Airi sighed softly, almost dreamily.
Then she nodded. As if agreeing with herself.
In the next moment
Fsshh.
Watsukawa twitched slightly to the side, just in time.
A small stone shot past his cheek at insane sspeed barely grazed him, but still tore a bloody line into his skin.
He blinked.
"Phew… that could've taken my eye out," he muttered dryly.
Then he chuckled briefly.
"Really now? Stones? You're throwing stones at me?"
Airi said nothing.
She flicked an ant off her arm and yawned.
"Wuah~ was that already the start? How slow. I could've baked a cake for kaede in the meantime."
Watsukawa ignored her, stretched his arms briefly, and hopped twice on the spot.
Lightning was already flickering faintly around his shoes.
"Alright. If you really want it… then let's get serious. Stage Three is enough."
Body Overload Stage 3.
The tension in his body rose noticeably. Muscles tightened, his reflexes visibly sharpened.
He raised his hand
"Electro Ball large."
A massive ball of electricity formed above his palm
hovering, sizzling, growing larger, until it was bigger than Watsukawa himself.
Airi blinked. Then she stretched both arms upward, as if she wanted to hug the ball.
"Ohhhh~ how cute! Your first real spell! Should I clap? Or laugh instead?"
She raised one hand and in the next moment…
…the ball was gone.
Simply vanished.
No explosion. No counterspell.
As if it had never existed.
Watsukawa slowly lowered his hand.
"…aha." His face was annoyed.
Then
Fsshh.
Another small stone this time from the side.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Three more. Different angles. Different heights.
Watsukawa ducked, leapt aside, dodged.
One of the stones pierced the bark of a tree like a bullet.
He slid across the forest floor, took cover behind a root.
"Okay. Not bad."
Airi grinned.
"You're pretty agile for your age."
"You're pretty annoying for your age."
She stuck out her tongue at him.
"Well~ I practice."
Watsukawa cast a quick glance at the stone in the tree.
Small. No magical traces. No visible origin.
So no classic ranged spell. No teleport.
No sound when it appeared. No aura.
Just… speed.
A crack opened in the air – black, barely visible.
And: another stone.
It came head-on – lightning-fast.
Watsukawa jerked his head aside.
Close. Way too close.
Then two more cracks opened.
Another stone. And another.
Now it was getting tight.
He fired a surge of electricity into the ground, catapulted himself sideways, spun mid-air, landed.
"Tell me… how many of those things did you prepare?"
Airi smiled.
"Three hundred."
Pause.
"I think. Or three hundred and three."
She tilted her head.
"Doesn't matter. I just connect them… they've been flying for a while already. Hehe."
Watsukawa frowned.
"What do you mean, 'they've been flying for a while already'?"
"Ohh~"
She put a finger on her lips.
"Secret. I'll tell you once you lose."
A new portal opened
this time directly above him.
Fsshhh!
The stone came vertically.
Watsukawa rolled away at the last second, feeling the cut of air at his neck.
He stayed lying down briefly.
Then chuckled dryly.
"You're not a child."
Airi tilted her head.
"Oh, but I am Kaede's child. His emotional child, you know? He's my home. My motivation. My religion. And you are… in the way."
She spread her arms wide.
"But you can keep hopping around a little longer, Mr. Lightning Man.
I've got patience. The stones are only getting faster."
Somewhere in the forest:
Mrs. Susuna:
The wagon came to a halt with one last jolt.
The roots had torn up the road, the ground was softened. No way through.
"Commander Susuna, we have to dismount. We'll continue on foot."
Susuna only nodded as she was already pushing open the door.
The air had grown cooler. Dull. Something hung in the atmosphere she couldn't name.
"Groups of four. Spread out immediately. Communication only via magic crystal."
One of the soldiers hesitated.
"Shouldn't we… send a group to Mr. Watsukawa? Maybe—"
"Not necessary," she interrupted calmly, but firmly.
The soldier looked unsure.
"Are you certain?"
She glanced briefly to the side, but not directly at him – her gaze rested somewhere deep in the forest.
Her voice remained composed.
"He doesn't lose."
A moment of silence.
I leave the girl to you…
Fourth War Hero of the Great War.
Susuna didn't say it aloud.
But the thought sat clear in her mind.
She exhaled and finally turned away.
I'll only step in if it really becomes necessary. If at all.
"Move. The students take priority."
She walked on – calm, deliberate.
The squad followed her without another word.
Above them the sky darkened.
And somewhere, deep in the forest, something began to change.
In the forest, Mr. Watsukawa:
Watsukawa knelt behind a tree trunk, while in the distance another crack lit up.
No stone this time.
He slowly straightened.
Briefly rubbed his neck.
Then… he hopped.
Hop. Hop.
A tired grin.
"Alright. Just this once…"
Body Overload Stage 4:
A jolt went through his body.
Lightning crackled across his shoulders, his gaze sharpened.
The ground crunched beneath his feet.
"I haven't needed this in a long time."