Work Text:
A high-pitched cry echoed from the forest. Rumbling footsteps followed, and both immediately shifted into fighting stances.
Anon did not detect any mana around them, so it took them by surprise. It was supposed to be a simple D-rank collection quest that only she and Soyo took. The place was two train rides away from the academy, on a lake surrounded by forest. They hadn’t expected any beast in there since it was known to be under the academy’s control.
And they said they just did maintenance last weekend… What happened?
Soyo fired warning shots of small flames, but the goblins kept charging. Anon activated an anti-physical shield for her and Soyo. When she saw the goblins’ eyes glowing red, Anon didn’t hold back and attacked with her steel sword. They were already frenzied and would not back down. Her sword cut through the first beast. Another rushed in, shrieking, only to be blasted back by one of Soyo’s fireballs.
“Anon-chan!” Soyo called over the loud, high-pitched, monstrous cries.
Anon cast a wave of wind charm around her, sending five goblins away. She turned to Soyo briefly and caught a glimpse of the magic staff in her hand. Its mana threads spiraled into Soyo’s arm.
“What?” she asked, jumping back, closer to Soyo.
“We probably need to retreat. There might be a horde of them.”
Thankfully, it was the middle of the day. Anon could see them all clearly and still count how many of the goblins were coming to attack them. But the brown-haired girl could be right. A whole horde of them might be living deep in the forest, and their frenzied state was another thing.
Was there something in the lake they’re guarding?
Blood spurted as she thrust into a goblin’s chest. Another raised its club above her head. Anon knocked it back in time, hitting a few more beasts behind it.
“But, how can we pass through them?” Anon asked.
They were starting to be surrounded by the group, but she thought they could still defeat them all as long as no more came after. As if to prove her wrong, five goblins came at her at the same time.
Anon’s sword clashed against an axe before reinforcing her shield. “Soyorin!” she called, seeing more goblins coming to Soyo. She attempted to reinforce Soyo’s shield, but the creatures blocked her line of sight to Soyo.
The familiar warm golden mana signature burst around them, much to Anon’s relief. The impact knocked several goblins back, while more high-pitched cries echoed through the trees. Anon widened her eyes when she saw a naginata in Soyo’s hand. The girl also knitted her brows as she stared at the weapon in her hand.
Is that… the staff?
She recognized the mana threads from the weapon connecting around Soyo’s arm. It held on to her as if bathing in Soyo’s warm mana. Despite her confusion, Soyo proceeded to slash through the beasts. Anon was still staring at her before she noticed the goblins coming at her.
“Whoa! This sh—” She gripped her sword and deflected the goblin’s blade. Soyo swung the naginata, sending a wave of wind charm towards the goblins in front of her.
“There’s no time to be amazed. Anon-chan! We need to go!”
The urgency in Soyo’s voice snapped Anon back to focus. She shook her head, pushing her oncoming thoughts to the back of her mind.
“Right.” Anon exhaled before looking around. She shoved a goblin corpse into her storage artifact. They would need it as proof for the academy and the guild. They had barely started the quest when the goblins attacked.
Now, how do we escape…
More shadows were already moving behind the trees. Anon hadn’t noticed how, but they probably already alerted the rest. Using a stronger fire charm would risk burning the forest. They didn’t have the mana capacity to put out a forest fire.
“Anon-chan.” Soyo stepped back to stand beside her. To their surprise, the naginata in her hand lit up for a second, then changed back into its magic staff form.
“It really was your staff?” Anon exclaimed, thrusting her sword at the goblin that followed Soyo.
“Yes. But more on that later,” Soyo said, looking at her directly. “I suppose you still have plenty of mana left?”
“Of course.” Anon raised her brows, “You have a plan?”
“Yes,” Soyo smirked at her.
Anon tilted her head at her girlfriend, before recognizing the mana flowing into the staff. In the next second, Soyo released them.
“Glacius!” Soyo shouted.
Mana burst outward like a cold wave, freezing everything in front of them up to a certain distance. It was enough to freeze all the remaining goblins coming at them. Without question, she let Soyo take her hand. They only nodded at each other as they both released a burst of air under their feet, rushing out of the forest.
The glacius charm bought them enough time to run away safely from the goblins. Strangely enough, they eventually stopped coming at them once they got a good distance away from the lake. In less than fifteen minutes, they were out of the forest.
The two continued to run hand in hand until the forest disappeared behind them. As soon as they found the nearest waiting shed, they took a seat to catch their breath. The train station was still a few minutes' walk away after all.
“I like your idea of a date,” Soyo said, in between her breaths.
Anon couldn’t help but pout at that. “I didn’t exactly plan this as a date…”
Soyo covered her mouth, giggling. “I was just kidding, Anon-chan.”
When her giggles died down, the brown-haired girl looked at her in confusion. “Mm? Why are you still pouting?”
Anon glared at the stick beside her girlfriend. “If this were a date, you brought a third wheel.”
There was a moment of silence between them. An afternoon breeze passed between them while Soyo stared at her. Then, the girl burst out laughing.
