Survive in Azure Files

"Teacher is not the exclusive property of one person, but belongs to all of us."

How strange! Who said that? Could it be Hoshino? No way?

He asked Hoshino to be careful on the road and told Ruozao, who was about to get up, to have a good rest.

After washing up and taking the Shiting box, I plucked up my courage and took out the card from my pocket before leaving.

Izuna's power is different from Baizi's power.

Even though they all need something to bear, even though the bearers have all been damaged...

However, as long as one day in the future I obtain the authority recorded with the corresponding ritual, the White Wolf will be able to reappear in the world.

What about [Fox Guardian] which clearly states that the carrier cannot be replaced?

In fact, it is easy to imagine that a treasure like this, which can be regarded as a second life, can only be used once, which is also normal.

I just feel guilty and don't want to face the fact that the proof of the bond between Izuna and I has disappeared just like that.

But sooner or later I have to face it.

Remember this painful lesson and engrave the regret into my bones. This is what I really need to do now.

So, I made up my mind and focused my attention on the cards.

The next moment, he stood there in a daze.

-

The power is changing...

【Fox Guardian】Changes have been made

Solidified Power: [Fox Spirit Guardian]

Description: The holder will receive a very small amount of damage reduction

Source: [Fox Guardian] Change

-

This is……?

An extremely faint but real warmth started from my heart and quickly spread throughout my body.

It seems that nothing has changed, after all, only "very slightly".

However, this is completely enough.

Feeling happy about this unexpected surprise, I headed towards the living room.

Until I heard a roar of grief and anger:

"Ah—damn it!"

The source of this voice was Nero.

My heart tightened and I immediately quickened my pace, with a myriad of thoughts coming to my mind.

Could it be that Key appeared again and attacked Nero when she was not prepared?

Or, did Saori finally show her fangs, betray her and try to take away AL-1S?

Or, both?

What on earth happened that made Nero, the strongest man in the millennium, roar in unwillingness like that?

"Alona, ​​if something goes wrong, contact Hoshino and Wakamo immediately."

"clear."

After making the final arrangements, I prepared myself mentally, turned the corner and entered the living room.

Then, I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

I didn't see the scene I was worried about.

I saw two petite girls sitting on the sofa, facing the big TV screen, each holding a controller and playing a fighting game.

Nero stared at the screen intently, gritting his teeth, operating even more chaotically than Momoi in adversity;

Alice would occasionally glance at Nero, looking terrified, but she pressed the handle in an orderly manner;

As for Saori, she leaned against the wall, watching silently.

Soon, a big “KO” appeared on the screen.

The winning game character walks to the side of the defeated player who is lying on the ground, and repeats the taunting movements of squatting and standing up.

"Ahhh! Why is it like this again!?"

Nero roared again, scaring Alice beside him.

"Come again, come again!" said Nero.

"Woo..."

Alice screamed, dropped the controller, and ran towards me.

I subconsciously took half a step back.

Alice seemed to be completely unaware of my actions and hid behind me, trembling.

"Teacher, please save Alice. The little maid who can't stand losing has tied Alice up here and forced her to play games with her..."

Nero was furious: "Huh!? When did I ever force you? No, who is the little maid who can't stand losing!"

"Alas!"

…Looking back at Alice who showed strong dependence on me, I couldn’t help but think.

If, "Alice" and "Key" are really AL-1S's acting.

When I was taking action.

Can you really do it without hesitation?

This question lingered in my mind for a long time and I couldn't get an answer.

This may be the best answer.

Chapter 111 It’s all the little maid’s fault

At the dining table, Alice nodded, not quite understanding:

"I understand. Alice is on duty for Xia Lai these days, and the teacher is afraid that Alice will not wake up if she stays up too late, so she asked the little maid who passed by to ask..."

Nero's face turned red with anger and interrupted, "I told you who is the little one!?"

"Ouch! Please, please don't hit Alice!"

