After school, Homura visited the Exploration Club building.

This was her third time entering the club building.

She had promised to learn magic from Professor Fujimori today.

After taking a quick peek into the dimly-lit transport room where the Transport Ring was preciously stored, she climbed the stairs and headed to the stand-by room, where she found a high school girl sitting slovenly on a chair and completely absorbed in playing a handheld game console.

She finally came!

Homura took a circuitous route to stand in front of the girl, who had yet to notice the visitor.

There was no mistake. Homura remembered this exotic-looking face.

Ame-chan? Ameno-san?

Hah!?

The girl jumped with a start and looked up to face Homura.

Who are you!? A burglar!?

Wait, wait, arent you the one who said Come in and let me into the building through the entrance monitor, Ame-chan?

The girl made an expression of realization.

Haah, I did that completely unconsciously in the background of my mind.

So careless.

Homura brought over a chair, and the two of them sat side-by-side at a corner of the table.

Nice to meet you. Im Hinooka Homura, a new member of the Exploration Club.

Im Fujimori Ameno. I know all about you, Homura. It somehow feels like Ive known you since before I was born.

I-Im honored, I guess.

Ameno grasped Homuras hands with her own.

She had a strong grip that didnt match her appearance.

I use the rooms in the club building like this, but I still havent been recognized as a formal club member, ya know.

So youre a tomboy1, huh?

Hah?

No, no, anyway, Im happy to meet you.

Yes, Ive wanted to meet you too for a long time, Homura-san.

Yeah, yeah! Ame-chan, youre a first-year, right? Were in the same grade, right? Misasagi-senpai is kind and wonderful, of course, but it still makes a big difference having a fellow club member of the same age.

What about Takumi-san?

By Takumi, you mean Touya-kun? That mountain monkey doesnt count. Hes a boy, after all.

But Takumi-san is a splendid male member who shoulders the future of the Exploration Club, you know?

Eeh?

Ameno wore a carefree smile, seeming like a charming young girl in Homuras eyes. Her pronunciation had no accent, and her nationality was hard to pin down. She seemed like she might be Scandinavian, but she also had a Middle Eastern air to her. She seemed to be listed as Japanese on her family register, though.

Hey, Ame-chan, I havent seen you around school before. Arent you a transfer student? Though, admittedly, I didnt get to see you when you appeared during the Shinryoku Festival because I was busy at the time.

The reason for that is terrible, let me tell you! Apparently, theres a dispute among the school higher-ups over me, and my transfer procedure might not even get approved!

Whats with that? Is your guardian Fujimori-sensei clashing with the school administration?

Ameno puffed up her cheeks indignantly.

Chiayu-san doesnt seem to care as long as the Exploration club members increase. The ones that are quarreling are my home2and the school.

Ah, I get what you mean, I really do. She really is irresponsible like that, that teacher.

Homura strongly nodded while putting the assortment of pastries she had brought down on the table.

Homura had stayed out of clubs until now, but the one thing she had always idolized about them was the meeting place-type atmosphere in rooms like this.

Ameno looked Homura over with great interest.

Ah, thats right! Chiayu-san ordered me to take care of your magic training today, Homura-san!

Huh, senseis not coming herself? Did she get delayed somewhere?

Chiayu-san apparently had a sudden and urgent appointment with some old comrades of hers, and she went out after making a reservation at a bar in Honmachi.

W-What!? Thats just going out for drinks! She really is irresponsible. Tomorrow, Im going to severely

Dont worry, Homura-san. Teaching is my specialty. Im better at it than Chiayu. I cant use magic myself, though.

Ah, really? Well, Mori-chan doesnt seem suited towards magic either, I guessMore importantly, will you listen to this, Ame-chan?

As Ameno was making preparations for the magic training session, she was forcefully pulled back by Homura.

Homura took out a set of lemon tea and Happy Turn3rice crackers, and handed a portion of them over to Ameno while munching on the crackers.

Ah, thanks.

Yesterday, do you know what Mori-chan said to me at the beginning of the day?

?

Ameno tilted her head curiously while holding both ends of a cracker.

The first thing she said was, Hinooka, are you a virgin?

Hahah. That frankness is just like Chiayu-san.

She also said that that mountain monkey is also technically a boy, so he might make a mistake during an expedition, and even without that, Nutellas environment makes it easy to get excited.

I see.

And then she said that, in case such an event ever comes to pass, it would be better to take countermeasures rather than pointlessly resist, and that shed even prepare contraceptive tools for me! Can you believe that? There are Nutella-use contraceptive tools with the UNPIEP logo on them!

Thats reassuring. Crude fakes have apparently been circulating lately.