“S-Soyorin?”
“Are you still jealous of my stick, Anon-chan?” Soyo teased.
“I’m not! Why would I?”
“Do I need to answer that?”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “But, seriously, did it really do that earlier?” she asked instead, changing the subject.
Soyo nodded, shifting her gaze to the staff. “I still don’t know. I just wished I could cut through them and thought of my naginata. Then it suddenly transformed.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Soyo slid it back to her storage artifact. Anon watched as the mana threads from the staff slowly let go of Soyo’s arm. It felt surprisingly relieving for her.
“Anyway, I should probably test it out more.”
“Mm… Yeah.”
Anon reluctantly agreed. The magic staff undeniably helped Soyo a lot with her magic output. She could see the significance of learning more about it.
***
Anon wasn’t exactly in a foul mood.
In fact, she hadn’t been in one for quite some time. It would not take more than one glance at her for someone to say that her smile was brighter than usual, or that her eyes were sparkling. The girls who already found her adorable before would see her as even more blooming.
But then…
“Anon-chan, is something wrong?” Tomori’s question caught her off guard. And even more when she added, “A-Ah, I just thought, you seemed irritated. So, I wondered if something was bothering you.”
Her hand stopped midair, mid-pour of a liquid extract into her brewing pot. “O-Oh, really? Maybe it’s just my focus, Tomorin. You know how we have to get the exact measurements here.”
“And isn’t that why you shouldn’t hold it midair for long?” Taki pointed out, eyeing her, then the senior student observing them.
The potions class professor was rather strict in watching over them, to the point of having seniors assisting her. A joint class needed her five seniors to assist her to ensure incidents could be avoided. And they got even more attentive after the incident with the Scad from months ago.
“And I think Chihaya-san has a firm grip on it,” Umiri chimed in.
“Yes, that’s right. I wouldn’t be that careless.” Anon slowly poured the purplish liquid from the beaker into the pot. She quickly glanced at Umiri and gave her a nod.
“But Taki-chan is correct. We have to be careful,” Uika also joined in, stirring her own pot carefully.
Yahata Umiri and Misumi Uika usually joined their table when they weren’t away on party missions. Taki noted that they were lucky to miss the class during the incident months ago.
Their conversation drifted back to their task at hand, much to Anon’s relief. But she could feel Tomori’s worried gaze still on her. She could only reassure her with a smile, not wanting to reopen the topic. It wasn’t the time to be talking about it anyway.
They were brewing a slightly advanced potion, the sleeping potion. Anon’s advantage was that she had already learned it from her potion master girlfriend. Her reminders were still fresh in her mind.
“When getting the lavenmine extract, one secret trick to it is to use some heat charm on your fingertips. Just this much.” Soyo poked the back of her hand, letting her feel a touch of heat against her skin. “Not burning heat. Just warmth.”
“What is it for?” she asked.
Soyo returned her gaze to the thick purple leaves of the magical plant in her hand and urged her to look closer. She pressed on the leaves, letting the purplish gel-like liquid ooze out. The liquid extract poured smoothly into the beaker, without anything sticking to Soyo’s fingers.
She felt only moist when Soyo poked the back of her hand again.
“That way, there would be no wasted extract sticking in your hand.”
Anon bit her lip, holding back a giggle at the memory of Soyo’s raised brows and proud smile. Her girlfriend was just too adorable like that. It made her wonder if Soyo was even aware of how cute she could be.
A nudge on her side brought her back to the present.
“Sorry about earlier,” Tomori whispered to her. “I guess I was just imagining it. I thought you were still thinking about your goblin encounter with Soyo-chan last time. But I’m glad to see your smile, Ano-chan.”
Tomori chuckled before sliding back to her spot. Anon could only nod, wishing her bangs were long enough to cover her reddening cheeks. She couldn’t help it if the memory of her girlfriend could easily make her smile again.
But it was also that very same person who had made her seem irritated earlier. Okay, not exactly. Soyo had not done anything wrong. Her girlfriend was her usual self. She was stern but kind. She seemed detached, but she was mentally taking note of the important stuff. Not touchy-feely, but melting inside. Soyo was still her usual self, with an extra touch of sweetness since they’d started dating.
What was getting on my nerves earlier then? Did I really seem bothered?
It couldn’t have been the goblin encounter as Tomori mentioned. Once they reported it to the Academy Guild, the security staff took over for an investigation. Anon was thankful they got out of there safely, but it probably wasn’t what was bothering her.
Anon was left wondering now that she couldn’t recall it in the first place.
***
“I see. Your defense seemed stronger now. How about I test that?” Chisato dared, leaning closer. She rested her chin on top of her hands.
Anon smiled proudly, feeling the faint sway of ocean waves beneath her feet. “Sure!” she replied.
“Chisato-chan,” her pink-haired senior called, sitting on the bed. “Don’t forget that Anon-chan had just recently recovered. Take it easy on her.”
