Chapter 780 - Black and White Duet
Natsume is known as a Pre-Awakened Talent (Gift) User, but she doesn't possess a clear superpower like 'Almighty' or 'Recollection.'
However.
She does possess the reason why she is said to be the closest to a full awakening.
"Relax your power. But don't lose control."
"That's a difficult thing to ask…!"
"Oh, it's not difficult at all."
The pendant hidden beneath her clothes. An always-active Anima that generates "threads" in response to a single thought, it grasps its master's desire and releases lines of white snow into the night.
"Whose duet do you think this is?"
It was a form so ingrained in her, both physically and mentally. A performance of ten fingers, like breathing, that she would never forget or make a mistake with, even without 'Memory.'
This was not even an etude.
"Tch…"
The heartbeat I could feel from the back pressed against mine was perfectly normal; it seemed I wasn't making him nervous, which was great. As he spun his shadow threads, I placed my own right hand over his right arm. The junior didn't flinch, save for a single breath.
Very good. Then, let's begin.
"…"
I took a deep, quiet breath, and just like that, I deliberately let a numbness creep into the back of my mind.
I sink.
I immerse.
And I unravel.
I blend.
I spin the "thread." It travels through my right hand, which is placed on his right hand, and I weave it into my shadow thread, which is being formed in imitation of me—What I feel is an absurd level of wildness.
It was nothing like Natsume's delicate and obedient [Little Snow Besen]. Its form as a "thread" was just one of its potential states; its true nature was a distorted, writhing torrent of power.
But it was definitely acknowledging him. Obeying him. Liking him.
In that case, wonderful. This was by no means something beyond control. It was just a kindred problem child, worthy of playing with.
I surface, just a little.
"—Haru."
"Ah, yes."
I broke the deep connection and called out to him as I regained my sense of self. I chose my words carefully, trying not to misinterpret things.
I packed away the colors of his depths that I had touched one-sidedly into a box, so that I would never open it again. I locked it with many, many necessary keys.
"Call me."
"Pardon?"
"Call my name. Just once is fine."
A small ritual, in lieu of payment. A call to wake myself up.
"Umm…? Uh, Nacchan-senpai?"
"…Well, that'll do."
Honestly, it was regrettable. Regrettable, but—oh well, it's fine.
The "Resonance" was complete. Now, all that was left was to use what I had learned.
"Hmph… [Nine Tail], was it? This thing. It's a bizarre item, the complete opposite of elegance. Just like you, and a perfect fit for you."
"Hey, what? Are we starting with the insults now?"
I said, tapping the somewhat eerie bracelet on my junior's right arm with my fingertip. In return came the expected, cheeky complaint.
I ignored it.
"That thing's control system is almost entirely focused on thought manipulation, isn't it? Why are you trying to imitate me and 'play' it? It's pointless."
"…Seriously, so you really can understand all sorts of things just by touching them… No, it's not pointless. It's too hard to control with just thought manipulation, so reinforcing it with an image is essential."
"How clumsy. Your title is weeping for you."
"Please stop the emotional abuse, senpai."
…Right, needs adjustment. I'm getting too close. As long as I can't control this aspect easily, a full Talent (Gift) awakening is nothing but a dream.
On the dragon's back, high in the sky. The wind that roughly swept through my hair was a good distraction, and it felt pleasant on my mind, which had been disturbed by touching the nature of another person and another thing.
I took one, two, slow breaths.
"—Alright, I'll show you an example."
"So willful. I told you I can't keep up…"
This time, I had fully surfaced. Although it was unavoidable due to the nature of my ability, the part of me that had behaved like a strange, mysterious girl against my will…
"Keep up with me, Haru."
I'll overwrite it immediately by acting cool and senior-like.
I pulled the "threads."
"W-whoa…!?"
My fingers danced, the white threads flashed, and the parallel shadow threads leaped.
And the player's fingers, too. The junior, whose entire right arm was being manipulated at Natsume's will as he followed her instructions to relax, let out a pathetic and cute cry.
"Heh."
"What was that mocking laugh!"
A single smile. It felt good.
"Focus, you novice. Make sure you memorize all of it. That's your specialty, isn't it?"
"You little…!!!"
I've gotten the hang of handling this one by now.
Just like the 'Princess,' he's a world-class sore loser and an enjoyer of the game. He's a monster of motivation whose seriousness and drive well up endlessly if you just stir his competitive spirit and curiosity.
A clumsy duet of lead and follow, not yet a true harmony.
We pulled the threads, wound the threads, played in unison, drew pictures, and danced until…—in the night sky watched over by the moon and stars, we launched a joint creation of white thread and black thread (Weiss Schwarz).
"—…"
Flap, flap.
As we clasped and unclasped our joined right hands, a great flapping echoed in the sky.
"See? Even something like this is easy. Keep at it, junior."
"…H-haha…!"
In the quiet night sky, there were two dragon shadows.
The dragon of star-shadow (Sapphire), which had turned its head in surprise at the sound of wings, let out a subtle tremor of further surprise upon seeing it. I found the tremor amusing. When I looked back, I saw the face of a child.
"That's awesome!! Haha! Look, Saffy, it's your look-alike!"
"You're loud…! H-hey, don't get carried away!"
There was a child, led by my hand, who saw the work he himself had been made to draw. He exposed his excitement and感動 without a shred of concealment, scattering his pure, innocent smile and voice with an almost foolish abandon.
Clasp and open, clasp and open. Like a young child engrossed in a toy, he made the thread-spun dragon flap its wings over and over, dragging Natsume's hand, which was connected by the threads, along with him.
It wasn't a problem. It wasn't a problem, but…
Because he was so innocently delighted by a child's drawing that I had created with a mischievous whim to just surprise him a little… my heart was slightly disturbed again by a feeling that wasn't quite guilt.
"Hey, whoa! Nacchan-san!!!"
"Wh-what is it? Don't yell in my ear so—"
The complaint I was about to add, was it ever finished?
"You're amazing!! As expected of you, senpai, you're insane!"
"…, …—Hmph! O-o-o-o-f c-o-u-r-s-e I a-m! ! !"
In the end, it all seemed so ridiculous that I just let it scatter into the night sky.
"Resonance"… The ability to intuitively understand the nature and essence of people and things she touches.
Simply put, it's an anomaly that allows her to freely use Arcadia's specialty, the brain-installation system, on an individual level. This allows her to apply the cheat of 'understanding by touching' to things other than her own possessions, or even to things that aren't objects at all, which has various advantages.
A side effect is the extremely strong nature of 'feeling.' Therefore, as Nacchan became a bit of a strange, mysterious girl in the main story, if not handled carefully and skillfully, her mind and thoughts can temporarily blend together, which can or cannot lead to大変なことになったりならなかったりする。
So, what I'm trying to say is, I love Nacchan. Why isn't she a heroine? Is this a bug?