Volume 8, Chapter 11

August 6th, AD 2092 / Okinawa - Onna Air Force base

Soon after our tour had begun, the rope training ended.

After the rope training was grappling. It may have been of interest to those with an affinity for martial arts, but for someone like me who doesn’t even grasp the difference between kenpo and karate, I got bored rather quickly.

At this rate, with us simply spectating, there’s no way I will be able to grasp my brother’s true abilities.

Maybe I could simply excuse myself early.... nope, no good. I’m not supposed to separate myself from my brother, and even if I did then it defeats the purpose of having come here anyway. Not to mention, it would simply be too rude. It’d be good if it’s somehow possible to get into a situation where that person joins in the training....

There’s no way he could have read my thoughts.

"Shiba-kun, you’re pretty bored just watching aren’t you? Want to have a go?" With that invitation from Captain Kazama, that person looked over at me.

"I guess so, we came all this way so why not?"

Just now....the fact that I was bored, did he see through me?

Poof, the blood rushed to my head. How mean, how mean, how meean!

Why did he have to go notice something he totally didn’t need to notice!

—That person didn’t so much as crack a smile, yet here you are having such a childish fit, my inner voice of reason admonished.

But my feelings continued to denounce him.

Ni, Nii-san you idiot, you should at least give me a reason to get mad at you!

Even in my monologue, the uncomfortable sense of resistance at calling him ‘Nii- san’ didn’t completely disappear.

In the first place, truthfully speaking, that term would have been a more appropriate term of address for him, or so it should be.

So just why....?

It seems I still don’t fully understand my own heart.

The partner called up for my brother was a sergeant of medium build looking to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Shiba-kun, there’s no need to go easy. Back when he was a student, Sergeant Toguchi’s boxing skills were on the nationals level."

Even without magic, he was good enough for nationals?

Sliding on his toes without stepping, closing the distance in small increments, his stance felt more like karate than boxing. I wonder if this is Okinawa’s boxing style? Or is it the Air Force’s?

While I was distracted by such speculations, the match was over in an instant.

The time it takes to process thought. In that one moment, my brother struck out with his right arm.

That was an image born from results.

What I really saw was my brother somehow suddenly appearing right next to Sergeant Toguchi, with his right arm extended.

The Sergeant collapsed without a sound onto his knees, somehow spared from falling over any further than that.

"Toguchi!"

One of the watching soldiers ran up in a hurry, and proceeded to administer (I think) first aid to the sweating Sergeant.

Still standing where he was, my brother lightly bowed.

Despite his face showing respect for the opponent he had defeated, it also gave off the impression he was somehow flaunting his victory.

"This, this is...."

Next to me, Captain Kazama was muttering. Lieutenant Sanada was speechless, staring with wide eyes.

"Corporal Haebaru!"

"Sir!"

At the Captain’s call, a well spirited soldier looking to be in his mid 20s stepped forth.

The man was slimmer than the Sergeant, but there was no impression of frailty whatsoever; he had the image of a knife forged through fire and water, hammered and whetted, until everything unneeded was chipped away and all impurities removed: simply sharp.

"Do not even think of holding back. Go with your full power!"

"Yessir!"

Simultaneous with his answer, Corporal Haebaru pounced on my brother. That’s insane!

There’s no way you can match a soldier who has fought on the frontlines against a 13 year old boy!

Intending to shout out ‘stop!’ I opened my mouth. But the actual words never came.

Sighs of admiration could be heard coming from here and there from the audience

That person was fending off the Corporal’s onslaught without any hint of being in danger.

Punches and kicks sent out at a speed blurry to the eye, were being intercepted at an even greater speed.

Not by a little, but by quite a bit.

"It’s like he has fought real battles before. That interval is the space you’d allow in case the opponent is holding something back."

"Seems like it."

I didn’t understand even half of the conversation between the Captain and the Lieutenant, but even my untrained eyes could perceive that my brother had the upper hand.

There was no room for mistaking the Corporal’s expression. Even as he attacked, he was desperate.

Ah!