Thats the point you remark on!? Its not reassuring at all! Thats not just a late response; theyre completely dodging the issue with that kind of solution! Theyre not considering it seriously at all! The directors and government officials are turning a blind eye to the whole thing!

So, are you a virgin?

The cracker went flying from Amenos hands with a smack and fell on the table.

Homura lay her head down on the table and fell silent.

As the silence continued for a long while, Ameno took off a crackers plastic wrapping and started skillfully folding it into origami.

Homura-san, I heard youve had a lot of experience with boys. How nice~. Im so envious.

Whered you hear that from

Ehehe, Ameno laughed embarrassedly.

Even if you say I have a lot of experience I havent had anyone in mind recently And I havent had the time for dating either

Our activities outside of Nutella receive public attention, and information always leaks out no matter what we do. Intercourse alone is still treated at the level of something cute, but pregnancy on Nutella, let alone with underage teenagers, is a matter that major blogs and the Exploration Club Watchers wont leave be. Theres a limit to what information control can do, after all. It would surely affect the clubs continued existence. Isnt that a serious matter?

A tiny frog made out of wrapping hopped along Amenos fingers.

Homura grumbled while poking at the cracker that had been left bare on the table.

Im more worried about Misasagi-senpai Even if shes physically much stronger than Touya-kun, what if she gets pulled along by the mood? And theres the possibility of a crime being committed while shes drunk

Would that bother you, Homura-san?

Not really, but

With the Happy Powder having been shaken off the cracker, it was now just a plain old Turn cracker.

Suddenly, Ameno raised her head and stared into empty air.

Hmm?

Ah, speak of the devil. Too bad, I missed the chance to hear more.

What?

Yes, come on in. We were waiting for you.

Soon after, Touya poked his head into the standby room.

Homura glared reproachfully at Touya while remaining sitting.

Yo, Hinooka. Ameno, long time no see.

Yes.

Touya-kun, you interrupted our rare and precious girls talk time.

You said you were going to do magic training, so I came to learn by observation, as someone whos bad at magic myself. So, what were you chatting about? Wheres Fujimori-sensei?

Im substituting for her.

Seriously?

Seriously. Were going to properly start soon, okay? I still want to talk more with Homura-san.

You can just call me Homura, you know?

No, I couldnt. Even if were in the same grade, Im much younger than everyone else.

You dont look like it, though How old are you? Did you skip grades?

Chiayu-san discovered4me about ten years ago. I established self-consciousness in this body and started proper operation three years ago.

Hah? Eh? Three years ago? Three years old!? Youre an infant?

And, incidentally, Im also a virgin.

Yeah, that makes sense, right?5

Ameno turned towards Touya and made a finger-snapping pose.

Ah?

Yes, yes, its time to start studying magic!

Homura brushed aside the puzzled Touya and took out a third seat for him.

Ameno held out a headset that was one size bigger than standard headphones.

So heavy

Homura adjusted it on her head while fretting over how the cord connected to its exclusive power source got tangled with her hair.

This is a brain waves scanner. Even this thing was made quite light weight in comparison to others, you know? You dont even need to take a contrast media shot beforehand.

Its different from the testing machine that Kinou-sensei used on me before, Homura remarked.

Yeah, the simple IE aptitude test-use scanner is distributed throughout middle and high schools all over the country, but this is a special piece of equipment thats never moved outside official Exploration Club premises. Its filled with the latest technology and all kinds of licenses, after all. The simple scanner is also more accurate than it used to be, though.

Hinooka, you did the IE aptitude test?

Yeah, I did.

Homura wore a dejected expression.

Whats wrong?

I got a shocking result from it [52:D]

Hey, thats not much different from me. You got [80:B] in middle school, right? What, did you lose calories or something?

Homura didnt laugh at Touyas joke.

[B] means you have an aptitude for magic. [C] stands for outdoor activities or experience with martial artsright?

Basically, yeah. [A] stands for both categories. D means that you only have an IE reaction.

In other words, Im just a regular person? My peak has already passed? My bubble popped before I realized it?

Homura sank down onto the table dejectedly even further.

Statistically, the peak of ones aptitude value is at around twenty years old. Even though they wont let you join the Exploration Club if youre too young either in this country, humph.

From the way she acted miffed, Ameno also appeared to be dissatisfied with the aptitude value evaluation.

Well, cheer up. Its just a test. Its pointless if you worry over it so much that it affects your training efforts and how you perform when youre faced with a crucial moment in the field.

Touya pulled up and supported Homuras headset as she raised her head despondently.

Sorry. Youre right. Then, Ameno-sensei, please go ahead.

Sensei?

