kscans

Chapter 780 - Black and White Duet

Natsume is known to the world as a candidate for a 'Gift' awakening, but she doesn't possess a clear superpower—a 'power' like 'Almighty' or 'Recollection.'

However.

She does possess the reason why she is hailed as the one currently closest to a true awakening.

"Relax your power. But don't lose control."

"You ask for the impossible…!"

"Oh? It's not impossible at all."

From a pendant hidden beneath her clothes, her constantly active Anima, which creates 'threads' in response to her thoughts, perceives its master's wish and releases lines of white snow into the night.

"Who do you think you're duetting with?"

It was a form so ingrained it was beyond mind and body. A performance of her ten fingers, like breathing, that she would never forget even without 'Recollection,' never make a mistake.

This was not even an etude for her.

"Tch…"

The heartbeat I could feel from the back pressed against mine was perfectly normal; it seemed he wasn't overly conscious of the situation, which was excellent. As Natsume placed her own right hand over the junior's right hand, which was extending and weaving shadow threads, he let out only a single breath, betraying no agitation.

Very good. Then, let us begin.

"…………──────────"

I took a quiet, deep breath, and just like that, I deliberately let my mind go numb.

Sinking.

Immersing.

And then, unraveling.

Melding together.

I twist the 'threads'. They travel along my right hand, which is placed on my right hand, and entwine with the shadow threads that are being formed in imitation of me. What I can feel is an almost ridiculous degree of abandon.

It was nothing like Natsume's delicate and obedient [Little Snow Besen, Playing and Weaving White Snow Thread]. Its form as 'threads' was just one of its potential states; its true nature was a distorted, writhing torrent of power.

But it was certainly acknowledging. Obeying. Liking.

In that case, wonderful. This was by no means something beyond control. It was merely a like-minded problem child, worthy of playing with me.

I surface, just a little.

"────Haru."

"Ah, yes."

I broke the deep connection and called out to him as I reclaimed my sense of self. I carefully sorted through my thoughts, taking care not to misinterpret various things.

I packed away the colors of the deep layer I had touched one-sidedly into a box, never to be opened again. I locked it with many, many necessary keys.

"Call me."

"What?"

"Call my name. Just once is enough."

A small ritual, in lieu of payment. A call to wake me up.

"Uhh, um…? Ahh, Nacchan-senpai?"

"…Well, that'll do."

Honestly, it was regrettable. It was regrettable, but—well, I'll let it slide.

The 'Resonance' was complete. All that was left was to make use of what I had learned.

"Phew… [Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet], was it? This thing. It's a bizarre piece of work, the absolute opposite of elegance. Just like you, and a perfect fit for you."

"Hey, what's with the sudden insults?"

I tapped the slightly eerie-looking bracelet on the junior's right arm with my fingertips. In return, I received the expected cheeky complaint.

Ignored.

"That thing's control system is almost entirely skewed towards thought manipulation, isn't it? Why are you trying to 'play' it like me? It's pointless."

"…………Seriously, you can really tell all that just by touching? No, it's not pointless. Pure thought manipulation is too hard to control, so I have to reinforce it with imagery."

"How clumsy. Your title is weeping."

"Please stop with the emotional abuse, senpai."

…Right, adjustments needed. I'm getting too close. As long as I can't easily control this aspect, a true awakening of my Gift is nothing but a dream.

On the dragon's back, high in the sky. The wind, roughly sweeping through my hair, served as a good distraction, soothing my mind, which had been disordered by touching another person and another thing.

I took one, two, slow breaths.

"────Alright, I'll show you an example."

"So arbitrary. I told you I can't keep up…"

This time, I fully surfaced. Although it's an unavoidable consequence of my ability's nature, I'd have to make up for the unwillingly and unintentionally strange behavior I'd just displayed…

"Keep up, Haru."

…by immediately overwriting it with a cool, senpai-like demeanor.

I manipulated the 'threads'.

"W-whoa…!?"

My fingers danced, the white threads flashed, making the adjacent shadow threads leap.

And so too did the player's fingers. The junior, who was letting his strength drain away as instructed, had his entire right arm manipulated at Natsume's will, letting out a pathetic and adorable yelp.

"Hmph."

"What was that mocking laugh!?"

One smile. It felt good.

"Concentrate, you amateur. Make sure you remember all of this, isn't that your specialty?"

"You little…!!!"

I'd gotten the hang of handling this one.

Just like 'the Princess,' he was the biggest sore loser and enjoyer of the century. A monster of motivation whose fighting spirit and curiosity would well up endlessly if you just provoked them.

It was not yet a duet, but a clumsy cannon of lead and follow.

Weaving the threads, winding the threads, playing them in unison, drawing a picture, and dancing at the end of it…──── in the night sky watched over by the moon and stars, we launched the joint creation of white and black threads (Weiß Schwarz).

"──────……, …………"

Flap, flap.

As we clasped and opened our connected right hands, a great flapping echoed in the sky.

"See? Even something like this is easy. You'd better work hard, junior."

"…………Ha, haha…!"

In the quiet night sky, there were two dragon shadows.

The dragon of starlight, Sapphire, turned its head in surprise at the sound of flapping wings, and I felt a pleasant, minute shake indicating its further surprise at what it saw. When I looked back, what I saw was the face of a child.

"Whooooa!! Haha! Look, Sapphy, it's your spitting image!"

"So loud…! Ah, hey, don't get carried away!"

He was looking at the work he had been led to create. He unabashedly exposed his excitement and wonder, a child who spread his pure, innocent smile and voice to a degree that was almost exasperating.

Clasp and open, clasp and open. Like a young child engrossed in a toy, he made the thread-spun dragon flap its wings again and again, taking Natsume's hand, to which he was connected by thread, along for the ride.

There was no problem with it. There was no problem, but…

…because of the guilt-like emotion I felt at his completely innocent delight in this child's play, which I had created with the mischievous intent of startling him a little, my heart was once again slightly disturbed.

"Hey, whoa! Nacchan-san!!!"

"W-What is it? Don't shout so close to my────"

But the complaint I was about to add was, in the end.

"You're amazing!! As expected of you, senpai, you're seriously insane!"

"……, …………──────────Hmph! O-Of course I am!!!"

…deemed utterly ridiculous and quietly scattered into the night sky.

---

'Resonance'… The power to intuitively understand the nature and essence of people and things you touch.

To put it simply, it's an ability that allows one to personally and freely use Arcadia's trademark brain-installation system. This allows the user to apply the cheat of 'understanding upon touch' to things other than their own possessions, or even to things that aren't objects at all, which naturally comes with a variety of benefits.

The fact that its nature is extremely strong in 'feeling' things is a side effect. Therefore, as seen with Nacchan becoming slightly strange during the chapter, if not handled carefully and skillfully, one's mind and thoughts can temporarily get mixed up, leading to… well, all sorts of trouble.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, I love Nacchan. Why isn't she a heroine? Is this a bug?