That person counterattacked.

But the Corporal was no slouch either.

After intercepting my brother’s punches right, left, right, left, from the now exposed flank, a counter—!?

I almost involuntarily closed my eyes, but a part of myself calmly told me ‘there is no need’.

There’s no way that person would be taken out by attacks of this calibre, or such.

The moment it seemed that the Corporal had caught hold of my brother, my brother had already slipped past to the Corporal’s side.

That person’s right hand extended, and grabbed the Corporal’s right sleeve near the top of the elbow.

Yanking the Corporal my brother halted his own motion, at the same time turning Corporal Haebaru around so that his side was exposed.

Without a sound, my brother struck out with his right elbow.

With a groan, the Corporal staggered forwards two, three steps. The Captain’s shout of ‘that’s enough!’ was the signal to end.

Now receiving treatment, Corporal Haebaru shook hands with that person, as people crowded around them.

As the praise showered down, the Captain cut in admist the throng. In the gap left in his wake, I followed after the Captain.

"Winning against Corporal Haebaru is quite the feat. He’s one of the strongest in the unit, you know?"

The one who said this was Lieutenant Sanada.

"I truly didn’t expect this degree of skill. Did you receive some form of special training?"

Captain Kazama swept over my brother with discerning eyes.

"No, nothing special in that sense. In terms of my strength, there’s a dojo at our mother’s place, and I train there."

"Hmm...."

While he didn’t seem completely satisfied, the Captain nodded, appearing to say ‘I won’t pry any further for now’.

"But at this rate, the honour of the Onna Airborne Corps will be crushed....will you consent to one more match?"

Instead of prying, the Captain said something rather selfish. The one who had invited my brother to participate was the Captain himself. And yet, now that his men had been defeated he went and said something like ‘losing honour’.

Saying that he must have a match in such a selfish way, just how far is this going to go?

I tried to gently refuse the Captain’s offer.

Since my brother is my escort, I had the right to refuse. I thought that. "Please, allow me!"

But I was one step too slow.

Interrupting me, a voice I knew called out. It was a voice I had heard recently.

"Lance Corporal Higaki—if this is for the sake of revenge, I will have to refuse you."

"It is not revenge, it is vindication!"

How is that any different? It’s the exact same thing! Thinking he wasn’t such a bad guy, was my mistake.

"Humm....well Shiba kun, it’s as you heard, are you willing to have a match with him? Lance Corporal Higaki is still young, but he’s no less experienced than Haebaru."

Refusing such an offer would by no means be unreasonable. There is no benefit to doing this.

"I accept."

Despite my thoughts being so, that person went ahead and consented to the Captain.

Lance Corporal Higaki crouched slightly, raised both hands, and looking extremely observant faced that person.

Despite bending over a bit, the Lance Corporal was still taller than my brother.

It looked like a boy was about to be attacked by a bear—that’s what the scene resembled.

Just by looking, it feels like being crushed under pressure.

But that person simply slowly shifted from left to right, balancing on the left foot then the right, watching impassively at his opponent who was waiting for a chance.

That volatile atmosphere under which it was difficult to breath, did not continue for very long.

Lance Corporal Higaki’s body seemed to swell for a moment.

The next instant, the Lance Corporal’s body turned into a cannonball and tore towards my brother.

So fast....!

With a huge leap my brother dodged the charge, but his stance collapsed. Fast as lightning, the Lance Corporal struck again.

Rolling along the floor, that person somehow managed to dodge the tackle.

I was absolutely stunned at Lance Corporal Higaki’s speed. But there was no way that even this would make a successor candidate to one of the Ten Master Houses, the Yotsuba, show an expression of surprise.

"Using magic, isn’t that utterly cowardly!?" I lashed out at Captain Kazama.

Not even I had noticed when he turned on the switch to his CAD. It had been well disguised. But the fact that he was using magic itself, was not something which could be hidden.

The Lance Corporal’s speed right now, is being driven by self-acceleration magic! At my protest, Captain Kazama simply turned his head and looked at me.