Seeming happy at the word sensei, Ameno crisply straightened her posture.

Then, please take this.

A handheld game console? Im supposed to play with this?

You dont need to manipulate it manually. It can wirelessly connect with your headset.

When Homura touched the game console, a very stereotypical battle BGM flowed out from it.

Ah, sorry. I left it in the middle of my play~

Ameno pressed a hand to her temple with a hum, and then the still active play in the game was saved and the power reset.

Huh? Did you just use magic?

This is Earth, you know.

The UNPIEP logo appeared on the screen, and the already downloaded training-use software started up.

First, well start from the [concept of magic] Hmm~~, hah!

Ameno suddenly clenched her empty hands, and when she reopened them, she held a small disk in each hand. Their front surface was black and their back was white. In other words, they were

Othello pieces?

Yes.

Homura and Touya picked up the pieces that were offered to each of them. They were called Othello stones.

How many moves are possible to take that piece6? In terms of game rules, that is.

You mean standing it upright like this or turning it over doesnt count, right?

Ameno nodded.

Touya stared intently at Homura. Though a bit unsure, Homura answered.

Two moves, right? One each for white and black.

Correct. Now then, please focus on how to turn that piece over next. How many moves are possible to turn over this round piece?

Again, two moves. From white to black, and from black to white.

Thats correct, but also incorrect.

Huh?

This Othello piece has no front or back. You can turn it over like this

Ameno flipped over the piece on Homuras palm with her fingers.

Simply flipping it over like this is one move. With just this, it goes from white to black, or black to white.

Thats obvious, isnt it? Then the correct answer is one move, not two?

Theres one more, Touya said.

One more? What is it?

Dont do anything. From white to white. From black to black.

As if you can do that!

You actually can. Just leaving things as they are is also one possible choice. With this, you have two moves.

After confirming Homuras astonished nod, Ameno continued.

Then, next Hmm~~, hah!

Next, playing cards appeared in Amenos hands.

They were both face cards. The Jack of Spades and the Queen of Diamonds.

Just as you can see, these are playing cards. And even if you turn them upside down like this the design remains identical. The same goes for the back side.

After saying that, Ameno handed a card to Homura and Touya each.

Yeah, now that you mention it, thats pretty convenient So this time were focusing on how to flip over these cards?

Thats right. Now then, how many moves can you do?

After turning over and examining her card for a while, Homura raised her hand.

Yes, sensei! I know!

Go ahead, Homura-san.

Its four moves. You can turn it upside down. You can flip it over vertically. You can flip it over sideways. And you can do nothing!

What do you think, Takumi-san?

Hmm cant you also turn it over diagonally, though?

Fufu, thats wrong, Touya-kun. If you try to turn it over diagonally, the card will always end up becoming sideways, right? Thats part of the pattern of turning it upside down. So its a combination of the two.

Homura-san is correct. There are four possible moves for turning over a card. Takumi-san, you already knew this and just played along, right?

No, Im still unsure of the logic myself Well, I get that there are four moves. Lets move on.

Then, Ill move on to the next stepHomura used the word pattern, but this word is actually very important. Theres another hidden pattern to turning over this card.

Hmm? By pattern, you mean a combination of moves?

After staring at her card for a while, Homura slapped the table in realization.

Youre talking about turning it over each way in sequence?

Yes, thats correct. Homura-san, youve got some good momentum going today. Then, in order to make it easy to understand

Ameno took out another card for her own use.

While taking turns flipping it over up, down, sideways and upside down, she wrote a series of numbers on the upper right portion of the card.

Ive written 0, 1, 2 and 3 on it. These represent the four moves. Any sequence used to turn it over such as [0123] or [0312] can be used no matter what state its in at the time.

Hmm, I see. Now that you point it out, youre right. Then, this time Im supposed to write down the different sequences for turning it over, those pattern numbers, right?

Yes. However, [0123] and [1230] is basically the same in terms of the sequence in which its rotated, right? So consider them the same pattern.

Yeah, yeah. This will be easy.

Really?

However, it wasnt actually that easy, and Homura had to get help from Touya in order to come up with every possible pattern.

All right, Im going announce my results, okay? Then, with 0 at the start, there are six patterns including [01230], [01320], [02130], [02310], [03120] and [03210]!

Well done! Then how about this?

Ameno next held out a slightly big die.

So its a die next.

The die was slightly abnormal, with numbers written on the top right on each of the six faces.

Hmm~, from 0 to 23? Every face has four numbers on it, with a total of twenty-four numbers? Could this be?

How many patterns of turning it over are hidden in that die?

I dont know!

An instant response, huh

I know, though?

Homura was startled and peeked at Touyas face beside her.

