Chapter 12 - A Curious Companionship 2

Their peculiar companionship got off to a rocky start.

"Miss Akina. You look rather pale. Shall we rest a while before continuing?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Indeed."

Akina was astonishingly full of energy.

Ifrit shot him a narrow-eyed glare. Anyone could see through this flimsy ploy to send her on ahead.

She couldn't simply sit back and take it.

Her eyes lit up.

"Akina. Want me to carry you on my back if you're tired?"

As though dismissing the very idea as nonsense, Ash shielded Akina with his cloak.

"I must decline. Stand back."

Ifrit smiled in satisfaction at his glaring optical sensors.

A little later, Ifrit made a show of looking around.

"Wow. What a view. I should film a quick short before we go."

"There is nothing but dust and walls in every direction. What view do you speak of?"

"Whatever. I'm filming it. No need to wait. Go on ahead."

"I shall wait."

"I said you don't have to."

"And I said I shall wait."

Ifrit glared at Ash.

Not to be outdone, Ash flashed his optical sensors at her.

They had been traveling together for barely ten minutes or so.

Even in that short time, the grating discord never ceased. Like magnets of opposite polarity, they kept pushing each other away.

Yet they had no choice but to stay together.

There was only one path through the ruins beyond the door.

Still glaring at Ifrit, Ash spoke.

"I have a proposal."

"Funny. So do I."

"Shall we part ways when we reach a fork? Whatever lies at the end, we shall take the right."

"Fine. I'll take the left."

"May we reach a fork soon."

"Agreed."

They nodded in unison.

Caught between them, Akina quietly giggled to herself. She seemed to find the utterly incompatible pair amusing.

The three walked side by side once more, eagerly awaiting a fork in the path.

But the damned passage continued straight on without end, as though determined to thwart them.

And so their uncomfortable companionship continued.

* * *

'Still, he really is strange, isn't he?'

Ifrit was an idol with Halloween Entertainment, but she was also a veteran Pathfinder with countless battles under her belt.

As such, she had encountered quite a few humanoids out in the Outer.

But even she had never seen one quite like that bastard Ash.

She studied him out of the corner of her eye.

His appearance alone was staggering.

Never mind a state-of-the-art combat body frame; he was a crude patchwork of assorted junk.

Different specifications for every body part were bad enough, but different generations and manufacturers, too? Wasn't that going too far?

It was a wonder he could move at all.

And yet his black exploration suit and the steel blade strapped to his back suited him remarkably well. There was a certain understated elegance to him, unfamiliar yet somehow harmonious.

His speech, so refined it sounded positively archaic, was unusual too, as was his still-lake composure.

And through it all, he remained meticulous about never lowering his guard against her.

'And that jump earlier.'

What about that inexplicable leap that had carried him effortlessly over her head? No matter how she looked at it, those scrap-metal legs shouldn't have been capable of such a movement.

'There's definitely something going on. Is his maker that good?'

Thinking of his maker naturally drew her gaze to the little girl walking beside her.

Akina Greenwood.

Come to think of it, there were more than a few odd things about this kid, too.

Successfully undergoing cyberbrain conversion at such a young age was remarkable, but other things stood out even more.

Ordinarily, Technomancers didn't take part in menial work like "mapping." They were valuable personnel, deployed only to extract high-value information—"lost technology."

But look at this girl.

Wasn't she cramming a backpack as big as herself with salvage that, to Ifrit, was no better than trash, even calculating its value per slot?

'... Doesn't she belong to a corporation? No, even so, this is ridiculous. What kind of Technomancer goes around scavenging junk?'

The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

A scrap-metal humanoid and a scrappy Technomancer?

What kind of combination was that?

The more she watched them, the more curious and intriguing a pair they became.

'Wait.'

Intrigue.

That was very much in line with what Ifrit had always pursued as an idol.

'Do they have... star potential?'

Her heart-shaped eye lights sparkled.

Wasn't there some way to sweet-talk those two into appearing on her broadcast? They could make for some pretty good footage.

As she indulged in that fantasy...

"Um, Ifrit?"

Had the awkward silence become too much for her?

Akina cautiously spoke up.

Ifrit answered in a considerably warmer tone.

"Hmm? What is it, sweetie?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Perfect timing, when she had just been wondering how to win the two of them over. Ifrit nodded with a broad smile.

"Of course. What is it?"

But the words that followed wiped the smile off her face.

"Why did the Elementary Girls break up? You were so popular."

The heart lights that had sparkled moments before turned cold. Apparently realizing she had made a mistake at the sudden change in atmosphere, Akina hastily waved her hands.

"Never mind! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."

"Because they're all dead."

"... What?"

Ifrit stared down the passage into the thick darkness and continued.

"Gaia was crushed beneath a pile of waste. Sylph went missing. And lastly, Undine... Undine..."

Undine.

She could have lived.

Until the REST-men who approached under the pretext of rescuing her dismantled her alive, she could certainly have survived.

Ifrit shook her head violently, as though recalling that horrific sight.

"Anyway, that's what happened. Everyone's dead except me."

A heavy silence settled over them.

The first to break it was Ash, who had said nothing until now. He stopped and called to Ifrit.

