Aura: Koga Maryuin’s Final Battle

AURA 14

The morning classroom was in the process of changing into another world.
The moment I entered, the room’s idle chatter quelled down. It wasn’t that they were drawing back. It was ridicule.
“Yesterday.” “Creepy” “Cosplay” “Too creepy” “Satous in arms” “Secret creep” “Weirded out” “One of those creepers” the numerous short snippets I had picked up. While a majority of the bombardment came from the main legion, I would have appreciated it if that Ooshima Yumina girl learned to talk a little quieter, or at least stopped repeating the same word over and over.
Feeling like I was crossing a river of needles, I took my seat.
Confirming Satou Ryouko’s vacant station, I was hit by a pang of relief. Operating with her usually came with heavy stress. I had no complaints if she opted not to come at all.
Still, I was astonished to see the girl to my right, Ozaki-san’s desk had been pushed around ten centimeters away from where it had been the day before. Once they get adverse, girls sure are blatant about it.
When it wasn’t like everyone was slamming me, it felt like I had made an enemy of the entire class.
Suffocating. Embarrassing. Pathetic.
At a time like this, I felt like clenching the back of my hand. I frantically held it in. I’d already promised myself, I wasn’t going to contain my hand again. There were five minutes to homeroom. Get on with it already, Dorisen.
A shadow stood before me.
It was a shocker, to be honest. Did Takahashi or Ooshima or Yamamoto or Saitou come to deliver the death penalty so soon?
“Sautou-kuuun.”
“K-Kobato-san!”
For real? I almost groaned. For her, the existence embodying world peach, to have come to deliver my requiem. If in her usual smile, she told me, “Satou-kun, wouldn’t you be better off dead~?” I knew my heart technician would go, “Sorry boss, this is where I say goodbye. ‘Cya.” and run off.
Aah, her small lips opened with the premonition of catastrophe.
“Good morning, you’re a little late today,” her bouncing intonation.
Oh?
“Y-yeah. Right.”
“I’m sorry about yesterday. We waited around five minutes after homeroom ended, but you didn’t come back so we left ahead.”
“Y-yeah. Right.”
“We should get together some other time.”
“Y-yeah. Right.”
Mass producing copied and pasted lines, I was properly moved.
Kobato-san existed outside the ring of malice. She didn’t touch up on Ryouko, and she didn’t seem to despise me. She was a woman of character. To think her virtue would be so high, she could be put to work in national defense. The country will have to start paying her a full yearly salary.
That does it. I’m building a Kobato shrine in my heart. I shall search for my salvation in religion.
“… Muh.”
My eyes met with Ooshima Yumina. A disgusted face. She must not have liked the fact that Kobato-san could calmly talk with someone like me. I remembered well. A few days ago, when Kobato-san asked her how to do makeup, “That sorta thing doesn’t suit you, Kobato,” she ignored her at lightning speed. Ooshima Yumina feared the notion of Kobato-san raising her appeal. Queen bee she may be, but she sure was a petty one. Unfortunately, Kobato-san had already reached her maximum sweetness in her base form. Suck on that.
As my body swelled up with her healing power, another shadow came to stand beside me. A boy.
“I’ve finally found you.” He said in a feigned solemn voice.
“Hyuurei.”
I ended up twitching in surprise. At the point I timidly turned my head up to look, there he stood.
Seat number thirteen. A short, stout boy with a sports cut. As I recall, his name was Suzuki Osamu.
“… Do you need something?”
“You don’t remember me, Hewley?”
“Who’s this Hewley?” I didn’t want to get involved, but there was nothing else to retort at.
“I’m talking about you. Who else do you see?”
“No, my name’s Satou. Don’t you have the wrong guy? I’ve never even talked to you before.”
With a swift attack, I brought the conversation to a close.
“Hmph, you can’t fool me.” Suzuki’s bearing brimming with confidence. A voice that resounded across the classroom, and only in that proclamation did he burst into cringy jargon. “Not the magic of these odd eyes, the ‘Thousand Mile Stare’!”