She was grimacing due to the strain of the headsets weight on her neck. In the basic puzzle exercises until now, the headset hadnt served any use, but Homura-san no longer worried over it and seemed to have forgotten about it, so its fine.

Eh? Why? Theres no way you could know. Dont lie.

Im not lying. You just need to calculate. The last exercise with the cards had six patterns with 3x2x1, after all.

As Homura looked at him dubiously, Touya explained.

There are four numbers at first, right? That means, no matter what number you choose next, there will be three numbers remaining. Then two. And finally one.

Then, this strange die is the same?

Ameno smiled happily.

I did this lesson on the premise that you both would give up at this point, but Takumi seems to be a step better at this.

23 times 22, times 21, times

Homura faced her notes and went through the endless multiplication, but once it was obvious that she was starting to make mistakes midway when the number of digits increased, Ameno told her the answer.

The answer is 25 800 quintillion, 52 010 quadrillion, and so forth basically, it becomes a huge number with twenty-three digits. Its done with factorial calculation.

Right, right. That, factoring. Say that beforehand.

Ameno smiled wryly.

Strictly speaking, that turns into an even more complicated calculation, but thats another matter.

Sorry. Then, stopping the preliminary preparation here

Its existence having been forgotten, the game consoles screen, which had gone into sleep mode, brightened up again.

On the screen appeared a three-dimensional die.

This is the hexa-model of magic that we use in the Exploration Club.

Ah this is

It was a die painted in four colors.

Just like the image that had appeared in her mind back then, there were two faces each painted white and blue respectively, and one face each painted red and black respectively.

Homura-san, youve already experienced ignition magic once, right? I read about it in President Misasagis journal log.

She failed at it, though.

Touya-kun, you couldnt even use the most basic illumination magic either yourself Wait, uwawah, the die is moving!? Gross!

In the series of tutorials until now, the device has been tuning itself to match your brain waves, Homura-san.

This seems fun! I dont get the reason at all, but its fun!

When she thought of the die vigorously turning over vertically, it did exactly that, then she stopped it and made it roll over sideways

Without her once touching the consoles buttons, Homura made the displayed die roll around exactly as she thought.

Ooh, I see I can simulate magic with this. I just followed senpais instructions back then.

Right.

No matter how many times I see it, its so strange.

Ameno smiled happily as if it were her own achievement.

The Exploration Club invested in making this high-precision brain waves scanner, and it is now finally possible to train in magic on Earth as a result. Its also useful for developing new magic.

I see.

There are roughly 120 quadrillion manipulation patterns with this restricted hexa-model. Names are attached to specific patterns.

I know, like Hi (Hydrogen) and Ox (Oxygen), right? Senpai taught those to me. I see~, so thats how it works. Touya-kun also trained wearing this scanner at first, right?

With a tetra-model, yeah.

Ameno winked, and then a regular tetrahedron made of four equilateral triangles attached together appeared next to the die. It was also painted in four colors.

Now that there were two dice displayed on the screen, their movements become wobbly and hard to control for Homura.

However, she immediately got the hang of it and started to separately move the hexa- and tetra-models.

Touyas eyes widened in amazement. Ameno also tilted her head curiously.

Youre good at this.

You wouldnt think you were ranked D.

Eh? This is pretty difficult, you know? Its easy to get them jumbled up.

Then, what if I do this?

The dice multiplied to four.

Muh, like Ill lose to that~.

As Homura absorbed herself in it as if she had been given a new toy, Touya watched her with hope and expectation in his eyes.

Hey, can we take a break? This is a good place to stop, right?

Ah, youre right.

With a sigh of relief, Homura took off the heavy headset.

Next to her, Ameno leaned back in her chair even more tiredly than Homura.

Huh, are you okay, Ame-chan?

Truthfully, this is the first time Ive been so nervous

Ahaha, thanks for the lesson. And, no offense to your hard work here, Ame-chan, but if the schools math classes were like this, theyd be so much easier!

This is also a proper field in mathematics, you know?

Really?

Yes! In the first place, Nutella is a mathematical existence. A great number of Indian scientists who discovered renormalization cosmology

Ah, I dont wanna hear, I dont wanna hear,Homura thought as she blocked her ears and ran away from the whole thing.

By the way, wheres senpai?

Senpai is a regular club president with the accompanying duties, you know. And even without that, shes quite busy at home as well.

I see, she really works hard, huh. By busy at home, do you mean with studying? Helping around the house?

Apparently, it has something to do with socializing with people, because of her fathers work. Its something I dont know much about, though.

Incidentally, President Misasagi usually uses this restricted icosa-model.