"My lady."

"You don't need to offer me empty comfort. That's how Pathfinders end up. It's all in the past now..."

"That is not it."

Ash drew his sword.

"There is something ahead."

At his quiet but firm words, Ifrit's and Akina's expressions hardened in unison.

The heavy emotion and awkwardness of a moment before vanished, replaced by sharp tension.

Ifrit increased the sensitivity of her auditory sensors, then furrowed her delicate brows.

"Fuck. You're right."

Like Ash, she drew her weapon: the Bloody Heart Mk.7, the large-caliber pistol she had advertised earlier.

"Picking up anything else? All I can tell is that something's there."

At her question, Ash sensed the faint energy currents and electromagnetic fields around them. It was a secondary ability he had gained after mastering the Neuro Internal Art.

"... They are all human. At least five or six. Perhaps more. They are concealing their presence, so I cannot be certain."

"Concealing their presence. An ambush, then."

"My thoughts exactly."

Ifrit pulled back the slide to check the chamber, then spoke to Ash.

"Probably seven. That's exactly how many of the REST-men I was chasing are left. Okay. Time for me to enjoy my hobby. You two head back."

Ash answered her.

"You mean to walk into a known ambush? Alone?"

"Yeah. That's what I said. So unless you want to catch a stray bullet, both of you turn back. This is where we part ways."

She waved them away, but Ash answered with a shake of his head.

"I cannot do that."

"Ha. Going to harp on about mapping again? Are you seriously out of your mind? It's barely worth anything. Just give it up!"

"That is not it."

"Then what?"

"I am concerned for your safety, my lady."

What kind of utter nonsense was this? He was worried about her?

Ifrit's face twisted into a strange expression before she knew it.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why would you worry about me?"

"There are credits owed to us, are there not? If something were to happen to you, who could attest to Miss Akina's work?"

"... Oh."

Five hundred thousand credits.

Ifrit gave him an incredulous sideways look, then shrugged.

"So what do you suggest?"

"I shall help you."

"Ha. You, help me?"

"With five hundred thousand credits at stake, it is the least I can do."

"Wow. You're a real character."

Ignoring her astonishment, Ash spoke.

"I have a plan."

"Oh, really? You've already got a plan? All right, let's hear it."

"You draw their attention. Meanwhile, I shall circle around and attack from the rear. An enemy at one's back is a threat by its very presence. We should be well able to handle their numbers."

"So you want me to tank for you?"

"It is your hobby, is it not? You must accept that much."

"Hah."

After staring at Ash with a peculiar expression, Ifrit turned to Akina.

"Is he always this obnoxious?"

"Ha, hahaha..."

For all her complaints, it was actually a fairly good offer from Ifrit's perspective. It would be much better than facing the ambushing REST-men alone.

Meanwhile, Ash addressed Akina.

"Miss Akina, you should..."

"Yep! Don't worry, Mister!"

She scampered off and settled into the darkest, most secluded corner. Perhaps because she had gained experience in similar situations while traveling with Ash, she seemed thoroughly accustomed to it.

Having blended completely into the shadows, Akina raised a thumb.

"All set!"

"... Wow. Seriously, what is with these two?"

Still marveling in disbelief, Ifrit stared at the floor for a moment before raising her head.

"Fine. No reason to turn down help."

Her eyes lit up.

"You want me to draw their attention?"

At the same moment, her shoulder compartments opened and filming drones popped out. The two drones circled her, casting light.

"Sure. I'll give them something to look at!"

Already in position, she lifted one foot and flashed a bright smile. A drone swooped closer for a close-up of her face.

"Hello, all my Ifrities! Kept you waiting, didn't I? Your idol Ifrit is here! And that's not all! At last, it's time for today's main event: Justice Served! Don't touch that channel!"

Winking at the drone, Ifrit nodded to Ash as he slipped into the darkness.

* * *

Electronic music with an infectious beat blasted through the dark ruins. It was Ifrit's latest hit, "Death Carnival."

The REST-men hiding silently in the shadows began to mutter.

"Fuck. She's here."

"She hasn't noticed us, has she?"

Flustered voices emerged from scattered spots in the darkness. An unidentifiable pressure approached with the blaring music.

Fear began to spread.

"Everybody shut up! Hold position! No stupid moves! Wait for the signal!"

A cracked shout came from the man who appeared to be their leader. The brief commotion was forcibly quelled.

Yet that inexplicable terror still drifted over their heads, just like the song they could hear.

A moment later, with the music louder and clearer than ever, a powerful beam of light spilled out of the pitch-black darkness. A figure emerged within it.

Ifrit.

She strode down the passage with the confidence of a superstar walking onto a stage.

The REST-men hiding all around, waiting for their chance, involuntarily swallowed. Whatever that strange unease might mean, the madwoman was approaching the ambush site just as planned.

Finally, just short of their ambush position, Ifrit came to an abrupt stop.

The drones hovering beside her swept over her entire body, bathing her in brilliant light.

Pistol in one hand, she made a V sign with the other and held it beside her eye.

With her heart-shaped eye lights glittering fiercely, she stretched her lips into a broad smile.

"Ta-da! It's your least favorite bitch, Ifrit!"