Aya-san… More than two weeks had already passed since then…
It was Anon’s first session with Chisato since the new term started, and they were only reviewing what she had learned so far. Aya and Chisato were the only seniors who knew about her real condition when she was dealing with the wolf curse. They could easily be open about it since Chisato’s roommate, Kanon, was out on a mission with her party anyway. And Aya would be staying over for the night.
“Don’t worry about me, Aya-san. I have fully recovered now,” Anon said, glancing at Aya.
“That’s the spirit, Anon-chan. Besides, in times of emergency, we would have to be careful no matter our current state.”
Anon nodded at her senior’s words. Chisato was strict on her. And she was experienced enough and had already known more terrifying things out there.
“So, Anon-chan.” Chisato locked their eyes together.
She braced herself. Anon picked up on her senior's oncoming attack. Pastel yellow mana threads tried to reach for her mind as Chisato spoke again.
“How far have you gotten with Soyo-chan~?”
The usually comforting breeze of Chisato’s mana signature hit like violent winds, tossing rocks into the ocean of her defense. They bounced off the surface as Anon remained firm on her mana output for the charm.
“I won’t be caught off guard by that again, Chisato-san.”
Her statement earned Chisato’s wide smile. “Impressive. You didn’t even budge.”
“Yes. And I’m confident that no one could use Soyorin against me anymore.” She is part of my strength.
“Okay. Then, could you tell me what your callsign is with her?”
“Not telling.”
“How many times have you two kissed already?”
“Probably not as many as you and Aya-san yet~.”
“Biting back now, aren’t we~?”
“Hehehe~ I think I learned that from you.”
Chisato leaned back on the sofa. Her violet eyes were lit up, still on hers. Contrary to her calm composure, her pink-haired girlfriend behind her was slightly red after the mention of their kiss.
“Hmm… Well okay. How about holding hands in public?” the blonde tried again.
By then, Anon had started to feel the rock more like a tickle on her side every time Chisato attacked with the mind control charm.
“Why are all the questions about Soyorin and me?”
Her blonde senior raised a brow at that, then a smirk formed on her lips. The temperature rose around Anon, bringing the sensation of blazing sun shining upon the ocean.
“Then, would you tell me about England?”
Anon tightened her jaws, holding her senior’s gaze. “Nothing much to tell there.”
“Ann?” Chisato persisted.
At the mention of that, one unwanted memory resurfaced in Anon’s mind. One that still hit her despite having grown out of it. It was enough to cause a split second of flicker in her defensive charm. But she instantly stabilized it again.
“Chisato-san…” Her voice dropped, sulky and low.
“Ufufufu…” Chisato giggled. “There was a flicker, yes. But you didn’t let it linger. You did great, Anon-chan.”
A pair of arms wrapped around the blonde. Before Anon could process it, Aya fully embraced Chisato from behind, her smile flickering briefly towards Anon before settling on the blonde.
“Don’t you think it was a little mean to bring that up to Anon-chan?” Aya spoke, voice gentler than usual, letting her wavy pink hair rest on Chisato’s shoulder.
“Aya-chan, that was nothing compared to the cruelty of invasive mind magic. You and I both know that so well.”
Anon was focused on how her two seniors looked at each other. Their relationship was no secret to the people close to them. She was one of the lucky juniors whom the two allowed to get this close to them. Then her eyes caught sight of something small glimmering on Chisato’s hand. It was a silver ring with a tiny, clear crystal on it, worn on her ring finger.
Her heart sped up so much that Anon had to press her lips together to keep herself from squealing. She averted her gaze in an attempt not to ask about the matter. But of course, she was curious. Anon knew the possible implications of the ring. But she didn’t want to just jump onto the topic. She wasn’t even sure if this was information she should know. Who knows, her senior might’ve just forgotten to take it off before seeing her. But her mind kept bugging her.
Is Aya-san wearing the same ring?
The chance was right in front of her. Literally. She just needed to glance back at them and let her eyes linger on Aya’s hands that were holding the blonde into the embrace, and—
“Anon-chan? Is something wrong?” Aya asked, letting go of Chisato, and sat by the blonde’s side.
Anon straightened her posture, letting her back hit the soft cushion behind her. “Ah, well…”
Her seniors stared at her. Their hands rested in their laps, and Anon could clearly see that not only was Aya also wearing a silver ring, but it matched Chisato’s as she had expected. Anon exhaled and decided to ask since the two didn’t seem to want to hide it anyway.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Anon began, then looked from Aya’s eyes to Chisato’s. “Are you two engaged? Or is that some enchanted object shared between your party members?”
A moment of silence passed between them. And then the blonde started giggling with a light tinge of pink on her cheeks. Aya, on the other hand, was completely red down to her neck.
“As expected of you, Anon-chan,” Chisato said, releasing a breath as her giggles died down. “They are enchanted objects.”
“Aw, just that…” Anon’s shoulders dropped. “I really thought you two had already—”
“But,” Chisato interjected. “They are also engagement rings.”
As Chisato admitted that, her hand reached for Aya’s and clasped it with hers. Anon’s eyes sparkled, finally letting the excitement inside her bloom at the confirmation.
“Really?!”