Ameno pointed at the new die that appeared on the console screen, a twenty-sided polyhedron made of twenty equilateral triangles. As expected, it was painted with several different colors, but it looked much more complex compared to the dice that Homura had used until now.

An icosahedron for real?

This model specializes in manipulating fluids, you know?

Even though I failed massively with just a six-faced model, senpai imagined something so difficult As expected, its way different when youre a Mage, huh?

Senpai is a Magic Warrior, though, Touya refuted with a wave of his hand.

So shes a warrior who also uses magic, right?

Mages are in a different category. Ive never met one myself. I havent heard of one in the neighboring Hiyoshizaka Highs Exploration Club either.

At that point, Touya suddenly stopped stirring in his seat.

Huh? What about Koma-senpai? She can use magic, right?

Hiyoshizaka High Exploration Club President Kamikoma is registered as being part of the Bard class. For magic, she most likely normally uses this dodeca-model which specializes in the recreation of music.

Dodeca-model?

Next to the icosahedron, a twelve-faced polyhedron made of twelve equilateral pentagons appeared.

Homura couldnt help smiling at the mismatch being the sound of dodeca and her image of Kamikoma-senpai.

I see. So what kind of model do Mages manipulate? I bet high-level Mages must use something like a five hundred-faced polyhedron!

Theres no such thing as a polyhedron with five hundred faces.

There isnt?

No. The three-dimensional objects known as regular polyhedrons, which have equilateral faces, include tetrahedrons, hexahedrons, dodecahedrons, icosahedronsand finally octahedrons, so there are five kinds in total.

Then what do Mages uses?

Fufufu do you want to see?

Of course I do. Thats normal, right? Homura turned to Touya for agreement.

Well, its true Id like to know.

Very well. Then, here we go, hmm~~!

Ameno once again did a posture for using magic that wasnt magic.

The next instant, just when she seemed to cram her hand into her mouth, there was the grating sound of joints slipping out of placeand she placed an object on the table with a clatter.

Wow!

Guh, *cough, cough, cough*t-this is it!

Ameno forcibly puffed up with pride despite the tears in her eyes.

Way too much! Thats really disgusting, you know!

*Cough* But I wanted to surprise you I was trying to make you respect national robots in my own way

Please dont, I beg you.

The object was a cube that was about as large as a clenched fist. Each face was clearly divided three by three, and each section could be rotated around. In other words

Its a Rubiks Cube.

Like I thought~. Though its a bit shiny with saliva.

In contrast to Homura, who was smiling jeeringly, Touya couldnt hide his surprise for a different reason.

Mages use s-something like this for their incantations!?

This is the most common model. A normal human brain responds strongly to right angles, so rather than a polyhedron like a icosahedron which is close to a sphere, this kind of thing is more effective and useful.

Mages are even more monstrous than I imagined.

Hah? What are you saying, Touya-kun? Its not hard at all. Its the same kind of dice shape. And there are only six colors too.

S-Stupid, you know that there are no scanners or game consoles on Nutella, right?

Muh, thats true what do I do? Bring this cube with me when I go there?

Thats also possible, but in that case it would be for studying purposes. When you actually use magic in the field, you wont see a physical object like these models. You have to imagine it in your mind. If not, you cant establish the pattern

Homura hadnt really understood the seriousness of the matter well.

She was startled for several seconds, but then she started to grow increasingly pale.

Are you saying that I have to manipulate a Rubiks Cube without being able to see it?

Ameno and Touya nodded.

But I can touch and feel it, right? And take a peek midway through.

Thats no good. Its like the die. You have to do it all in your head from the incantations beginning to its endright?

Yes. If youre going tocall yourself a Mage, thats your starting point.

Homura had timidly reached for the cube, but now pulled her hand back.

Sorry, I need a longer break! Lets talk about something more simple and trivial! You know, my sister recently got into an accident on her bike, and the person she collided with greatly resembled Yodoya-kun from Radiance Factor

You know, Im thinking that it makes sense that Hinooka is a Mage. Thats the star role among investigators, you know? I think it really suits Hinookas show-off and greedy personality.

I will also help to the best of my ability. Come to me at any time.

Homuras protest was completely ignored.

Ah, geez, you guys! I dont have any redeeming features! Im not that smart! Im seriously aiming to be a Mage, because I was told that my initial aptitude was good! And yet, whats with the difficulty level being the highest for it!?

Now, now, dont say that. Why dont you try it out a bit in the simulation?

Impossible, impossible, impossible!

Well, its true that the Rubiks Cube model is still too soon for you, so well continue with the hexa-model die from before. The blind test is a normal part of the training menu, so be at ease.

