Once Upon the Stratos Point

"Anyway, don't call me Grandpa during a fight… I might lower my defenses!"

My grandfather, the announced first returner from a parallel world Motoharu Akahoshi, reproached─and matched a breakaway turnover from it.

My hands were forcibly swung rightwards, causal for my outbalance.

You know the drill, I got myself back up.

I pivoted for a complete turnaround, bending my knees to optimize my center of gravity. I didn't want to set anything ablaze, but the situation became disadvantageous. Each foot got themselves their fiery magic circles, oxygen from below exploded for propulsion.

Swoosh, I readied a kick copied straight from a certain devilish firefighter.

"I'd prefer you lower your defenses, Grandpa!"

A command for his pole to suddenly grow destroyed my momentum.

I managed to land nonetheless, by his defenseless back, and he fell down the next instant.

"Skewed, but I'm not chivalrous enough to fight someone relatively more experienced fair and square!"

"You phrased that weirdly, I tell you."

When no one wants to back down, the clash at the Higanbana House can only continue.

Performance of breakneck Black and Sound spells enshrouded the spacious reception hall, gravitated by hand-to-hand combat. Should be from a while ago, but the Spider Monkey King has gotten hold of his weapon─a Gokuu pole. I don't know the story behind it, whether it was from China or the parallel universe, but I know it spurred bad news.

Motoharu Akahoshi saved himself.

"Heh. She's the tsundere, then?" he prodded right after deciding to come back up, whence I crossed with another stupendous burst of electric energy.

"No, not necessarily!" I replied, timed right when he caught my face and slammed me to the ceiling─and blasted right through without a care in the world.

All we've been protecting so far, anything in the house down to his ankle monitor, went to the roof. Quite literally, saddening and maddening at the same time.

Bright sky from outside the house greeted us.

Hand removed from my face, the clouds and the university's clock tower came into view. He instead grabbed my collar and he stood atop the thin pole like some seasoned balancer… which he was, as seen from a number of aspects. Alarm from his ankle monitor crazily went off, formally heralding his prison break.

Then, he brought himself deep in thought, pole in constant growth.

"I see? Then onwards the most important, my dear grandson."

I don't have much to say about his breakout. It was his decision, and I have no control of it. Also, I don't know the reason for it─waiting seemed to be the best option.

And also, I somehow didn't counter nor thought about it.

I suppose it's from the shock of his action, bedeviled I was to stay relaxed about the situation. No, I'm relaxed. I only lagged for seconds, and woke up from the issue's redundancy for chain action.

Maybe? Okay, it's an excuse.

It doesn't change the fact our battle was cut abruptly, though.

Now, we're shooting into the skies.

"You ran into a blockade arguing with your thoughts. I'm certain you vocalized your plan all along because you wanted my input."

"Hah. How could you be certain about what you're on about?" I lashed back, crestfallen from the event I lost in our impromptu clash.

He landed the final blow, and I might as well accept that I gave it to him when I didn't use my turn.

Eugh, I'm brimming in bitterness.

"C'mon, you're too hardened not to show weaknesses when you could have asked nicely!" He chuckled, loosening his senses and body─heralding no intention to continue.

In my defense, I didn't think about saying it straightly and nicely.

I had the intention to ask for his input, first and foremost.

For whatever reason entered my mind that I denied it─I should punch myself.

In any case, our ascent ceased─and from oceanic blue with specks of white cloud, the firmament divided in black and blue.

"Why are we beyond the atmosphere, though?" I asked, unknown to my unfamiliar mind, whether it was the stratosphere or the exosphere.

I could still breathe and it wasn't cold so it must be low.

"I'd rather not crash into Laputa," he weirdly addressed, alongside silently casting Sound spell─solidification for foothold.

I stepped onto it, tired from dangling all the way.

It didn't merit satisfaction or anything, and the amazement chaotically ran throughout everything that surrealness ensued… or maybe, it's only the way I react to things.

Quick for the uptake, unconcerned.

"I didn't mention anything about a floating city, though."

He blinked twice, silently standing beside me─the Gokuu pole now retracted into its size. He put it below him, rested sloppily like a shinai left in a dojo. He stretched his arms for relaxation─and patted me on the back.

"Then I'd rather not have execs hearing anything we have to talk about," he recalled from his mind, then relieving my rambunctious thought process about it. "For you to blabber out what you've been up to… you know, the jazz about thinking while moving makes the brain work better?"