The answer came from the direction the Captain was still half turned towards. "That’s enough, Miyuki!"

My brother’s words, were a double shock to me.

My brother, had given me an order.

My brother, had called me ‘Miyuki’.

"There had never been a rule that the use of magic was not allowed." My brother flatly asserted so.

Addressing me without a title, calling me Miyuki without honorifics, though it was all according to Okaa-sama’s instructions, the decision to reprove me itself was completely my brother’s decision.

My brother, of his own will, rebuked my wishful thinking.

At that, rather than feeling anger or resistance, a strange numb, tingling sensation was born inside my heart.

"Higaki, close in with care!"

Next to me, now that I had fallen silent, Captain Kazama threw out commands. As if I had just awoken, I noticed.

The air surrounding my brother, had changed colour. It felt like the light was dimming.

It was obviously an illusion.

My brother was exerting such pressure that an onlooker would have their visual field constricted.

My brother changed his stance.

His right palm facing the opponent, he extended his right arm straight out. His left hand supported his right elbow.

Is this, the position for my brother’s non-systematic magic....?

The muscles of Lance Corporal Higaki’s whole body seemed to swell again.

This time, right at the moment my brother should have dived out of the way with both feet—at that instant.

From my brother’s right hand, a torrent of psions poured forth.

The psion wave swept through Lance Corporal Higaki’s body, and as they did his charge slowed with a snap.

This is....! Gram Demolition!

The raging storm of psion particles forcibly overwhelmed the self-acceleration magic applied to the body, and at the same time shook the connections between the mind and the body. Against a person skilled enough to control his body not through electrical nervous impulses but rather directly through his consciousness, the barrage of external foreign psions wrecked even greater havoc.

It was almost like, Lance Corporal Higaki had forgotten how to tackle.

As the Lance Corporal threw himself defencelessly at my brother, my brother simply moved aside and dealt one blow.

His bulky body, spinning around once, was blown away in an almost comedic fashion.

My brother walked over to the side of Lance Corporal Higaki, sprawled out on the ground looking at the ceiling.

The Lance Corporal simply lay there with his large chest heaving up and down, showing no sign of rising.

Holding out his right hand, my brother was expressionless.

After just a moment’s hesitation, the Lance Corporal took that hand with a grin. He pulled on my brother’s hand.

Don’t tell me, a trap!?

That was just me thinking too much.

Despite their difference in body weight, Lance Corporal Higaki was able to pull himself up and stand without dragging my brother to the ground.

"—It’s my loss. Utterly. I understand well now that incident the day before yesterday wasn’t just me being caught off guard."

He wasn’t speaking in such a loud voice, but for some reason I could hear Lance Corporal Higaki’s words clearly.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Lance Corporal Joseph Higaki, Onna Airborne, Sakishima Air Defense Corps, of the National Air Force in Okinawa. Will you tell me your name?"

"I am Shiba Tatsuya."

"OK, Tatsuya. Just call me Joe. Do you still have a while in Okinawa?

If you’re ever bored, give me a call. Although I may not look like it, I know quite a few people around here."

"That’s enough, Joe. We’re still in the middle of training."

Captain Kazama called out while laughing, and reacting as if shocked, Lance

Corporal Higaki stood to attention.

Hmm.... so he’s a subordinate who’s treated rather affectionately. I suppose that means he’s trusted....?

Having to change my opinion of this guy over and over is starting to become painful.

In the first place it’s not like he’s someone I’m liable to meet with often, and since he’s someone I’m not likely to see again it shouldn’t really matter to me what kind of guy he is.

"I’m sorry for having asked so much of you. Because of it, it seems like some of my subordinates have had it rather rough as well. Will you accompany us for tea? I’d also like to inquire about that ‘tooate’ just now."

Tooate, is probably referring to my brother’s non-systematic magic.

My feeling of unease went up greatly, but it was impossible to refuse such an invitation in this situation.

"So, that psion wave really was Gram Demolition?"

"Was that really all? I believe there was also some continental Ancient magic, ‘Tendan’ in there as well."