Really? Then, how about I try the only spell I know so far, fire magic

Homura once more faced the game console with its display now off.

Hi (Hydrogen) Ox (Oxygen) Ph (Phosphate) Mg (Magnesium)

However, she didnt hear the chime indicating the success of the spells incantation.

She only got the failure buzzer.

Every time the buzzer rang, the uneasily frowning Amenos eyes widened suddenly. Her joints creaked and her entire body stiffened.

Touya was startled by that briefly shown inhuman expression on her face.

H-Hey, Ameno, are you okay? Your face is scary right now.

Ameno immediately rebooted and regained light in her eyes.

Hah Sorry, I made you feel the uncanny valley effect7, didnt I?

Shaking her head, Ameno turned back to face Homura, who was desperately trying to make the incantation work.

Homura-san What was that just now?

What do you mean? Its an incantation, you know?

Homura responded sullenly as she held out her hands before her in the pose for chanting.

I dont even know the meaning of the word phosphate she grumbled to herself.

The buzzer rang again, making Ameno jerk in her seat. Even Touya became nervous as a result.

Are you properly imagining the cube?

A four-colored die, right? Im doing my best, you know.

How strange

Maybe she isnt concentrating enough?

Ameno seemed to frequently try adjusting the scanner, but the results were poor.

When, as a test, Ameno disabled blind mode and Homura tried again while the mode was displayed, her incantation was deemed a success and the triumph chime rang out.

To think you only fail in blind training. So this is the cause of the drop in your aptitude test results

If I fail in blind training, doesnt that mean it wont work when Im doing it for real either? Then theres no point, is there?

Homura gripped her head along with the scanner on it.

Im taking this back with me! Ill train at home!

Thats some good spirit, but that would be bad. Its illegal to take that off club premises. Its an expensive piece of equipment, after all.

Isnt it fine? The one in this club who needs this device the most is me, whos aiming to be a Mage, right? Senpai is also a proper Magic Warrior, and Touya-kun is a Light-Weight Warrior.

Im sorry, Homura-san. Unfortunately, taking it outside is not allowed. Right now, your training using the scanner can only be done when you come to the club building

Seeing Homuras displeased face, Ameno smiled with sympathy.

For example, the scanner can also be used like thisif you choose yes, the die will rotate to the right. If you choose no, it will rotate to the left.

Oh, whats this? A game?

Homura leaned forward while sipping her tea through a straw.

Question. Are crows white?

Crows? Well, of course theyre

The die moved with a twitch.

[No] meant rotating left.

Is the square root of fifty greater than four?

Right No, the reverse left turn [No].

Is your younger sister impertinent, Homura-san?

Right turn [Yes]. Fervently.

Are you a virgin?

Buh!

Homura instantly thrusted the console towards the other end of the table/

Ameno nodded with a self-satisfied expression.

I see.

Ive been tricked!

Homura planted her blushing face down on the desk.

As you can see, it can also be misused to infringe on peoples rights like this, so permission to take this equipment outside is quite restricted. And, Homura-san? Dont forget that theres also the choice not to move the die. Its part of the basics.

Kuh damn you.

Even so, the display has disappeared just before the die had rolled, so only Touya was left not knowing the answer to the last question. Touya looked at Ameno with an amazed expression.

Youre interested in that kind of thing?

What are you talking about? Its natural to have an interest as a girl my age.

Is that how it is?

Having revived from that humiliating trap, Homura now stared fixedly at Ameno.

By the way, Ame-chan, how are you controlling the console even though youre not wearing a scanner? Thats so handy. Is there some trick to that as well?

Are you seriously saying that? Didnt you think anything about her was strange earlier?

Why? Well, I admit she seems like a weird girl.

The fact that you can just ignore the issue with that vague explanation shows that youre even weirder.

Ameno glanced furtively around the relatively small standby room.

Hmm, all clear, it seems. In that case I will specially show this to you both.

After saying that, Ameno suddenly unzipped her hooded jacket and began unbuttoning her uniform.

Why are you stripping?

Im doing it now while the demon is away, since Chiayu-san would get angry if she saw me do this.

S-Stupid, stop it!

Touya frantically shut the curtains around the standby room.

Touya-kun, what are you trying to do by shutting the curtains here?

Hinooka, shouldnt you be stopping her?

But Homura glared at Touya with scornful eyes.

If youre showing that much restraint, then that means you do have some interest. So, Ame-chan, will you show it to just little old Onee-san?

Yes Hnn

When Ameno shifted her underwear, parting lines of light appeared just below the location of her heart. Her chest pushed out and unfolded while making a mechanical sound.

!

Homuras eyes grew huge.

A-A A robot! Ame-chan, youre a robot!?

