Chapter 4

The body of Himekawa that dashed through the corridor shined red.

When the bright light was gone, there was Himekawa there with red armor wrapping her body on her uniform.

She ignited her thrusters, causing gale to blow in the corridor. The unique sound of ejected particles roared and Himekawa's body flew until the end of the corridor in a flash.

'Shi, shit, do I have to equip mine too?'

Because Himekawa equipped her gear, the attention of the students in the corridor was gathered to him. On the contrary, because of the commotion, even the students inside the classroom also rushed outside.

Was he going to shout that amidst all this? That word?

In the center of this many people, must he shout that word?

'I don't wanna!'

He rejected it firmly!

There was no doubt that it would add more to his shame, like pouring oil to fire, it would be talked over again through the whole school.

However, if he didn't hurry, he wouldn't be able to help Himekawa. If right here he helped in apprehending the criminal, perhaps the trust value in him would go up.

....

...damn it all,

"I'm gonna do it!"

Kizuna shouted half in abandonment.

"Eros!!"

Kizuna's body was wrapped in pink radiance emitted by the Core.

From below, a black glittering armor appeared. It released luster of silver brightness, and then pink colored line of luminescence ran through the whole surface.

Kizuna's Heart Hybrid Gear, [Eros].

He fired his thruster and accelerated all at once. He slipped through the gap of the students and rushed through the corridor. When he arrived at the end of the path, he flew heading up through the stairs.

He was wearing the Heart Hybrid Gear not with a pilot suit but with his uniform, so he couldn't display the gear's original performance.

In the first place, this was the powerless Eros. If he was not careful, it might be overtaken even against a Technical Gear. However, he couldn't complain here.

"Himekawa! Where are you right now?"

Around his body, several transparent screens appeared. Various sorts of information and parameters were displayed there, these were floating windows.

Inside one of it, Himekawa's figure was projected.

"Right now I'm in the first year's building. I'm not mistaken in coming here, but I lost him. I'm chasing him through the south path, so Hida-kun, can you search from the opposite path?"

"Roger!"

From the stair of the fifth floor, he once again entered the corridor.

The students in the corridor were panicking from the suddenly appearing Heart Hybrid Gear.

He passed through them barely from the side.

It was easy to avoid the surprised students who stood stock still. However, the moving ones made it difficult.

Kizuna tried to pass through from above the students' heads and raised his altitude barely below the ceiling.

However, there were some protrusions above, each time he had to lower his altitude. Then unexpectedly the gap he could dodge was limited, making it all the more dangerous instead.

When he lowered his altitude thinking that, the door opened and a long stick was jutted out.

"!?"

From the history preparation room, a female student carrying a retro map appeared.

"Ku!"

He barely avoided it by flying low on the floor.

"Kyaaa!"

He left far behind the flowing scream of the female student.

Like that he kept flying in low altitude where he almost touched the floor. The wind pressure from his flying was flipping up the skirts of the female students one after another, but there was no time to watch in fascination. Soon the corner would come. He turned at the corner doing his utmost so that his speed wouldn't drop.

However, the wall approached without him being able to turn.

"Chih!"

Kizuna reached out his foot and he landed on the wall with his body still horizontal with the floor.

And then he kicked.

The wall broke opening a hole, but he succeeded in turning. Furthermore he got additional acceleration. In exchange a wall became a sacrifice, but, well it couldn't be helped.

"! There-!"

Crossing the corridor ahead, a Technical Gear could be seen.

Kizuna followed after it and turned at the corner.

And then he pursued straight through the corridor in earnest.

"Himekawa! I found him. I'm in the middle of pursuit at the connecting path of the third year's building. At this rate, I'll catch up to him at the second year's building."

A T-junction approached before his eyes.

At the end of the path was coincidentally the classroom of Kizuna and the others, the second year first group. From the window at the corridor, the situation inside was visible. If he didn't quickly decelerate, he would crash into the classroom at this rate.

However, the Technical Gear didn't show any sign of decelerating.

'――Don't tell me,'

Just like that, the Technical Gear crashed the window and flew into the classroom.

"You asshole! That's just too reckless."

The Technical Gear passed through the class like that and headed outside the building.

The escapee was too agitated and he lost his normal judgment.

"Shit, I'm going to get away like this! Now that this humiliation has been exposed for all to see, I'll rather run away from Ataraxia! I'm free! I――"

However, ahead of him was not freedom.

What was ahead was a red Heart Hybrid Gear. What was ahead was the future where his punishment was waiting.

"You won't get away!"

Himekawa drew out the Sword on her hips.

"U-. UWAWAWAAAAA-!"

The Technical Gear couldn't decelerate immediately, it kept heading towards Neros like that.

"HAA-!"

A flash filled with fighting spirit. Himekawa faced the Technical Gear and slashed her Sword.