The pink-haired senior gave her a small nod, still completely red. Anon reached for their connected hands and clasped them with hers.
“I’m happy for you two! Congratulations!”
“Thank you, Anon-chan,” they both said, their gaze softened at her.
Anon let go of their hands, straightening her posture again. “When did it happen? Who proposed? When’s the wedding? Please don’t forget to invite me!”
Her questions came in one breath, earning chuckles from the two.
“Calm down, Anon-chan,” Chisato said. “We can talk about that another time. Okay?”
“Ehhh? Why not now, Chisato-san? We’re done with our session for today, right?”
“Yes, but it’s already late. Didn’t you say you’ll be sleeping over at Soyo-chan’s room tonight?”
She jolted in her seat at the mention of her girlfriend. She quickly took her phone out of her pocket and saw that it was already eleven in the evening. There were a few messages from Soyo. The latest one was asking if she wasn’t done yet. There was also a message from their party’s group chat, which she assumed was the plan for their training tomorrow.
“Oh no, you’re right, Chisato-san. I must go to Soyorin now.”
Chisato leaned back, still holding Aya’s hand. “We can talk about it next time. Maybe with Kanon, too.”
“Kanon-chan didn’t know about it either, Chisato-chan?” Aya glanced at the blonde, eyes widened.
“She knows. But Kanon wants me to tell her how it went.”
Anon started typing a reply while partly listening to her seniors, who began recalling the day the proposal happened. It was made clear to her that Chisato was the one who proposed and had Kanon’s help.
“We’re done here. I’m coming over now. See you, Love~,” Anon finally finished typing and sent the message.
Meanwhile, she felt as if she had already heard half of the story from Aya and Chisato’s exchange in front of her. Chisato mentioned being all nervous about it, but Anon couldn’t imagine it, given how she had never seen the blonde ever get shaken.
“I guess, I really should go now, so you two could… You know.” Anon wiggled her eyebrows at them. “Have a private time together.”
She stood up before Chisato could reach to flick her forehead. Instead, the blonde smirked with pride in response. “You’re quick, Anon-chan. That’s good.”
Anon snickered before making her way to the door. Chisato and Aya followed behind to see her off. They held the door as Anon walked out.
“I’ll let you know when our next session will be. Our guild assigned a mission for our party, and they said it could take more than a week before we can return.”
“It’s fine, Chisato-san. Don’t worry about it.” Anon bowed slightly. “Thank you for always giving time to teach me.”
“Next time, I’ll teach you a charm that would be worth making an enchanted object of. Make sure to bring something you could easily carry around and wear all the time, okay?”
“Really? I’ve always wanted to learn more about that!” Anon beamed at her seniors, clasping her hands.
“Well then, look forward to our next session.”
She could feel warmth in the way her seniors stared at her. The moment was cut short by the sound of hurried footsteps. It also caught the attention of Aya and Chisato. Anon’s heart jumped at the sight of Soyo marching towards her.
“S-Soyorin?” she stammered.
The brown-haired girl slowed down upon noticing their seniors. “Good evening, Chisato-san, Aya-san,” she greeted them with that usual polite tone. “I’m sorry, but can I take her away now?”
“Yes, don’t worry about it, Soyo-chan,” Chisato replied, nodding at her.
“Thank you,” Soyo said with a small bow to both of them. She briefly glanced at Anon before dragging her away.
Anon also bowed to her seniors as she was taken away. Questions filled her mind about the reason behind this urgency in her girlfriend’s actions. Once they reached the elevator, far enough from most of the dorm rooms on that floor, Soyo finally spoke.
“Anon-chan, take out your phone right this moment.”
She just nodded. Recognizing that commanding tone, Anon knew better than to ask why. Anon swallowed a lump in her throat as she fished for her phone in her pocket. Once out, she unlocked it right away, only to see three messages in their group chat.
“Ugh…” Soyo groaned, covering her face. “Too late.”
“What was too late?” Anon asked.
“You idiot…”
Anon could see the redness despite Soyo covering her face. It reached up to her ears. The next moment, she found herself in the same state. Upon checking her phone, she saw that the three messages were from their party members… and that it was a reply to her message.
Her message, meant for Soyo, was mistakenly sent to their group chat.
“I’m happy for you two!” was Tomori’s simple message.
Raana’s was the usual, “I love matcha~ Will it come see me too?”
And Taki, who Anon would’ve expected to scold them instead, said, “Screenshot saved. Now I have another way to blackmail you two.”
“I’m an idiot.” Anon put a hand over her mouth as she groaned. “I’m sorry, Soyorin. Uuggh!”
“I hurried to ask you to delete it… Ugh…” Soyo shook her head with her hands still covering her face. “Why are they still awake?”
“Rikki hardly sleeps. But Tomorin, and Raana-chan… Uuughh… I’m really sorry, Soyorin.”
Anon barely noticed the elevator's ding, if not for Soyo dragging her inside. She put her phone back in her pocket before groaning into her hand again.