Yes. Im not human.

Amazing

Touya also seemed to have steeled himself for it, but he still couldnt help being shocked when he saw the real thing. Unable to win against his curiosity, he timidly peeked at her.

So your comment for the [Yamato Nadeshiko] project wasnt just a joke.

Mumuh? You dont seem so surprised, Takumi-san? I know you heard about it from Chiayu-san, but still.

S-Sorry, I am surprised. I am, okay? But you know, after having seen Nutella and senpai as an Elf something like a robot isnt that mind-blowing.

What do you mean, something like a robot!? That should be the most surprising one of them all!

Ameno stood up from her chair.

Homura hurriedly held up Amenos jacket as it began to slide off.

My body is the latest bipedal test model, proudly built by the Honba Institute. My fuel cells were made by the Toubashi Institute to withstand even conditions in the polar regions. My optics system was made by Nikon. My expression control and vocal cords were made by Yamaha and the Great N Institute. Every bit of me is 100% Japan-made!

By Honba Institute, you mean that automobile company? The same brand as my familys car?

Yes. The development lab where I was born is part of the Honba Institute.

Ameno joined her hands together happily, showing how she didnt lose her humanness even with her chest hatch opened.

At first, I didnt believe it myself until I saw her close up and tried checking her pulse.

I can replicate both a pulse and heartbeat, you know? I just purposefully turned it off back then.

Youre right, I can hear the beating.

Homura peeked into Amenos eyes and observed her carefully while touching her hairline and her soft fingers.

Engineering technology to make a humanoid robot is quite advanced today. Its just not highly sought after due to the needed investment and cost. There are even rumors that half of the US Presidents guards are robots.

Touya folded his arms together, impressed.

Not sought after, huh. Its true that there might be a lot of people who think robots should be robot-like.

Is that so? Homura asked with a tilt of her head in confusion.

In the end, it was decided according to the development chiefs personal interest, though.

That person is a bit of a pervert, huh.

Well, I cant deny that. That person is probably drinking together with Chiayu right now. And besides, even if I look like this, Im actually the trump card for dealing with the shortage of Japans Nutellan investigators, you know?

Right! Lets go together on the next expedition!

Yes, Id really like to accompany you.

We get it, so could you please put your clothes back on already?

Im a robot, so its not embarrassing for me!

But it is for me.

I still havent shown you the most important partthis.

The semi-transparent cover over the center of her chest section opened, and a transparent green gem appeared from inside.

Lines of line appeared and disappeared as if twinkling across its surface.

This is my brain Its called a [soul stone].

A soul stone

Soul stones are a precious mineral that has been discovered on Nutellan. The phenomenon known as me is composed of light circuitry made using this soul stones properties, a central nervous system which runs using surreptitious feedback with the attached body and a memory storage device. Everyone else has thinking reed, but I have a thinking stone.

Ameno wore a triumphant expression.

I dont really get it but your heart is really pretty, Ame-chan.

Homura gazed fixedly at the stone, drawn by its radiance.

Ameno smiled proudly.

Thank you very much. But it doesnt feel real to me that this stone is me. As I thought, everything including this body

Can I a touch it a bit?

Wait, stup

Before Touya could stop her, Homura grabbed and lifted out the soul stone, and Amenos movements completely halted with a jerk.

Wah, scary, Ame-chans face is scaryw-what do I do, Touya-kun!?

S-S-Stupid, hurry, hurry up and put it back!

L-L-Like this? I-Its not going in.

The other way, the other way!

With a beep, the stones attachment device clicked into place.

The soul stone regained its light.

Ebaraking enkloden zess vodaiEverything including this body is myself.

The other two carefully watched Amenos conditions while sweating on their brows.

Whats wrong, you two?

No, nothing.

Nothing at all.

Fufufu, Im telling you both this with an open heart, you know.

Her chest panel silently returned shut.

Y-You really wanted to use that pun, huh.

Ameno grinned.

Have you had that body since you were born?

This is the fourth major overhaul Ive had. When I still wasnt aware of my surroundings, I had a much smaller body.

So you grew up gradually from a baby? Thats just like a human.

Thats right. Now I too can finally help as a member of the Exploration Club and

Ameno once more looked down at her current appearance in front of Touya and Homura.

She pulled close her unfastened clothes and shrank in on herself.

Umm this is really embarrassing after all

Homura and Touya were also confused by her extremely emotional expression as she turned red down to the tips of her ears.

Didnt you say before that you didnt mind since youre a robot?

At first, I was thinking of finally getting to show my body interior to someone besides the development labs researchers and Chiayu, so I just did it on the spur of the moment umm should I instead say that its embarrassing because Im a robot?

