3 bar menu

Last Embryo Volume 3 Chapter 5 Part 3

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

It was commonly said that in the spring, one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn. It seemed that she had indeed succumbed to the warm rays of the sun, coupled with the fresh wind of the riverside, and was having a nap. Like a small animal that had just woken up, she popped her head out of the window and warmly gazed towards the four.

Ayato froze in place the moment she saw her face.

「Guh…!?]

Looking from the window was a lovely girl, seemingly sixteen to seventeen years of age. Her hair, just long enough to reach her collarbone, made her look like an adult, but her young features overshadowed that impression. Her clothes were quite nice looking too, so she had to be a VIP guest.

With her cat ears facing down, Sharol greeted her with an awkward smile.

「I-I-It’s been a while, elder sis Kasukabe You!」

「Yea, long time no see, Sharol. About half a year, I suppose.」

The girl she called Kasukabe waved back with a small smile. Suzuka silently approached Porol and asked who she was.

「Hey hey, Porol. Is this little animal-like adorable young miss your acquaintance?」

「Yeah. She’s the leader of an alliance that our Community is a part of. And she’s also the leader of the ‘No Names’ where Master Izayoi belongs.」

「Big Bro Iza’s Community!? Damn it! He probably troubled her a lot, and I here didn’t even bring a cake or anything! I messed up!」

Suzuka hit her forehead. Boisterous but honest, that part was one of her good points.

You looked around outside the VIP wagon, and then she suddenly bent her head in wonder.

「Eh? I thought for sure that Asuka came back… but it was just Porol and Sharol?」

「Yes. We came to your room to finish up our round of greetings, elder sis Kasukabe.」

「I see. Seems like we will depart soon. And, who are those two?」

「This is Master Izayoi’s stepsister and her friend. Haven’t you heard about them?」

You focused her attention on the two with a bit of a surprise on her face.

「Izayoi’s stepsister? So the Japanese girl over there is Miss Suzuka?」

「Eh? Ah, yes! I’m Ayazato Suzuka! Thank you for taking care of our Izayoi in this other world! Sorry, I came empty-handed! I’ll bring a box of cakes with me next time!」

「Eh? Ah, sure. I’m Kasukabe You. And I’ve been in his care too. …Also, I’d be happy if that box of cakes would be wagashi. It will make my day.」

Suzuka straightened up in surprise due to the sudden introduction, while You got surprised that she received a more polite greeting than she thought she would. Perhaps she was surprised by the fact that Suzuka was more diligent than the impression she got from Izayoi’s story. While holding down her hair that was fanned up by the wind, You looked towards Ayato this time.

「And who is that European-looking golden-haired girl supposed to be?」

「……」

Being asked for her name made Ayato stiffen in place. She was lost for words, with her eyes opened wide as if she had seen something unbelievable. It was hard to tell what bewildered her to this point, but such an attitude was surely impolite towards someone she was meeting for the first time. Suzuka elbowed her from the side and reproached her attitude in a small voice.

「Aya. You have to introduce yourself. Manners are important even if your ages are similar!」

「…Eh? Ah, right! My apologies! I lost my head there for a bit…」

Suzuka bent her head in wonder. She agreed that You looked really lovely, but Ayato was also the same in that regard. Or perhaps there was something other than the appearance that made her uneasy.

When she was going to introduce herself again, the Spirit Train’s whistle started to blow. That whistling sound made Porol jump in surprise and he suddenly clapped his hands as if he had remembered something.

「Ah, right! This must be some kind of fate too, so maybe elder sis could shelter these two in your VIP wagon? It seems they got rolled up in Queen’s prank and aren’t carrying the written invitations.」

「Sure, I don’t mind. The door is quite far though, so wanna get in through the window?」

「Ah, yes please!」

Hearing her, Ayato became a bit curious. When Ayato was about to ask why couldn’t they just teleport inside with Suzuka’s skill, Porol handed a pamphlet to her and moved away.

「The stage wagon where the exhibition match is being held is the seventh one from here. Going through the VIP wagon might be a bit dangerous, but good luck.」

「Eh?」

「Huh?」

Ayato and Suzuka simultaneously raised their voices. Could just being inside the VIP wagon bring about danger? Whatever the case, Porol and Sharol headed towards the staff wagon at a fast pace.

The Spirit Train blew its whistle for the second time.

「Oops, we gotta hurry! Let’s explain our situation to that miss and meet up with Homura’s side!」

「R-Right! Doing that is most important right now!」

While still having some doubts, they remembered that the train would depart on the third blow of its whistle, and thus, they decided to hop inside You’s VIP wagon.

At the same time, in a different place.

Giant Spirit Train 『Sun Thousand』, Stage Wagon.

While reading the Little Garden invitation document, Homura called out to Mikado beside him with a quivering voice.

「Hey, Shittyteru.」

「Yeah?」

「Answer me honestly. …You knew it would turn out like this, didn’t you?」

Hearing Homura’s question, Tokuteru used his right to remain silent. Besides him stood Uesugi, totally absent-minded.

Currently, the three were in the center of the special arena, which in itself was located inside the Spirit Train, and they were being drowned in the cheers of the audience while basked under the bright illumination. Kuro Usagi who was acting as a moderator, confirmed the appearance of the summoned trio and declared in a loud voice with her usamimi perking up.

「Everyone, sorry for the long wait! We will henceforth commence the 2^nd War for the Sun’s authority first Exhibition Match! Now, let me introduce these pseudo Authority War’s participants!」

OOOOOHHHHHHHH!!! The audience raised a loud enough cheer to even shake the Spirit Train. Since the Gift Games held an aspect of entertainment, it was good to entertain the audience. That much was fine. The problem, however, was the fact that Homura and Uesugi who were summoned as Players had no idea of what was going on. He predicted that they would be thrown down from high above like last time, but his guess was way off. At first, he wondered whether Queen was the one who did it, but judging from what the invitation letter had to say, Queen wasn’t the only ringleader here.

Homura once again lowered his gaze towards the invitation in his hands.