The male student wearing it was not hurt, only the harness connecting the Technical Gear with the student was bisected with paper thin difference. The separated Technical Gear and the male student fell down to the pool.

"Himekawa! You were waiting in ambush?"

When Kizuna flew out from the classroom window, he flew towards Himekawa's position.

"Yes. Thanks to Hida-kun chasing him, I could prepare ahead of him."

"Is that so... it's great that I can be of help. But..."

Kizuna looked down at the student floating in the pool.

"No need to worry. The person is not hurt."

The student wasn't wounded, only the linking part with the gear was bisected, that was really an amazing skill.

"But, well... looks like he is also quite damaged."

Looking at the male student who was losing consciousness while floating in the pool, Himekawa averted her gaze awkwardly.

"Tha, that... he has to reflect a little so... to end with only this much cannot be helped isn't it?"

Looking at Himekawa whose cheeks were reddening from guilt, Kizuna unintentionally snorted.

"Wh, what's with that reaction?"

"N, no, nothing. I'm just thinking, that this will become a talk once more in school."

He answered while holding back his laugh.

Himekawa glared at Kizuna with a disgruntled face,

"Hmph, how mean."

She averted her face irritably.

"But... certainly, if good deeds like this are piled up... perhaps someday, a day will come where it will be recognized, and forgiven..."

――?

The side profile of Himekawa who was saying that was,

Seemed as if she was smiling,

It looked fleeting somehow,

For some reason, it also looked sad.

"Himekawa?"

"Eh? Ah, no, it's nothing at all. Hida-kun too, surely the opinion of everyone about you will rise with this case today. Do your best with this momentum!"

"Ou! As an apprentice public morals committee member, I'll do my best to not bring shame for the committee!"

However, the next day――,

Hida Kizuna Strikes Again!? In broad daylight, he was witnessed yelling [I'm gonna do it] and [Eros]. On top of flipping up the skirts of female students, he was involved in a scuffle for the sake of obtaining porn books!!

――Kizuna at this time still didn't know, that the school newspaper with that kind of headline was going to appear.

[Exposing – Third case]

"This is Himekawa Hayuru of the public morals committee! What are you two doing here!"

Together with Himekawa's yelling voice that was like a grim demon, the door of the athletic warehouse was opened. Light shined into the dim room, illuminating a set of couple.

There was a second year male student and a first year female student embracing each other on top of a mat.

The buttons of their uniforms were unbuttoned, both of them had their underwear peeking out.

"Wha-...-"

Himekawa's face turned bright red.

"Aah geez! Why are our students just keep causing shameless problems like this!?"

"So, son of a bitch! Why have we gotten found out?"

"Se, senpai, I told you already that this is risky..."

The couple buttoned their shirts in panic while beginning to quarrel unsightly.

Himekawa cleared her throat then read up the offense charges with her face still red.

"You two are clearly in violation of Ataraxia high school student council regulation paragraph five, [Illicit sexual relationship is forbidden inside the school]. You cannot make any excuse after getting caught red-handed like this."

"Isn't this fine, just overlook this! Even you guys are doing the same thing right?"

Himekawa's face stiffened with a snap.

"What are you..."

"You guys are doing erotic things however you like while cracking down on us like this, that's just unfair! Something like that is too sly!"

"I, I don't――"

"What the hell are you saying!"

Kizuna muscled in right in front of Himekawa.

"Hi, Hida-kun?"

"We are doing that because of the mission! We are not doing that just because of our desire! Besides, Himekawa still hasn't done anything like this. Are you guys thinking at all, just how much Himekawa who has hard-headed feelings is worrying about this, huh!?"

Kizuna's menacing look shut up the couple with a puzzled look.

Himekawa too, she was staring at Kizuna's face dazedly.

"Ah..."

When Himekawa returned to her senses, she confirmed the identity of the students with her information terminal.

"Then, I will report this case. Later, a verdict will come from the academy. Until then please take your classes as usual."

At that time, the bell that informed of the end of the school that day rang out.

"That's it for today... let's go home, Hida-kun."

Like that, the activity of the public morals committee this day came to an end.

Kizuna and Himekawa returned to the student guidance room, and after they prepared to return home they exited the classroom.

Outside had become dark completely, there was also almost no students remaining. Inside the school became all the more quiet, only the sounds of their footsteps reverberated strangely loud.

The illumination of the corridor and the stairs had been mostly turned off, the white wall and floor were beautifully reflecting the blue indirect lighting running on the wall.

"Himekawa, you are always remaining in school until this late?"

"Yes. Because there is no end of students causing problems."

"Haha... ha"

He understood that from acting together with Himekawa these few days, as long as there were students remaining in school, there would be some fellows that were causing some kind of trouble. In that case, even when at this time when it was time to go home, such things were not impossible.

