Somehow, I walked around holding Yakutsk's hand the whole time. |
Her main weapon is the whip. Having one hand occupied makes it difficult for her to respond when unexpectedly attacked by the enemy-- |
Yakutsk |
"......" |
I can feel her fingertips trembling. She is still scared. She's a stout, reliable and excellent soldier, but everyone has their weaknesses. |
Besides. In this mysterious old castle -- it is a dark and eerie place, filled with Phantom Mist and even monsters roaming about. Anyone would be afraid, not just Yakutsk. |
Yakutsk |
"We'll climb the stairs in front of us. Be careful not to lose your footing, Conductor." |
Yakutsk said nothing about her still holding hands, and continued to act briskly. |
With her leading the way, we climbed up the old, crumbling stairs. |
Yakutsk |
"Ugh, there's something slimy on the stairs... Maybe there's dust or snow there, be careful not to slip down." |
I think she's afraid when the surroundings are so silent, she's talking more than usual. |
Yakutsk |
"I think you, Conductor, can detect the flow of magic contained within Phantom Mist. Can you pinpoint where the train and the other members of the SSS are?" |
Conductor |
I think I can get a rough idea of the direction. But the Phantom Mist is too thick, it's messing with my senses, it's like I'm intoxicated... so don't expect too much from me. |
Yakutsk |
"Hmm. Very will. Still, you can at least get an idea of where we're going." |
Conductor |
Sorry I can't be of more help, Yakutsk. |
Yakutsk |
"No... You're more useful than you think of yourself, Conductor." |
Yakutsk held her hand on me harder as she said this. Then, suddenly. |
??? |
"......" |
Yakutsk |
"...Eeek!?" |
A black shadow passed right through us - Something like that. |
Yakutsk |
"D-did you see that, Conductor? A-Am I just seeing things?" |
Conductor |
No, I saw something pass by the edge of my vision. Let's be on guard, it could be another monster. |
Yakutsk |
"Y-yeah." |
Yakutsk |
"No... The foothold isn't good here, let's get up the stairs as quickly as possible. We can't fight a battle while worrying about our footing, it's a job of a competent soldier to reposition themselves on the environment to their advantage and--" |
??? |
"--Soldier?" |
Suddenly, someone whispered in our ears. |
??? |
"Are you a soldier too? Me too, you know...?" |
Simultaneously. A vague... translucent girl's figure appears immediately up close. |
??? |
"We're the same, aren't we? We're [Allies], I'm so happy... heheheh♪" |
Yakutsk |
"Hiiii--" |
Yakutsk |
"IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEK! THERE'S A GHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST...!?" |