If I had been any later, I probably would've seen the dead bodies of Miyuki and the others.
Honestly, I'm grateful for the power I have. But still—witnessing that magic with my own eyes gave me chills.
The spell was called Decomposition.
I'd seen Tatsuya use it on a torpedo before, but against a person... that man was reduced to nothing but atoms.
"Miyuki! Are you alright?!" Tatsuya ran to her and held her by the shoulders.
To be honest, this was the first time I'd seen him make any expression besides that deadpan face.
Just then, I heard footsteps approaching. When I looked toward the entrance, I saw Ai, with Joe and his men behind her. The moment Ai saw the state of the room, she ran straight to me.
"Sasaki! What is—um, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Sorry for running off like that. But if I hadn't, they definitely would've died."
Ai looked at me with concern. "It's fine. You're doing great."
"Excuse me, sir," Joe said, stepping forward. "But what exactly happened here? Where's the enemy?"
Not long after, Joe came closer—he already seemed to know I was the one who froze the room.
"Dead. Sorry for killing your comrades."
Joe looked shaken, but then closed his eyes firmly. "I see. So that's what happened." He gave me a salute. "Thank you for your service. I'll report this to my superior. For now, allow me to escort you all to a safer place."
I looked around. Everyone's eyes were on me, and I could read their answer. "Alright."
Soon, we arrived at a more secure bunker. Afterward, I made sure everyone had food and water. Tatsuya, who was helping me distribute supplies, spoke up.
"What are you going to do?"
"Fight. With the power I have, it's better to end this quickly."
"Agreed."
We talked quietly, away from the rest of the group. Then, a squad of soldiers in military uniforms stormed in. Among them was the man who had come to the villa after the submarine incident.
"Good afternoon. It's been a while, Madam Miya, everyone. First, allow me to apologize for the recent incident. It was caused by my poor management."
Miya nodded. "Apology accepted. Now, please brief us on the current battlefield, Captain Kazama."
Kazama nodded and began explaining. The Great Asian Alliance had already invaded the outer islands with amphibious units, deploying a large number of trained troops. Meanwhile, a couple of destroyers were en route.
"That's the situation. Once they secure the islands, I assume the main island will be their next target. We've already launched a counter-response, so rest assured. Although… it's a shame we don't have a magician like Yamada-san and Shiba-san."
"Excuse me—I have a request."
This time, Tatsuya spoke. He seemed a bit rushed.
"Let us fight as well."
Ai and Miyuki's expressions made it clear they were against the idea.
"Oh? You're volunteering for the battlefield? May I know your reason?"
"My personal vendetta."
Kazama smiled faintly before looking at me. Naturally, everyone else turned their gaze to me as well.
I just smiled. "Let's get this done quickly. I want to go home."
"Very well. We welcome both of you into our ranks. However, it would be best if you use pseudonyms, since international law forbids military personnel under the age of seventeen..."
"I'll be Oguro Ryuuya," Tatsuya said.
Kazama looked at me. I replied, "Kuzan."
It felt right to give credit to Admiral Kuzan. I mean, it's just a pseudonym.
"Then, before we begin preparations, I suggest you meet with your families. I'll be waiting."
I glanced back—and saw Miyuki and Ai rushing over. Judging by Ai's pale face, she'd heard everything.
She grabbed my hand so hard the sound echoed through the room.
"Y-you're going to war?"
I smiled meekly. "Yeah. It's going to be alri—"
"Don't go. Please. I beg you."
I hadn't realized she cared about me this much. But I guess it made sense. This was war.
Honestly, I'd only just gotten my powers. I wasn't even used to them yet. I still needed time to fully extract the Devil Fruit's potential. If it weren't for Alfred's template, I wouldn't have inherited his experience to back it up.
Still, I had to take this chance to gain experience with the Ice Devil Fruit.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. If I miss this war, I won't get another chance to test how strong I've become." I chuckled. "But I'll be back."
Ai fell silent, then whispered, "...Alright."
I sighed, then looked at Miyuki. "Hey, keep her safe, alright?"
She pouted at me. "Of course I will, even if you didn't ask. Hmph."
I held back a laugh, then turned to Tatsuya. "Let's go. I need to prep my CAD."
He gave a faint smile and nodded. "Need a hand?"
"Nah. Take care of yourself first."
"Hey!"
I turned back—just in time.
Ai kissed me, completely ignoring everyone around us.
"…Damn."
I looked at her. She just smiled, tilting her head cutely, hands behind her back.
"That kiss could cost your entire career, Ai."
Ai blinked. "I almost forgot about my job."
This girl... seriously? If we ever went on a date in her world, she might forget she's an idol entirely.
Feeling an intense stare, I turned to see Miyuki's red face.
"Hmmm…" I stared at her until she flinched.
"N-no! I don't want to ki-kiss you!"
Then I felt a grip tighten on my shoulder.
"Sasaki. I hope you're not planning anything stupid."
"Like hell! Don't look at me like I'm going to jump her, you little shit!"
---
(Hoshino Ai)
Along with Miyuki, Honami-san, and Miya-san, we were invited to watch the progress of the war from a special room—one that seemed to be where all operations were controlled. A massive screen, the size of a cinema screen, loomed in front of us.
"This is where the chain of command operates and strategic plans for the front lines are issued," Miya explained. Judging by how she looked at me, I was certain her words were directed at me rather than Miyuki, who clearly already knew all this.
Then, Sasaki and Tatsuya appeared on the screen.
They seemed busy—working on something with serious focus.
"I'm surprised Sasaki-san can program a CAD," Honami remarked. "I don't know what level he's at, but he seems to be keeping up with Tatsuya."
"That does seem to be the case," Miyuki added. "I believe he might be a more talented Magician than I am."
"You specialize in freeze-type magic too, Miyuki-san, and you inherited my mental interference magic," Miya said. "But I have to admit—his magic is... special."
"It's not just special, Mother. It's on a different level from mine. I saw him cast a large-scale spell without even using a CAD. Normally, that would fry someone's Magic Calculation Area, but he wasn't even sweating. But I think Onii-sama is on par with—"
"Onii-sama?"
Miya's voice turned slightly cold after hearing that word from Miyuki.
"I'll let that slide," she said, then let out a mischievous giggle as she turned her gaze back to the screen. "I do wonder where Sasaki-san's limits lie. But setting that aside, I think Ai-san here might know more about him than the rest of us, no?"
She was pulling me into the conversation now.
I had no idea how to respond to that.
Do I really know him that well?
"Of course~" I said, smiling.
"Ahem. Mother, Ai-san is Sasaki's girlfriend. Of course she would…" Miyuki chimed in.
"Oh my, how could I forget?"
I lied. But sometimes lies were easier. They gave people exactly what they expected and spared me the questions I didn't want to answer. Of course, I felt bitter inside my chest.
"It's begun," Honami said.
I looked at the screen. Among the soldiers stood two shorter figures at the very front.
Then came the hail of bullets.
The enemy's expressions turned pale as the bullets silently disintegrated mid-air. It wasn't just the bullets—some of the enemy soldiers themselves vanished into nothing, as if they'd been deleted from existence. Others were frozen solid, transformed into icy mannequins and skewered by a rain of ice spears.
For the enemy… it was hell.
---
A/N: Please leave comment and paragraph comment to make me more motivated, lastly power stones to make this more popular.