“So embarrassing. Please forgive me, Soyorin! I’m such an idiot. I was listening to Aya-san and Chisato-san, and I didn’t see where I was—”
Soyo put a finger on her lips, cutting her off. “It was just embarrassing; there was really nothing to apologize for, Anon-chan.” Her cheeks were still red as their eyes met.
A breath escaped her lungs as Anon let her shoulders drop. “You’re right. It was just embarrassing.” She loosened her lips into a smile and took Soyo’s hands with hers. “It’s just like declaring to our members what we are to each other.”
Soyo’s mouth hung open, as if on the verge of saying something. Anon waited to see what it would be; however, the girl settled with a small nod and a hum. It was followed by a squeeze on her hands before Soyo let go just in time for the elevator to open to the fifteenth floor.
“Let’s go…” Soyo said, still too quietly. Then she added, “…my idiot.”
Anon trailed behind her and couldn’t stop herself from grinning all night.
***
Drips of water could be heard in the distance, along with their footsteps.
Taki and Raana were actively detecting traps as they stepped deeper into the cave. It had been eerily quiet since they came in, and Anon was already itching to talk. Thankfully, though, the guild had the information sheet on this dungeon. There were beasts in it that would immediately attack at the sound of a human voice. They wanted to avoid it and any fight they could, since the dungeon's clearing condition was simply to reach the last floor and defeat the floor guardian.
She kept her mana detection active as usual to be on guard for any oncoming attack. It was their second time on a C-rank dungeon after all. They had to be alert in every way possible. Anon’s wooden sword hung at her hip. Raana’s daggers were strapped to her legs. Tomori wore her new slingshot on her wrist, while a pouch carried her rock ammo. Anon admired her courage in challenging herself with it despite not yet mastering it.
Taki crafted the wrist slingshot Tomori wore. Anon was still cursed with the wolf instincts when the dark-haired girl was making it, but she could remember how Soyo had picked up the idea of testing her wolf instinct then with a spherical ice after hearing about Tomori pouring mana on her ammo. Not that she was complaining. It just felt strange for her that every time she saw Tomori use the slingshot, she would also remember that time. And surely, it wouldn’t be the only one to remind her of that.
Beside her was Soyo, who had her naginata, or rather, her magic staff, out. A week had already passed since they found out the staff could transform at Soyo’s will. So far, the girl had only tested to transform it into a naginata, a wooden sword, and into a bangle. It worked as long as Soyo was familiar and had already touched the object she wanted to change it into.
It was amazing. Truly interesting. Yet the sight of it bothered Anon in a way she couldn’t explain. With her mana detection on, she could see threads of mana clinging to Soyo’s arm. It snaked around the girl’s arm as if claiming Soyo.
How sure are we that that thing is safe? Anon averted her gaze.
“Anon-chan? Is something wrong?”
Soyo’s sweet whisper voice was enough to push back all those thoughts. She hummed in response, lifting her gaze to meet Soyo’s.
“Nothing~,” Anon whispered back. Then she moved closer, letting their shoulders brush against each other.
As she focused on their tracks again, she felt a nudge on her hand. It was a knuckle hitting hers. A quiet ask that didn’t need a second nudge to be understood. Anon took Soyo’s hand and intertwined their fingers together.
Peace didn’t stay long throughout their exploration of the dungeon, as to be expected. The main challenge for them was to minimize communication and incorporate some of their new tactics or weapons into their teamwork.
Anon swung her wooden sword, sending a blast of wind towards the ogre. It shielded itself with its large arms. The blast, however, cut through its skin. It wasn’t even done groaning in pain before Taki followed through with continuous punches. The ogre was unable to reposition itself, nor find an opening to fight back.
But then, Anon sensed a build-up of mana coming from the beast. She almost screamed for Taki to back away, if not for the vines she saw, which quickly pulled the girl’s body away. It was seconds away before the ogre roared, releasing sound waves. Anon countered with sound barriers, deflecting the waves.
The ogre ran towards them, roaring once more. Anon reinforced their shields while scanning the surroundings for where their junior swung to. She only found Raana when she saw darts being shot at the ogre’s feet, slowing its movement. Rocks came next behind her. It was loaded with mana, each one punching straight through the ogre’s body.
She looked over to her side and saw Taki crouching by Soyo’s feet.
Ahh, there she was. Of course, Soyorin got Rikki.
Taki locked eyes with her and gestured her head to the ogre. They nodded at each other, taking each other’s cue to attack simultaneously while the ogre was still distracted by the rocks.
A wind charm swept under her feet, making Anon’s steps lighter. She saw the same ease on Taki as the girl jumped on top of the ogre. The beast stepped back, its gaze going up to follow Taki. Anon sharpened her wooden sword with a reinforcement charm, sprinting after Taki. She slid her way in between the ogre’s legs and slashed its heel.
She braced herself to hit the wall, but the mud she slid through hardened into rough stone. It slowed her motion, allowing Anon to anchor herself into the ground. Her gaze followed the mana traces of the earth charm that saved her. It led her to Soyo’s small smile.
The beast cried in pain, crouching on one knee. Then a loud smash rang out as Taki drove her gauntlet into its head. Anon held the anti-physical shield for all of them, blocking the sputtering green blood from hitting them.