"What are you talking about! Do I look like the type who would beat someone up if I disagree with you? Huh!?"

It doesn't look like it, or rather it is exactly like it.

Alice then shrank her head, looked sad, and dared not make any more comments.

This made Nero even angrier, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he could only sulk and chew his breakfast sandwich in big mouthfuls.

But, all kidding aside, at least as far as I know, Nero did not use violence indiscriminately.

Alice's behavior seems to indicate that she has some psychological trauma towards Nero.

Was it because he was beaten up by Nero who came during the attack on the Millennium Tower?

Or was it...last night?

It remains to be seen.

At least so far, Alice has behaved like the Alice I know, without any flaws.

However, halfway through breakfast, Alice suddenly seemed to remember something, looked around, and then her face became flustered.

She looked at me, like a child who found her favorite toy was missing, and asked eagerly:

"Teacher, teacher, didn't you ask the little girl... Little Nero-senpai to bring Alice's sword of light here?"

"…Hey, brat, you don't think it's okay to add honorifics after "little bitch"? Kora!"

It's hard to tell whether Alice was teasing Nero intentionally.

Facing Alice's anxious question, I put on a stern face and gave a reply that I had prepared long ago:

"Alice, have you not been taking good care of the Sword of Light recently?"

“Eh? That’s not the case! Alice comforts the Sword of Light’s soul every day!”

Even so, Alice looked flustered. "Could it be that the Sword of Light thought that Alice lacked the qualifications of a hero and ran away from home?"

Quite imaginative.

"That's not the case." I shook my head. "The Sword of Light seemed to have a minor problem, so it was sent back to the engineering department for repair."

This is of course a lie. The giant electromagnetic cannon named "Sword of Light" is now safely placed in the club activity room of the game development department.

As for the reason for lying, it was naturally because I didn't want AL-1S or key to get hold of this lethal weapon.

Even with bare hands, AL-1S or key are already quite threatening. And if the sword of light is used, with enough power and the blessing of aura... let's call it "halo", even Nero could be seriously injured if caught off guard.

As for why I specifically made up this excuse...

"Well……"

Alice thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Alice understands! It must be Nero-senpai's fault!"

At least, she did accept it completely.

"Why are you dragging me into this again!" Nero's face flushed instantly, and he slammed the table. "And I've told you several times not to call me little one! Do you think you can get away with it by switching up the word order?!"

"But, but, if it wasn't for the little maid who randomly shot at the sword of light..."

"Didn't you use that sword of light as a shield yourself!?"

Watching the interaction between these two people, I actually had the feeling that they had a good compatibility and would become close friends.

...Of course, the necessary prerequisite still needs to be met first.

After breakfast, I was just about to assign some so-called "work" to Alice when I received a new message from momotalk.

Green: Teacher, are you awake?

Staring at this message, I can guess what the game development department wants to ask.

They all saw me being held hostage by Key last night.

Even though they asked Asuna to report that they were safe and later sent a MomoTalk message to reassure them, it was hard for them to wait until now to ask about the follow-up.

Me: Yeah, I just woke up. Don't worry, I'm fine.

Midori: Um...as expected, Key controlled Alice again last night?

Me: Yes. However, Alice doesn't know about this yet, so please keep it a secret from her too.

Green: Yes, we will.

Midori: So what is Alice-chan like now?

During their short time together, Alice and the game development team have established a certain bond and have become companions.

Me: Because I didn’t know when Key would appear again, I brought her to Xialai for protective observation.

Green: That’s right…

Midori: Can we come visit Xialai today?

Green: After this happened, everyone seems to have lost the motivation to do other things...

To be honest, I should have rejected this request immediately as it would only cause unnecessary trouble.

But just before I finished typing in the input box and was about to send it, a new idea suddenly came to my mind -

In the absence of weapons, the primary target of AL-1S or key would never be the students protected by the halo.

It would just be me.