In the vast expanse of the cosmos, countless possibilities existed, and the little corner of the universe humanity called home was but a speck of dust in the great ocean.
As a tiny, insignificant ant upon that speck of dust, Natsume-san found herself habitually gazing up at the sea of stars.
Not because she particularly liked it, but because that was the direction the broadcast was coming from.
This sounds like Meigo-senpai's singing.
Even though she'd never heard this song before, Natsume-san was very familiar with her voice.
For once, however, Natsume-san's thoughts didn't wander. She was intently focused on everything happening around her.
Following Natsume-san's line of sight, Misaka-senpai's figure could be seen following the three magicians into the area encompassed by the pillar of light.
The distance from the wooden bow to the edge of the light pillar was a good twenty meters or more.
And across that distance, they seemed liable to be attacked by that so-called magic at any moment.
"Teacher!"
Anxious voices of several magical girls reached her ears; it seemed they were deeply worried about their master.
But Natsume-san's gaze swept past the magical girls and settled on Ladylee, whom they were guarding.
She'd been curious from the start about just what this loli-president's goal was.
She'd managed to learn the gist of it earlier from a brief contact with Kanzaki-san.
What shocked Natsume Sonoko was that this young girl's objective was, in fact, her own suicide.
To drag half the planet along with her for the sake of killing herself… Natsume-san wasn't quite sure how to process that.
But if her goal was suicide…
As this thought crossed her mind, Natsume-san's expression suddenly stiffened.
What had been a confusing mess was finally starting to connect in her mind.
The conclusion she reached, however, sent Natsume Sonoko into deep contemplation.
So, the promise her past self had made was essentially to help this girl kill herself.
Coupled with the familiar feeling she got from the wooden bow, it was even possible that she herself had created this thing in her previous life.
Thinking of it that way, her past self might genuinely bear responsibility for this entire incident.
The thought that she might be one of the masterminds behind this catastrophe gave a certain bun-girl a major headache.
Fortunately, Natsume-san always drew a sharp line between herself and her past life. No matter what happened back then, it had nothing to do with who she was now.
Thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Only a moment had passed since Misaka-senpai and the others stepped into the range of the 'Achilles' Heel' magic.
Although they had become targets of the magic's attacks, they seemed to have decent luck, as all the attacks were directed at the wooden bow itself.
The moment all four of them placed their hands on the bow simultaneously, a brilliant radiance erupted from its form.
This time, however, the light didn't harm the four. Instead, it shattered the illusory weapons formed by the magic.
"We still can't lift it."
Kanzaki Kaori said with palpable frustration, a rare trace of anxiety flashing across her face. Facing an unbeatable enemy would be preferable to this situation where they couldn't even act freely.
"It's not that it can't be lifted, but that we haven't found the right person or the right method," Tsuchimikado Motoharu mused, carefully observing the patterns on the wooden bow.
Though it was glowing, he could still vaguely make them out.
"These magical patterns on the bow seem to be a type of Shrine Maiden ritual. I suspect they're meant to lock out anyone but the intended wielder. It seems the creator of this bow never intended for anyone else to use it from the very beginning."
"Furthermore, the bow's creator doesn't seem to have considered the limitations of its material. If the power contained within were to erupt, the wooden bow itself would be completely destroyed. This is a disposable spiritual item, created for a single, specific purpose."
Tsuchimikado Motoharu spoke thoughtfully, ignoring the illusory blades and axes forming once more above them.
"The School of Onmyōdō I was born into happens to know some methods to break such seals. Time is tight, but we might just manage."
Tsuchimikado's expression turned unusually serious, his entire aura shifting dramatically.
"What are the odds?" Stiyl Magnus asked.
"About thirty percent."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Tsuchimikado offered a reassuring smile.
In truth, he didn't even have a ten percent chance of success.
The patterns were far too complex and of exceptionally high quality. Deciphering them would be incredibly difficult even under normal circumstances.
Aside from its utterly plain appearance, every other aspect of this bow was breathtaking, marking it as a truly exceptional spiritual item.
"If I fail in the end, I'll have to rely on you to protect me, anego. I don't fancy drifting through space all alone," Tsuchimikado suddenly said, looking pleadingly at Kanzaki Kaori.
Besides, even if the space elevator was destroyed, as long as they weren't unlucky enough to be flung out of Earth's orbit, huddling around that Tokiwadai girl who could control the air might still offer a chance of survival.
Having thought of a potential fallback plan, Tsuchimikado felt slightly more composed.
To allow him to study the patterns in peace, the other three would work together to mitigate the effects of the 'Achilles' Heel' magic.
Though Misaka-senpai couldn't contribute to the conversation, she nodded firmly, agreeing to the magicians' plan.
But just then, a pale, delicate hand reached through the space between the four of them and gently clasped the glowing wooden bow.
Dangling from its wrist was a small magical girl charm, unmistakably the gift Index had given to a certain bun-girl earlier.
"When did Natsume-san get here?"
Misaka-senpai was genuinely startled. She hadn't expected Natsume-san to suddenly step into the magic's effective range.
She moved to stop her, but it was too late; Natsume-san's hand had already made contact with the bow.
"Be careful!" Kanzaki Kaori cried out urgently.
Yet, as soon as the words left their mouths, the wooden bow was lifted without any resistance by the bun-girl.
It was as if this was exactly how it was meant to be.
There was no counterattack, as one might have feared. Even the surrounding pillar of light began to stabilize, its outer radiance flowing back into the bow as if time were reversing.
Deprived of the bow's energy, the magic clinging to the space elevator immediately began to change.
Simultaneously, the ring of light, which had already left Japan's airspace and begun invading more distant regions, came to an abrupt halt.
Viewed from space, a massive, circular patch of light seemed to bloom over a part of the Northern Hemisphere.
The broadcast room, once flooded with light, returned to normal, and the cold light from outside began to seep back in.
Holding the bow, Natsume-san remained unaffected by the invasive cold light, though she seemed to be in a bit of a daze.
"I… did it?"
Natsume-san was bewildered. She had only meant to try, never expecting to actually succeed.
So it was true. This wooden bow really was made by her past self.
It felt like the plot had suddenly twisted into a 'the mastermind was me all along' scenario.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.