Odd eye. Heterochromia. Where the left eye and right eye are different colors.
“Dude, your eyes are both brown.”
“Hmph. This is but a temporary vessel. I see why you cannot recognize me.”
“And I never wanted to, now go take your seat. Homeroom’s about to start.”
“A large crisis has befallen the multiverse of Zeusheim! The descent of that accursed malign deity has dispersed we twelve knights across the realms.”
I got goosebumps.
“J-just take a seat… okay?”
“We must search out the lost knights and return to Zeusheim. And we will slay the evil god Ephesosmea.”
My goosebumps were going to sprout feathers at this rate.
“It seems thou hath lost thine memory. Wait right there. I will use mine Psychodive to burrow into thy consciousness to ascertain the cause.”
Did he just refer to me with thy?
Suzuki brandished his hand over my head. Before I even had the time to swipe it away, his body lurched back as if he’d been struck. What a speedy development.
“Gwoooh! What a strong magic barrier! For my Psychodive to be reflected!”
I detested the word ‘Creepy,’ a term used to tread over human life.
“Suzuki, you’re being creepy.” But when I actually tried using it, it carried quite a reassuring toxicity to it. It had my vote.
“Hmph. It looks like you have been placed under a curse. This is going to be a long battle. But do not forget in your heart, thou art a proud dark holy swordsman, a Zwei Bander!”
“Let alone forget, I never even asked!”
“Cease and desist, Suzuki Osamu!”
The intruding third party wore the only white uniform in class.
“You’re Kinoshita of the white cloth!” Instead of backing off, Suzuki bit right on.
“Do you understand why we wear this white uniform, Satou… nay, Hewley!”
“It’s Satou!”
Going off my inductive reasoning grounded in experience, any high school student who refers to themselves with the royal we is bad news.
“Fwahahah! If you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you.”
Seriously, wait.
“This white cloth is the proof of a sage who carries great wisdom. All I can tell you is that it is deeply tied to the World Congress, the higher ranking organization unifying each nation’s shadow government (Umbra Imperium).”
“What, so you’re the rumored…!” Suzuki purposefully cried out.
“Our conscious domain, the Akasha Fragment details bits and pieces of everything in history from past to present. Indeed, I, Kinoshita, am the man who will someday rule over the world, fwahahahah!”
His laugh kinda sounded like he was properly enunciating every syllable of “Fwahaha”. Just try and imagine the creepiness and cringe delivered to me.
“Muh! Akasha Fragments, I’ve heard of them before! They say it contains bits and pieces of all history past to present!”
“You just freaking repeated his explanation!”
When it seemed to be a conversation, not side was actually interacting.
This was the fearsome egotistical clash of two cold fronts.
“Hewley, this Kinoshita will have to borrow your power someday.”
“Halt, sage. That man is a direct knight of Zeusheim (The Heavenly Palace). He has no time to be bothered with earthly affairs. Indeed, there is not a moment to lose!”
“Why did you even come to school then? Isn’t your room enough for your life?”
“Hold it right there, the both of you.”
I almost raised a scream. While things were growing complicated, the third one came.
“… Andou Tatsuoka. This discussion has no place for a bystander. Stand back.” Suzuki swept his arm in an overblown gesture. Hold. Bleak.
“Pff, bystander, you say? What nonsense! Can you say that after you’ve looked at this!?”
Andou Tatsuoka’s buttons snapped off as he ripped open his jacket. Burst buttons might sound cool on paper, but looking at it up close, I was dumbfounded by how pathetic it was. So anyways, what Andou went as far as to put on a production to emphasize was the Tokusatsu Hero-esque short sleeve shirt he had on underneath it.
My vision went dark.
You too, eh. You too. You have the same aura.