In hindsight, he was smiling─and damn it to death, I never looked back.

"You hate it, huh?" I brushed him aside, and created myself an imaginary seat from a Wind spell.

"Yup! Like I said." He turned his back and looked at the world below. "You wanted my input over some problems you can't solve alone."

"For me, I hate it when everyone around me is smart."

"Normally, you'd hate it when everyone around you is an idiot… and I personally think I'm being arrogant, you know, flaunting how I realized your objective every now and then?"

"Instead of being assertive, you should have hooked yourself onto it and continued without the hassle of shooting us right through space."

"I don't support your method of thinking while on the move."

"Yeah, I know, and I've mentioned it just now." …I meant to throw in sarcasm, but I spared him for once.

I suppose it was stupid, seeking refuge into a method I've only seen in a comic book before.

"Nah, please let's get rid of the problem."

I'm not comfortable seeking help from him, as I may have already cleared.

It's desperation which is fueling the motive.

There were no answers.

Vexation is triggered to hell and back.

"You know the story, I'd like input, and for another, I want an argument."

"An argument, you say?"

"For what it's worth, there are more obnoxious elements surrounding it that I'm horribly lacking in knowledge."

"For instance?"

"For instance, what do you think of Psychics invading the Magic Side?"

"Wow! So you mean we have Psychics now!?"

I told him about Nayami─unabridged and centralized, the psychic child with the comically named ability, Comet Howitzer.

She assumes the body of a third year high school student when she's only as young as eight or as old as fourteen.

It has been on the back of my mind, but I was only able to confirm when we were alone in the Detective Club.

The iffy and mysterious transfer student has been the target of Nichiyoubi North High School's elitism as soon as she entered the school. It would naturally be hard for any teenage lady who only wants to study: now, it doubles for a child who is anxious about everything, put into third year in high school all of a sudden when her mind isn't conditioned for the lessons.

Sure, we're on the Magic Side but that doesn't mean we shy away from what the Humans study.

We have their concepts for as long as we remember, completely separate yet the facsimile in nature. Authorial remedy to dispute since they're too slothful to create something different, whence I'd say they don't have the resources and time to remotely ape Tolkien's curious mind. Well, why am I protecting her accursed highness of screaming butterflies?

More importantly, Naru has knowledge of our dearly dish towel gremlin.

I don't understand but she might be a zombie instead.

In the very first dream, it was in a bizarre snow-covered Nichiyoubi where time has stopped in the mention of Snow Globe. Quite difficult to comprehend on my part, because I don't have the right knowledge.

Proposition: unless I forgot about the Snow Globe as a realistic event. I can't forget through natural means so it must mean it's possible I deliberately sacrificed the memory in exchange of a fortune deity's divine intervention. I'd like to think it might be a metaphor, though. Since I'm entitled to being Snow White, and I've favored Ice spells for the longest time.

More importantly, Nayami Ayanami was a child in the dream.

One singularity I have been processing for a while.

Then, she was also a child in the second dream─when I was a vampire living in an underground Nichiyoubi below Kyoto.

I've been cast out, actually, but it doesn't matter.

They're dreams, after all.

I've never connected it to the incidents where she'd be bullied in school.

Being bullied is only natural. It's the extension of her unacceptance to call herself a Mage despite transferring to the school. She deserved being frowned upon by everyone else: it's not the implications of being followed by the Seven Gods.

Hotei, the Guardian of children and their welfare, sought help for her welfare.

There was no inherent connection between the school and her.

Her only inherent connection is with another accursed.

Even then, it's also incomprehensible at the moment.

I don't know what makes her supervised.

The only concrete description─Nichiyoubi Institute knows she's a Psychic, and they had her transfer to Nichiyoubi North High School for research purposes. Somehow, there are underlying problems for her assignment to our class. Nonetheless, her two dilemmas are supposed to be separate until Aya and the corresponding events changed everything.

Knowing the hell of a convoluted story, how it strings from dreams and reality intertwined, my grandfather squandered about questioning everything.

In the end though, he frowned at such a confusing sequence of events─look of disgust to cover his eyes.

"First, let's talk about the perpetrators chasing after your newfound friend. Could they also be Psychics like Nayami, then?"

"Wait, why didn't I consider such an obvious factor to look into?"

"You're tired, as far as I can tell."

Shirayuki Otogibanashi sighed a huff, straightened his back and stared at the distant moon.