She might look small and adorable, but Lian was, after all, a bona fide Fifth Sequence Aberrant.
Going by Su Yuzu's own hands-on experience, ordinary "Ultimate Combat Records" had only middling effects on Fifth Sequence Espers.
Even once they'd grown used to it, the most it could do to Tsukiyomi-senpai was set her eyes swimming and bring out every shade of her charm, leaving her looking thoroughly bullied.
It was nothing like the crushing, overwhelming effect it had on a Low Sequence Esper like the little rabbit.
Of course, that might also come down to Tsukiyomi-senpai's own formidable composure.
But—
Su Yuzu had only just learned through experimentation that when you used a lower-grade Combat Records on a high Sequence Esper, you didn't gain much experience at all. The long, tedious EXP bar couldn't even be bothered to budge.
Yet the pleasure that "Combat Records" brought got an extremely strong boost.
Even someone as seasoned as Kujou Katora, an old-school Operator who'd been teased in every possible way by Su Yuzu ever since her awakening, had been crushed in a single blow.
Clearly, that pleasure boost was quite effective.
Facing Lian, a Fifth Sequence Aberrant who seemed to have fallen into a frenzy, Su Yuzu slapped down a "Basic Combat Records" card, the kind meant for the Zeroth Sequence.
"Eeee—aaaaah!!!"
Sure enough… the girl who'd been out of control a moment ago was crushed in one blow the next, left in a total shambles from the bullying.
Only… after a brief moment of relief, Su Yuzu's expression suddenly twisted even further.
The girl had loosened her grip on Su Yuzu's arm for a moment, only to clamp down harder.
And on top of that, as she collapsed to the ground, she dragged Su Yuzu down with her.
Pain shot through Su Yuzu's arm and wrist, and she had no choice but to be pulled over by Lian.
Lian was already limp and weak. How could she possibly support Su Yuzu's weight?
Su Yuzu ended up pinning the girl completely against the ground.
Only after being pressed down did the girl slowly release Su Yuzu's arm and curl up into a ball in her embrace.
Su Yuzu barely managed to prop herself up with her other hand so she wouldn't crush the girl under her whole weight.
She could clearly feel the girl's body trembling and heaving against her, and she could hear the Aberrant girl's soft, pitiful sobs.
It had all been a counterattack forced on her by necessity.
But hearing those weak, tearful sobs, a sense of guilt welled up in Su Yuzu for no reason she could name.
It felt like she was weighed down by terrible sins.
[Ding—]
[Development of Lian successful.]
[Combat Records effect bonus applied.]
[Lian – Combat EXP increased.]
[Level.52 – Death Contract Aberrant EXP: 3% → 3%.]
[…]
[Development: Lian's Favorability +1.]
[Favorability increase reward obtained: Special Candied Haws.]
[Material compensation for Development costs obtained.]
["Basic Combat Records" x2.]
[…]
Right then, the familiar mechanical woman's voice chimed in, fashionably late, as if to remind Su Yuzu:
See? Look at what you've done.
Su Yuzu stared at the candied haws that had just appeared in her Material Inventory.
The packaging looked crude and the craftsmanship was shoddy, yet the description read: Specially made candied haws. The flavor is a little strange, but it stimulates Aberrants, letting even Aberrants taste it.
Among all the Aberrants Su Yuzu had met, only Zero, who'd been infused with a large amount of human Factors, could barely taste anything.
Who knew what little genius had come up with this snack.
It was made specifically to Feed Aberrants.
"Achoo—" In a place that looked like a Laboratory, Raven stared at the empty refrigerator in front of her.
Her face was blank.
Stolen again—
Her own product had been stolen again.
She'd been planning to bring the candied haws to the Soga clan's hospital and see whether the little cat (Zero) had put on any weight.
Never mind. She'd just make some more.
*
At the foot of the mountain, listening to Lian's thin, hiccuping sobs, Su Yuzu was suddenly overcome with guilt.
She'd propped herself up a little with one hand, but some of her weight was still pressing down on Lian.
Of course, that much weight meant nothing to Lian, a Fifth Sequence Aberrant. She had once carried Su Yuzu in her arms all the way to the hot spring, after all.
With her still-trembling right hand, Su Yuzu gently reached out to touch the girl in her arms.
The Aberrant girl's eyes went wide, and something seemed to waver in those inorganic Dark golden vertical pupils.
Suddenly—
She opened her mouth and bit down, indignantly, on Su Yuzu's fingertip.
But now that she'd come to her senses, Lian put no strength into the bite.
Compared with the way she'd clenched Su Yuzu's arm as if to snap it a moment ago, the Aberrant girl's bite now felt more like coaxing.
Never mind tooth marks. It didn't even hurt.
Still, Su Yuzu, who had learned her lesson the hard way, put on a pained face anyway.
How would a pure Aberrant girl ever have met such a scoundrel? Her own body was still trembling, yet she thought she'd hurt Su Yuzu and let go at once.
As she pulled her hand back, Su Yuzu even felt a twinge of regret.
She tried to get up, but found that the girl had caught the front of her maid dress.
With an Aberrant's strength, if she forced herself up, Su Yuzu might end up back in that yukata.
So she had no choice but to stay pressed against Lian. After a moment's thought, she took the candied haws out of her Material Inventory and held them out to her.
The girl's inorganic vertical pupils blinked.
Then she gave it a small lick, like a kitten.
In an instant, the Aberrant girl perked up, her sad sobbing flung straight to the far corners of the sky.
As if remembering something, she pushed Su Yuzu's hand toward her, urging Su Yuzu to take the first bite.
Under the girl's anxious, reluctant gaze, Su Yuzu took a tiny bite.
An extreme sourness shot straight up to her skull, and she nearly keeled over. But for the sake of the Aberrant girl's good intentions, she fought back her tears and swallowed.
Only in that moment did Su Yuzu truly understand what it meant for one's mouth to water.
She had already inherited the little rabbit's Dragon King power.
Now it was worse. She couldn't stop it at all.
And of all times, that was when Su Yuzu heard the crisp click of high heels striking the ground.
She turned her head—
The expressionless Queen was watching how she was poaching from her, and how she had her attendant pinned down right in front of her.
Seeing that look on Kujou Iruka's face, cold sweat broke out on Su Yuzu's forehead and trickled down.
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