Taki rolled to the ground upon landing. The ogre’s body lay lifeless on the ground. Only then did all of them release a sigh of relief. Anon had a smile on her face and raised a thumb to each of them. It was either answered with a smile back or a smug grin from Raana.
Their junior then began retrieving the body. It was usually either Anon or Raana who would store a beast’s body away for later processing of the materials they could extract. A C-rank ogre could be a source of various materials useful for crafting artifacts or brewing potions.
Anon got back to her feet, dusting herself off some dirt. Annoyed by the mud and dirt, she cast a cleaning charm, washing her combat attire off clean. When she straightened herself again, Soyo was already in front of her. Behind the girl was Tomori talking with Taki in a low voice.
This no-talking dungeon is starting to annoy me.
“You okay?” Soyo whispered. Her hand stroked her hair, flattening a strand sticking out.
“Thanks, Love~,” she mouthed, followed by a mischievous grin.
Soyo shot her a glare. Anon could guess the many different ways her girlfriend was scolding her in her mind. Yet, the corners of her mouth refused to drop, and a flush creeping up her cheeks betrayed her entirely.
Anon pressed her lips together and traced her fingers over her mouth as if zipping it. Her eyes caught the traces of mana from the magic staff, still attached to Soyo’s arm. The bitter feelings resurfaced again, but she turned her focus back to the path ahead.
They moved on to the next floor after taking a fifteen-minute break. More beasts came at them as they went further. Soyo turned the staff into a naginata again, slashing slimes coming at her and Tomori. Tomori’s shots remained stable, hitting flying beasts more often than not.
By the time they reached the last floor, the eighth level of the dungeon, they had already drunk their second vial of mana potion. Tomori had switched to her rune deck, and Raana to her twin daggers. This time, it was Taki who brought out the new weapon she was mastering, the tonfa.
As if sensing their worries, Taki met their gazes with unwavering focus. Her lips tightened before looking away. Soyo, on the other hand, kept the magic staff with her. Anon shook her head, not wanting her thought to resurface.
It’s just a stick with magic. Focus, Chihaya Anon.
A stick that happened to choose Soyorin like me…
Air escaped her lungs, bringing her concentration back in their path.
The cave had grown much cooler compared to the lower floors earlier. According to the information sheet, the final floor would be cold indeed, but not winter cold. The real problem would be what was awaiting for them there. The only information they had about the final floor, other than being cold, was that it was an adaptable floor. It had no fixed guardian. So, when they got there, all of them remained on alert, and yet, they didn’t expect that they’d be fighting a horde of mana-controlled iron warriors.
Taki was the first one to charge in, parrying the oncoming warriors. Raana followed, attacking with speed and efficiency. Meanwhile, Soyo covered Tomori, allowing her to do her rune summoning safely. Anon eyed the staff in Soyo’s hand just before she went back to scanning the mana traces of the floor.
There must be a main source of mana for these iron warriors.
Anon sheathed her wooden sword and pulled out her steel one. She could do multiple reinforcements, but there was no point in keeping her wooden sword if they were against lifeless iron warriors anyway.
One thing she noticed about the iron warriors was that they were not so tough. Her steel sword could easily pierce through. Even Taki’s tonfas could easily dent their armor and bring them down. Their main problem was probably that they kept coming, spawning out of nowhere.
At this rate, Rikki and Raana-chan won’t be able to find the source.
She slashed through every warrior coming at her. Right now, they have to fight their way through them before they can find their exit.
Or we could activate the escape portal now to run away… Then again, that is giving up. Anon shook her head, kicking an iron warrior away as if to push the idea to the back of her mind.
A familiar mana surge behind her, and without much thought, Anon docked while adding an anti-magic shield to Raana and Taki on her side. Waves of blue flames passed through over her head, hitting multiple iron warriors at once. She knew it was Soyo’s magic, but it still amazed her how much more powerful and controlled it was with the magic staff.
She took a moment to have her hyper-focused detection on and saw the golden threads raining down on the enemies. Anon traced it with her eyes and found her gaze on Soyo and that staff. It was a sight to behold.
Her attention went back to the battle when two huge magma golems emerged from the ground. Behind them was Tomori, finally done with her rune summoning. Anon fixed her stance, preparing to fight again. As she had expected, new iron warriors came at them again as soon as the horde was cleared. Raana and Taki, however, had already climbed up to higher ground. The two nodded at them once before disappearing.
Anon charged in again, taking that as their cue to hold the line. She reinforced her sword with flames and coordinated her movements with Tomori’s magma golems and Soyo, who followed after her with the magic staff transformed into a naginata again.
Strangely enough, the iron warriors seemed stronger than before. Their movements improved as if they’d already learned to counter their attacks. There was also the fact that Anon was starting to feel her swollen arms. Tomori’s control was still firm, but controlling two golems at once must be taking a toll on her.
And then, there was Soyo. Her girlfriend, whom she was so proud of, had improved on her techniques with the naginata. The brown-haired could fight with it decently, and alternate her attacks with magic when necessary or when she had a misstep.