“Andou Tatsuoka is no more than a temporary form to blend in with the world,” he hoisted one arm in a brisk motion. A wristwatch that looked seven times cheaper than a G Shock peeked out from his sleeve.
“My true identity is… oh my! I almost went and outed myself. We can’t be having that!”
“Yeah, yeah, so you think you’re deluded to think you’re one of those metal heroes or something, right? You wear glimmering armor and fight monsters. That toy watch of yours is merch from some tokusatsu show, with the target age somewhere from three to five. So do your powers come from being a modified human? A space detective? Are you a transforming rider?”
“W-what are you talking about Satou! By no means am I anything of the sort! I merely had to attest I am no bystander! And this Blaze Core is but an ordinary watch.”
With Andou’s deliberate-looking fluster, I used up 500mp to shower him with a gaze colder than any blizzard, but it was as if it did no damage. I had completely forgotten the blizzard eye only worked on bystanders who were in on the gag.
“I am here to teach justice to the people. If a reluctant Satou is to be forcefully dragged into the conspiracy, I shall not stand for it!”
“I appreciate your concern, but you should start picking up those buttons.”
“Andou Tatsuo. Not a soul may escape from our premonitions. Akasha Fragments, give me a vision! Access!”
“You’re too loud. Can you talk without exclamation points!?”
My good neighbor Ozaki-san was even covering her ears from all the cringe.
“Mrrgh… guh… t-this is!”
Kinoshita ruffled his hair into a mess as he writhed. His exclamation blew a cold wind down my spine.
“Andou… Tatsuo… it was faint, but I saw it… you… you’re…!”
“Fufu, if that cat’s out, then so be it. I’ll let you in on the secret. I am not of the overworld. I came from ‘Underquake’ the country at the depths of the earth… For I am the Armored Quake Soldier Igknight!”
He firmly gripped his fist in front of his chest as if to show off his watch. As firm and practiced as a stock pose.
“The underground huh… no wonder… fufufu.”
I was at the end of my patience.
“Stop it!” When I put anger into my voice, the skit of the three came to a sudden, complete halt. “Why do you have to let your delusions explode right next to me today of all days? It’s right time I snapped.”
“Why, you ask? That goes without saying.”
“You are a rare existence who holds a point of contact with that blue witch.”
“Indeed. My Blaze core also detected the high magical energy that girl possesses.”
Suzuki, Kinoshita, Andou, they each picked up after one another.
“Witch… you mean Satou Ryouko.”
The collapse of one’s life is always brought forth by the smallest of things. In my case, perhaps it was my meeting with Ryouko. Thanks to her coming to school in (especially well-made) cosplay, there was no doubt these folks who possessed the same sort of aura received a call to arms.
“Mn, that means…”
In horror, I glanced around the room.
I never did explain how many ‘folks’ of sturdy delusion existed in our class, did I. Now listen and be amazed. Roughly half of them.
The fact was that around half of thirty-five students were lacking in sanity.
Why were so many of the same sort collected into the small world of class 1-A? I couldn’t tell you. All I could say for certain was that the general fabric of human relations at any other school was reduced to half the scale in our class.
And what would you call these people who went on about Dark Holy Swordsmen Zwei Bander and World Chairmen and Armored Quake Soldier Igknight? There are various theories, but I referred to them as such.
These men and women were—dream soldiers.
A general term to denote anyone who had submerged themself too far into the worlds of anime, games and novels, and ended up creating some cool background setting for themself.
In olden days, it was called Soldier Syndrome. Their activities were centered on the reader’s column of the Twilight Zone and Mu (Both of them Occult Magazines). In modern days, the internet was the perfect exchange board for them, but back then many of them posted to recruit pen friends and spread the disease. A quick search might come up with something like this.