Youre not a robot, but a golem, remember?

Professor Fujimori entered through the ajar door to the standby room with an astounded expression.

And accompanying her was the club president Misasagi, who blinked several times at the sight of Amenos half-naked state.

We bring provisions.

Good, day. Sorry for, being late.

Misasagi was blushing a little as she spoke.

Hey there, president. T-Thanks for your hard work today.

As Homura spoke with a strained smile, Ameno hurriedly fixed her appearance from behind her.

Sensei, you went to a drinking party, didnt you?

When asked that by Touya, Fujimori scratched her crumpled hair.

I ran into someone I didnt want to meet and was pulled along. Its fine, its fine. The Exploration Club is whats most important to me. Here, have some sushi.

So you dont deny that you neglected your promise to train with me and went out drinking

You probably ran away from Hirosuke-san again, right? Really now

Ameno spoke bluntly while hiding behind the shoulders of the disbelieving Homura.

What was that?

And please dont call me a golem, Chiayu-san. It doesnt sound cute at all.

If there were robots made from such a half-baked breakthrough like you, it would be rude to the researchers who are seriously developing robots. And dont call me Chiayu.

Fujimori dropped down onto a pipe chair and sloppily crossed her legs.

Touya went to help senpai prepare tea.

In the first place, if they were going to make you a body, why didnt they make it a car with four wheel drive or an off-road bike? Those would have been way more convenient, you know?

Of course not! How could you say that, treating my individuality functions as a car navigator!

Personally, Im glad that Ame-chan is a girl.

Homura innocently murmured while rummaging through the bag of provisions Fujimori had brought.

If she were a car or bike, we wouldnt be able to talk while drinking tea like this, and she wouldnt be able to do club activities with us. Right, Touya-kun?

Is that your mental image of club activities? Well, its certainly livelier around here that way.

Ameno looked at Fujimori triumphantly at first, but then hung her head apologetically.

Just hearing you both say that makes me happy. If only I could go exploring with you all. But there are still several problems

Really? Dont worry about it! Even someone like me managed to do it without any prior preparation.

As if. Your first expedition was full of problems.

As if youre one to talk, Touya-kun.

As the three first year students conversed fussily with each other, the club president and Fujimori exchanged looks.

Misasagi calmly held out a notebook.

Ameno-san, here.

This is a student notebook!?

Yes. Sorry for, the wait.

Ameno wordlessly stared at the notebook.

The schools authorization, was given, and the student council also, approved it just, earlier. After the formal, procedures have, finished, youll be able to, participate in lessons, as a Seiran High, student.

Ill be able to go to school with everyone

Ameno, you should thank Misasagi for having gone out of her way to mediate for you, you know?

Though she said that, the way Professor Fujimori made a money sign with her fingers was quite suggestive.

Congra, tulations.

Thank you so much *Hick*

As Ameno previously hugged the notebook and cried, Homura put a hand on her shoulder.

Good for you, Ame-chan. So, where are you? Which class are you in!?

Erm Class C!

Then that means shes in my class, Touya said.

Eeh, with Touya-kun? Not my class?

Homura glared at Touya, who wore an expression of surprise.

Personally, Im relieved. If Hinooka took classes with Ameno, theyd both obviously end up ignoring the lesson completely.

Thats not true. I intend to help with the plan to raise Homuras academic ability as well.

With this, the Seiran High Exploration Club finally had four members.

Everyone besides the experienced club president Misasagi were all newbies and one of them hadnt even participated on an expedition yet, but perhaps they would finally be able to act as a proper club.

They decided to take a breather.

Misasagi did a little performance with the magic simulator for Homura and Touya.

On the other side of the room, Fujimori and Ameno were huddled together over a computer tablet.

Chiayu-san, look at this. Its the records of the blind test, but

Ah, by Hinooka? It was pretty bad, right?

Ameno shook her head.

Its not yesterdays results. This is from the simulation she did just earlier. But its strange. She got great results with the normal visual feedback test.

Scrolling through the tablet, Fujimori glared at the records.

Youre right, its strange You had her try manipulating an octa-model while imagining a hexa-model? She probably couldnt stabilize it because you didnt switch over to multi-mode.

I tried that. Its true that both models have a dual relationship and have the same number of overall patterns, but in that case

Then, could it unexpectedly be because Hinookas thoughts are too fast and the computer processing cant keep up?

The scanners time granularity is 2-6 megahertz. Its 260 thousand times faster than the average frequency of brain waves, and 60 thousand times the renewal rate of a persons sight system. Do you think that Homura-san thinks 60 thousand times faster than a normal person?

I dont.

Chapter 14 END