Wait, no. Not that kind of misstep!
Anon released a wave of wind charm, sending the enemies on her path away. She sprinted towards Soyo, but was not fast enough to aid her in blocking the one odd iron warrior with a huge axe. It swung its axe at Soyo. She tried to deflect with the naginata. But instead, the impact made Soyo lose her grip on it, sending it away from her.
Soyo raised the ground around her into spikes, quickly piercing through the warrior with an axe, and the others surrounding her. Soyo had less control over her output, and Anon jumped back to avoid the spikes from reaching her.
The magic staff was sent too far for Soyo to reach. And it didn’t help that, for some reason, the iron warriors started flocking over her.
Was it because she killed that one with an axe? Or was it because of her uncontrolled mana output earlier?
She didn’t have time to figure that out. Anon prioritized getting Soyo’s staff back. While the warriors were focused on her girlfriend, she took that chance to dash across the horde. With her hyper-focused mana detection, she traced the yellow threads and immediately found it back to its stick form.
The moment she touched it, a warm sensation crawled onto her skin. It was pleasantly odd. Much to her surprise, it changed. It transformed into a sword, a replica of the one she was holding.
What’s with this? Didn’t the headmistress say it’s not responding to anyone else anymore?
Anon realized it was the first time she had held it. So, there was no telling if it had been like this since, or maybe this was situational, that it recognized her. She took a moment to examine it, and the yellow threads that attached themselves to her as if holding her gently.
Right. She sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Maybe we both just wanted to protect Soyorin anyway.
Anon took a deep breath and gripped the swords in each of her hands. And then, she charged in with her hyper-focus mana detection active. She switched to tracing the mana threads of the iron warriors. They were connected as she had expected.
She slashed through with ease. Tomori’s magma golems were continuously smashing one warrior after another. And in no time, Anon made her way back to Soyo. Anon had to hold her giggle upon seeing her girlfriend’s confused expression when she tossed a sword to her. Confusion turned to amusement the moment it returned in Soyo’s hand as a magic staff. They smirked at each other as they slashed through their enemies again.
Before long, Anon noticed the number of warriors was decreasing. She also stopped detecting any spawns. She got her confirmation when multiple warriors were pulled via threads from above, followed by Raana herself, who danced around them with her daggers.
“Good job holding out here,” Taki whispered as she dropped behind her.
“And good job finding the artifact source, I suppose? Took you long though~.”
If it weren’t for the no-talking rule, Taki would’ve said more. Instead, Anon felt her elbow hit her side lightly. She snapped her attention back to the fight.
After less than thirty minutes, they had defeated all the remaining iron warriors. Anon raised her hand for a high five. Tomori was the first one to reach for it, still catching her breath. Raana joined in catching Tomori’s hand, then Anon’s. Taki was exasperated but tapped her palm to them anyway, which earned a grin from the pink-haired.
Before she could look around for Soyo, a pair of arms came from behind, wrapping around her, with the magic staff. Soyo rested her chin on her shoulder. The girl didn’t say anything. They stayed like that, taking a moment to breathe.
The scattered bodies of the warriors, lit up. They then turned into iron ore. Just as there was no fixed guardian on the last floor, the information sheet indicated that there was no fixed drop item from clearing it either. It was a pleasant surprise considering how expensive the iron ore would be and the work they put into clearing the dungeon. They collected just as much as they could carry.
The moonlit sky greeted them once they had escaped the dungeon. The dungeon exit led to a mountaintop, which gave them a great view of the night sky.
“Aaaah!” Anon yelled as soon as they got out. “Finally free to talk again! We did it!”
“Quiet down!” Taki scolded. “You might attract a different kind of beast!”
“Hehehe~.” Anon scratched the back of her head. “But Rikki, I don’t detect anything nearby. We are in a safe place.”
“Even so! Who knows if some— Tomori? Are you okay? Can you still walk?”
Taki’s retort was cut short when she noticed Tomori holding onto one of the boulders, keeping herself upright. Taki quickly went to check on her.
Anon switched her attention to Soyo and Raana, who were on her side. She stifled a laugh upon seeing their junior pouting behind Soyo, reaching for her shoulders.
“Raana-chan, I don’t have Taki-chan’s excessive strength. Please don’t attempt to climb my back,” Soyo said, dodging Raana's arms.
“But I don’t wanna move anymore. Carry me, Love~.”
Lo—!!!
Anon was caught in a coughing fit, face immediately flushed at Raana’s words. Soyo was visibly red as well, as if the moonlight had given her girlfriend a spotlight. She was thankful that Taki was busy with Tomori. If she’d heard it, she probably would’ve teased them as well.
“Raana-chan,” Anon called, stepping between Soyo and Raana. “I’ll carry you instead, okay? And Soyorin is my Love, not yours.”
“I know~,” Raana smirked. “But it’s effective, you’re gonna carry me.”
“Clever.” Anon sighed in exasperation as she lowered her back for Raana.