The waves of darkness are upon us. Warriors of light, please lend me your strength. 14(Girl)

Searching for comrades from my past life. Anyone who recalls the names Alisveil, Riphiter, Nastasha, please contact me. The enemy is near. I appreciate your correspondence. 21(Girl)

Sakuya, where are you? I was Arata in my past life. I’ll be waiting by the sacred tree on the river banks. 17(Boy)

The Spirit King is waking from his slumber. To any angels of atonement who feel an affinity to the word prana, now is the time to awaken! Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address below! 15(Boy)

Anyone who holds the divine dragon’s seven-star crest from their past life, please contact me. 12(Girl)

Anyone here born in the third solar system? Anyone who remembers the great lunar war, I await your reply! 17(Boy)

The key words are ‘past life’, ‘reincarnation’ and ‘warrior’. They convince themselves they’re some sort of chosen warrior and search out comrades. Their current life is a lie, it’s their past life that truly mattered, they believed without doubt. This wasn’t a matter of having too-strong dreaming tendencies.
As evidence, around the time of the past life boom, there was an incident where female middle school students attempted a mass suicide. Something about how that would return them to their past lives. The most fearsome part of all was how they testified it was to meet the souls of their comrades.
That one happened around 1990. While the circumstances had changed somewhat from back then, the dream soldiers still existed in the modern age.
Why am I so knowledgeable? As smart as you are, haven’t you worked it out by now? Well, even if you’ve noticed, please just don’t touch that one. I’d rather not reheat the past.
Anyways, about the people in our class. As expected, or rather, it seems around half of the students had their eyes captured by my conduct. I recalled Shimizu’s advice.
“Your only real option is to make an ally of the dream soldiers” is what he told me.
Don’t screw with me. First and foremost, carrying a conversation with them was impossible.
“Suzuki, Kinoshita, Andou. Disperse. It’s time for homeroom. Take your seats.”
“That won’t do. I have no time!”
“The world’s choice is near. But if you join hands with us, it will be possible to stand against it.”
“I only want to protect the peace of the people!”
“Disperse, I say.”
If Ryouko had been there, it would have become something crazy.
“Ichirou.”
Ryouko muttered from thirty centimeters behind me.
“Waaah!” I ended up crying out like a girl. “W-when did you get here!?”
“Seven forty-two am before any students arrived.”
“Don’t lie to me…”
Ryouko alone was someone the rest of the class couldn’t ignore. There were already whispers.
With all eyes gathered on her being, Ryouko’s even still composed form was like that of a saint.
“… Why did you come here?”
“That statement is contradictory. The Researcher and Ichirou have both been charged with a mission of searching for the Dragon Terminal. Time is to be used most effectively and efficiently. To begin with, the person who demanded that The Researcher attend class yesterday was Ichirou.”
“Do you plan to attend class dressed like that?”
“Protocol prevents The Researcher from removing her official equipment when on the job.”
“That’s going to be a problem!”
“Fret not,” Ryouko said before carrying on with something impossible.
“The Researcher is concealed with optic camouflage and no ordinary student is able to perceive her.”
“No, they’re totally looking at you. They’re staring at you to death. Isn’t your setting a bit too out there?”
“Before any specimen who does not boast Ichirou’s special decree of perception, The Researcher is invisible.”
“Is that why you can calmly appear like that before people?”
Just how much was she pushing it with that setting?
“Wear your uniform! You can go home and get it, I’ll cover for you!”
“The Researcher rejects Ichirou’s proposal.”
“I’m telling you to read the atmosphere!”
“The act of reading the atmosphere does not compute. In their daily lives, is it essential for residents of the phenomenal realm carry with them precise sensory means to analyze the components in the air surrounding them?”
“Aaah, god!”
Ryouko was serious to no end.
The way I see it, dream soldiers can be placed into two categories: serious and for show. The former are those that truly believe they come from another world. Those reincarnation warriors from before are the tip of the iceberg for that one. The later, take for instance Suzuki, Kinoshita and Andou, are probably well aware that they’re just high school students. Their shared theatrics likely come from their desire to be the center of attention.