While technically they had invited us to tea, what was served instead was coffee. Sitting on one side are my brother and I.

On the other side are Captain Kazama and Lieutenant Sanada. A coffee break with four people.

Somehow, the atmosphere feels a little strange. Captain Kazama is talking with my brother. Lieutenant Sanada is also talking with my brother.

As that person’s little sister, I simply sat in the background as per my instructions. Here my brother is the protagonist, and I’m just an accessory.

"—From what I’ve seen, Shiba-kun, you don’t carry a CAD around right?"

When they say the name Shiba, they’re referring to my brother. I am ‘Shiba-kun’s little sister’.

"What are you using as an aid?"

This is my first time experiencing such a thing. It’s weird, yet not uncomfortable.

"I do use a specialised CAD, but generally speaking it doesn’t really have the right feeling....I’m bad with magic that requires a CAD to cast, after all."

"Ohh, I see. If you’re so comfortable with manipulating psions like that already though, I don’t see how using CADs could possibly present a problem for you."

The topic has already shifted from my brother’s non-systematic magic to his CAD. "Shiba-kun, would you like to try the CAD I’m developing?"

"Lieutenant Sanada develops CADs?"

"My job is the development of magic equipment in general, including CADs. This one in particular is a prototype CAD featuring cartridges as storage."

I had the sudden feeling that my brother’s eyes were shining. It was a fairly modest reaction in comparison to most people, but for my brother to show so much interest in something was extremely unusual already.

"I would like to."

This is probably the very first time, I’ve seen him express his desire so clearly.

We were taken to a place I don’t think was in the base, a clean and tidy laboratory.

For me, who had been certain that military bases were all dirty, drab places, I was not quite able to contain my feelings of surprise. The faint smiles Captain Kazama and Lieutenant Sanada wore when they looked over at me was most likely because of that.

My brother looked around in admiration, or impression.

It feels like today, I’m seeing many sides of this person for the first time.

However as much as I had thought that this person was indifferent to everything, even he must have things he’s interested in....

I wonder then, just what does he think of me?

That question, was suddenly floating in my mind. The answer came automatically.

Desperately, I fought against the shaking which threatened to wrack my body, stiffening myself as much as I could.

"....Miyuki, are you feeling unwell?"

My body, so so close to trembling, suddenly stopped at the sound of my brother’s voice. Not only my body, even my heart almost stopped. The moment he called my name, Miyuki, had felt like he was answering the question I had been asking myself. Like he was coldly, indifferently affirming the answer I already had in my heart.

But my brother’s voice didn’t seem cold—for some reason it felt like it was filled with compassion.

"—No, I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little tired. If I sit down a while, I’m sure I’ll recover in no time. Is it alright if I go sit in that chair over there?"

Asking the Captain, I was allowed to sit down on a chair by the wall. Now separated from my brother’s side, I felt a little better.

My brother was holding a large pistol shaped CAD, and being instructed by Lieutenant Sanada.

At the sight of my brother my earlier doubts reared their ugly heads again, ballooning, and I leaned heavily back.

No matter how much I shake and shake, I cannot erase them from my consciousness.

Just what does my brother, think of me....?

I have no confidence it’s love.

There’s no way it could be favour.

It may be simply, that I’m hated.

If I didn’t exist, if only I didn’t exist, my brother the honour student, the elite athlete, possibly soon a full-fledged military magician, could live his own life.

Yet, right now, looking away from my brother, as if letting go of his hand, as if being shaken off, was something infinitely scarier.

"—The device has acceleration and movement compound sequences inbuilt, giving the 7.62mm bullets a maximum range of 16 km—"

"—That’s amazing. Still, the actual practicalities—"

Now holding a large-caliber rifle CAD and chatting away happily, my brother's voice came across incoherently.

In the same room, unable to shut my eyes or block my ears, I was forced to bear the haunting dark clouds misting my mind in silence.

A thought drifted by the back of my head, wishing this would all end soon.

All the while, to prevent my selfishness from appearing in my expression, I maintained a hollow pokerface as hard as I could.