Both of them walked side by side, descending down the stairs.

"But... there is also a good thing you know?"

"Eh?"

"The school at night is really quiet, it calms me down."

"Is that so... a lot of people thought that the school at night is scary. But Himekawa is fine with that?"

"Yes. Because, isn't it beautiful?"

Himekawa stopped at the stairs' landing.

Kizuna didn't notice that and went down a few steps before turning back.

Behind Himekawa, there was a large window of the stairs' landing.

The radiant light of the moon shined in from the window, making Himekawa's contour shine beautifully.

When Himekawa looked up to the sky, her long black hair spread gently.

As though princess Kaguya had came from the moon. Such words suddenly floated in his mind.

"Yeah... beautiful."

"Right? The light of the stars and the moon are――"

"No, Himekawa is..."

"...Ha!?"

Himekawa's face became red, she was greatly flustered.

"Wha, what, what are you fooling around for, enough with the joke, le, let's go home quickly――"

Himekawa that tried to go down the stairs panickedly missed her step.

"Kyaaa――!?"

Himekawa's body floated on the air as if she was thrown.

"Hime――!!"

Kizuna immediately spread his two hands and caught her body.

He hugged the falling body of Himekawa right from the front. His balance crumbled, but he was only staggered for two, three stairs before he somehow held his ground.

"Hi, Hida, ku...n"

"Hime...kawa"

Kizuna received a shock from the sensation of Himekawa inside his arms.

How,

She was slender, that it felt unreliable.

If he just put a little more strength, it felt like she would break.

She was completely different from Aine and Yurishia.

But, she was soft, and supple.

"E, err, Hida-kun...I..."

Himekawa's face was really close.

A well-ordered face, like a doll.

Her beautiful skin that was like porcelain was dyed in light pink.

Inside her moist eyes, red particles of light were――,

"Eh-?"

From Himekawa's body, red light began to come out.

"Hi, Hida-kun, this is...what."

From Kizuna's body too, pink colored light particles were rising up.

No way,

"――Heart Hybrid."

"Eeh-!?"

At that instant, light burst out.

Was just now…..really Heart Hybrid?

However, this was not even something erotic...wasn't it?

"Err..."

"Eh? Aah, just now, I think that's Heart Hybrid but...just why did it happen, I don't――"

"Re, release me..."

Himekawa whispered with a vanishing voice.

"Eh! Ah! So, sorry."

He was still hugging her all that time.

Kizuna helped Himekawa stand up in panic and released his hands.

"Sorry, Himekawa. That happened so quick, I just…"

"No, that...I was the one who got helped, so..."

Himekawa's face was red and her eyes looked down.

However, while she was telling him to release her...it was puzzling that Himekawa's hand kept clutching his clothes. Well, perhaps she was still feeling disoriented.

"I'm sorry, really...that, the body, of someone like me...even if you touch it, it's not pleasant at all. Forgive me to make you feel uncomfortable like that."

What was she running her mouth about?

"No, I don't really understand what you are trying to say but...it's not, uncomfortable or anything like that at all."

"But, I'm not like Aine-san or Yurishia-san, my style is not good..."

Himekawa's fingers fidgeted around.

Aah, usually Aine always made fun of her, So, she actually received those jokes seriously like this?

"Regarding a girl's style, I think it's impolite to say this and that but, I'll say it clearly because of this situation. Himekawa, your style is really great."

"Lies! Boys like girls with large breasts right? My breasts are small like this!"

Himekawa's fingers still clutched at the collar of Kizuna's uniform while she shook her hand fiercely.

The neck hurt, the neck!

"Tha-, that's why, why are you comparing yourself to those girls in Miss Universe class! Even your breasts are big enough! Beside, that thing is nothing more than a part of someone's charm right!?"

Himekawa's hands stopped.

"...Is it really true?"

"It's true. I'm serious...hm, eh, where is my phone?"

Kizuna groped around his pocket and took out his smartphone. And then he checked Himekawa's Hybrid Count.

"38%! Himekawa, you recovered by 10% see! We did it!!"

"10%? That's...even though I only recovered 3% after two weeks..."

With just an instant like that, it recovered the portion of six weeks?

This was....

"This is...Heart Hybrid."

That instant.

Her chest was throbbing,

Painfully,

But, it was a mysterious feeling, like her heart was satisfied.

――Unexpectedly, it might not feel bad.

"Himekawa, something wrong?"

"Hya!? ...No-nothing wrong!"

"? Then, let's go home."

"Yo, you don't need to tell me, I'm going home!"

Himekawa took the lead and descended down the stairs with quick steps.

'Doing that with me...is not bad, how could....'

So that her red face wouldn't get exposed, and so Kizuna couldn't catch up to her, she headed to the entrance with quick steps.