Ryouko reeked of the former. They were the most trouble.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Dorisen came at the worst possible time. The other dream soldiers returned to their seats. At a time like this, they would obediently turn into inconspicuous presences. Their trances were only temporary. When it came to Kinoshita of the white cloth, during class he would change into a normal uniform, so he really wanted the best of both worlds.
“Oh my, if it isn’t Satou-san. I see you finally came to school.”
“……”
“Satou-san?”
“Ichirou, an adult male is calling your name.”
“He’s talking to you!”
“The Researcher does not have a name like Satou.”
My salvation-seeking eyes turned to Dorisen.
“Alright, well let’s just count our blessings that you at least came today. Luckily, I’m in charge of the first class after homeroom so we can totally make this work.”
“Eh? You’re going to let her take classes in cosplay?”
“It’s perfectly alright!” his face brimming with confidence.
“It is the desire to learn that makes the student!”
As expected, an appeal to emotions.
“Well, as long as you’re fine with that…”
But would the others accept it?
“Ichirou, we must go search. There is no time for primitive education.”
“I refuse. I’m not moving a single step until class is over.”
“Mm…” Ryouko faltered for the first time.
“Satou-san, then won’t you take your seat? You don’t have a textbook, do you? Then let’s see… Sawara-san, can you trade desks with her just for today?”
The skinny girl who sat to my left, Sawara silently stood and got her belongings together.
As Sawara’s seat—next to mine—was opened up, Ryouko obediently lowered herself into it.
“Then Satou, please let Satou-san look at your textbook. From one Satou to another, you should look after one another.”
… I’m glad I was in the back row. If I had anyone staring at me from behind, I would have felt pathetic.
“Desk,” reluctantly, a voice called over. “A form of furniture possessed by residents of the phenomenal realm Used for various tasks, their sizes are also varied. The material ranges from wood to metal, a property determined by its use. A portion of them may be treated as a symbol of wealth.”
“Who asked you to define it? Just push your desk over so you can sit next to me. I’ll let you look at my book.”
Ryouko silently pushed her desk over.
“Take off your hood in class.”
“Lowering defense is inadvisable.”
On the contrary she pulled it down lower, so I forcefully pulled it off.
Her black hair that glistened as if it was damp came out. The bottled up scent of a young girl scattered, taking me by shock. I recalled what had happened in the classroom yesterday. It was that smell. While I felt the sort of awkwardness as if I had burst a bottle of perfume in a train, it didn’t seem anyone else paid it any attention.
“… Now stay like that for the rest of class.”
“It is unavoidable. Ichirou’s request is accepted.”
She actually listened from time to time. I couldn’t comprehend her standard.
I opened the textbook on my desk. She closed her face in to about five centimeters above it. Was she nearsighted or something?
“What are you doing?”
“… Reading.”
“I can’t see. Read it from a bit of a distance. You’re creeping me out.”
Ryouko nodded
“… Distance is important in battle,” God, she’s irritating.
“Then since you’re here, Satou-san, could you read from the textbook?”
Dorisen’s faint hopes were crushed.
“……” As expected, Ryouko continued to ignore him.
“Satou-san, if you will.”
“……”
“Yeah, then could you try asking, Mens’ Satou? Also tell her the page number.”
Each situation I was placed in stabbed in more painfully than the last. Could it be the world was crafted solely to bully me? I knew the world was unfair, but this is terrible.
“… Ryouko.”
“Do you require something?”
“Read the textbook. From here.”
Ryouko picked up her mechanical staff.
“With the support functions of the multipurpose device Ferula, reading compr—”
I snatched multipurpose device Ferula and gently placed it on the ground.
“Please return, Please return, Please return.”
“Oh shut it. You can have it back after class is over. Additionally, after you read that. Make sure you stand up while you read.”
“Ichirou’s demands are unreasonable and irrational, but abiding by them is the only option.”
My hostage was effective, Ryouko picked up the textbook and stood. Perpendicular to her desk’s facing direction… meaning she turned to me and began reading.
“… Are you reading to me? Face the front.”
She was like that with everything. I ended up taking class feeling like my stomach was twisting in knots.
Ozaki-san to my right had her ears shut the whole time. Isn’t that a bit terrible? But I could understand her feelings like the palm of my hand. I was the one who wanted to shut my eyes.