she went, the horizon of the desert kept continuing without end.
Finally at the beyond, something swaying like a mirage could be seen. It was a gigantic structure that was half-buried in the desert. Looking from afar it was like a small mountain, but when it was approached it could be understood that it was a manmade structure.
It was a tilted palace that suddenly appeared on the desert.
The flagship of Vatlantis Empire, Oldeum had emergency landing into the desert. The ships prow part was buried in the sand, it was tilting to the left while inclining forward.
Looking at that appearance, Grace talked to herself in complaint.
Good grief. For Oldeum to look like that, how pathetic this is.
The hazy figure of the flagship was gradually becoming clearer. When looked from afar, its appearance looked like a castle and its castle city below it. Even when looked from near it couldnt really be noticed as a battleship. The moment it was recognized as a battleship by the one watching, they would be surprised by its astonishing size.
It had a gigantic body that easily surpassed two kilometer. The castle towering on the hull reached a hundred meter. Grace raised her altitude and she headed toward the highest level of that castle. After she flew inside the balcony that was opened there, she gently landed on the floor.
Suddenly, Elma and Clayda of Quartum who were facing the control panel with difficult face raised a shocked voice toward Grace who entered from the window.
Grace-sama-!?
Clayda whose right eye was covered by eye-patch had her left eye opened so wide as though to represent the surprise of the right eye too. She stood up in fluster but then she spontaneously staggered, perhaps from having forgotten that the floor was tilted.
Whats the matter, you two? To be that flurried.
Toward that carefree Grace, Elma was unable to say anything for a moment.
Thathat question should not be asked! We cannot find Grace-samas figure, so we are really worried. Where had Grace-sama gone to?
Yes.Thoseguys cityNecropolis, I went to see the situation there just for a little.
Clayda dropped her shoulders with exasperated face toward Grace who was broad-heartedly nodding.
What recklessnessit was just like Zel-sama said.
Zel? Now that you mentioned it I dont see her. Lunorlla and Ramza are also not here?
Elmas white haired head was pointing up at the left and right like beast ears. Those ears twitched and she talked with blaming tone.
The three of them had gone searching for Grace-sama!
Grace looked aside feeling that the angry Elma was troublesome.
It would be better if they just waited obedientlygood grief, this is really a bad timing.
Thats because you were gone as you pleased! Clayda and also Elma murmured that inside their heart. However Grace didnt notice and puffed her chest proudly.
I found out that Nee-sama isnt in this world. We have no more business in this world.
What did you say!?
Does Grace-sama know the whereabouts of Ainess-sama!?
Clayda asked enthusiastically.
Im only guessing, but it seems that Nee-sama is with the