Anon’s muscles ached as Raana’s weight settled onto her back. Her junior was light, but the dungeon quest had exhausted her enough that she needed a strengthening charm just to carry her.
Soyo wore a concerned look, her greyish-blue eyes focused on her.
“I’m fine~,” she said, grinning at the brown-haired girl. “Let’s go? We still need to set up our tent.”
Her girlfriend could only sigh in defeat. “Okay. Yes, let’s hurry so we can rest.”
They trailed behind Taki and Tomori, who were leaning on the dark-haired girl as they walked. It didn’t take them long to find a good place to set up their tent artifact. The food they packed, however, had to wait until morning, as they were all knocked out as soon as everything was put in place.
***
“Wha— Soyorin left you here again. Hmm…” Anon said, glancing at the magic staff.
She had just stepped into Soyo’s lab when its low hum greeted her. Anon walked towards it and thought for a while. She and Soyo barely talked about what happened in the dungeon three days ago. They didn’t know what to make of it.
The magic staff did not respond to their party members when they asked them to try holding it. Taki even tried to cast a chanted charm, but nothing happened. The crystal atop it remained yellow and unresponsive.
After returning from that quest, they all agreed to take a few days to rest and recover fully. Even Raana, who was usually against taking some days off, was easily convinced this time. She said her muscles were too sore to even pet the cats in their neighborhood, and the beasts kept at the academy.
Raana’s grandmother recommended a hot spring inn they could visit. She asked Raana to invite them so she could arrange something. The owner used to be one of her fellow party members and was now providing her inn as a healing place for young mages.
Anon thought it was a great idea. Not just the artifact-powered hot spring, but also for a chance to spend time together outside the academy. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t hard to convince her party members to come. She was giddy just from remembering it again. She was looking forward to the weekend to come, so they could finally go there.
Another low hum came from the magic staff, snapping Anon’s attention back on it. She stood in front of the staff, hands at her sides, fighting her curiosity. She came to the lab to continue her painting while waiting for Soyo. Anon certainly didn’t expect the magic staff to be left here. Then again, the brown-haired might have been organizing her storage artifact. There were other things laid on the table that Anon was sure weren’t usually there.
“A little shouldn’t hurt, right?”
Her curiosity had won. Anon reached for the staff, wrapping her hand around it. The familiar warm sensation spread from her hand to her arm, then the crystal glowed yellow for a moment. It was the second time, and yet Anon still found herself staring in utter surprise.
“What is this? Some kind of recognition?”
As if to answer her question, it momentarily glowed again. Wanting to try it, Anon cast an ice charm to form an icicle over her other hand. Her mana flowed into the staff, forming the icicle as she had intended. She then activated her hyper-focused mana detection and saw the mana threads loosely connected to her arm. It removed itself from her when she put the staff back on the floor, leaning against the wall.
“Why was I even cautious of you in the first place? The headmistress wouldn’t have given you if you were cursed or anything.”
She let out a laugh. Anon felt silly, thinking back to how she had seen the magic staff until that moment in the dungeon. Now she knew that it was just as the information she gathered. Any crystal-powered artifact was loyal to its master once it had chosen one. But she hadn’t read anything about a staff responding to someone else, despite already having a master.
Regardless, the staff had proven itself to Anon.
“Well, just remember,” Anon put a hand on her hip and raised her chin with pride. “I was first, and we’ve chosen each other. You are second, and that’s how it is.”
She raised her index finger at it as if she were teaching good manners to a kid.
Sweet laughter suddenly came from behind her. Anon didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was from. She knew it very well and still completely fell for it every time.
“Anon-chan,” Soyo called between her laughter. “So, you’ve made up with it?”
“S-Soyorin?! Since when—” Anon froze in place, mouth hung open.
Soyo had the back of her hand covering her mouth, a futile effort of holding her laugh.
How did I not hear her come in? Was it because of the hyper-focus?
Wait! More importantly… Did she hear everything?
Noticing her girlfriend’s slightly pinkish cheeks was enough confirmation for her.
“I’ve been here since you used the staff to create an icicle on your hand,” Soyo admitted, walking towards her. “So, I guess, I pretty much heard everything?”
“Ugghhh,” Anon groaned into her hands. “I-I wasn’t even fighting with it in the first place! I just…”
Soyo leaned her back against the wall beside her staff. Her greyish-blue eyes looked straight at her, waiting for her to say more. Anon gave up. There was no excuse for her to come up with, and her girlfriend was clever enough.
“Okay, you caught me. I was just making things clear. That’s all.” Anon smiled in defeat. She released a breath, finally allowing herself to relax.
Soyo nodded a few times. “Hmm. Okay. And you’re so cute.”
It was quick, but the sensation of soft lips touching her cheek lingered.
“Hmm… So that’s how it is,” Soyo whispered before stepping back, humming softly as she nodded more.
Anon raised a hand to touch her cheek as she watched Soyo walk to her storage room. Maybe to hide… maybe to get some ingredients for her potion. And Anon smiled to herself, overwhelmed with joy spreading inside of her.
Looks like I’ll get a lot done tonight.