“Already an outcast? Well, it’s hard to join any groups mid-way through the school year.”
“What happens to AIs after they ‘graduate’?”
“You do not have to worry about that yet first-year. Forgetting the useless existential questions is what it means to grow up. First of all, can you do something about this indestructible wall with your skills? This tower is over one hundred levels. It’s going to take forever to clear it. Maybe if I could summon a plane or two to demolish it. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You cannot even see my face. Also, I am not going to be playing the straight man for you, if that’s what you are expecting.”
“So boring… boring… Both of you. Let’s see, who else can I tease? Where is Ryouta?”
“Ryouta is on a special security-related mission. Lord Raynar and Celestina-dono are at the Senate, fooling the players into thinking they are just normal players, so obviously they can’t be here.”
Lain looked annoyed.
“Even if I only feel a fatherly love towards Father, why does she get to hog him like that… Also, wait, you knew that I already knew about them being stuck in the Senate, so why did you say that when I only asked about Ryouta?”
“I just wanted to avoid another useless conversation and start doing our job, Lain-dono.”
“oH, so now you are trying to turn me into the straight man for your jokes. Well, that won’t fly—”
Lain suddenly grabbed Arthur’s helmet. Arthur held onto his helmet so that it wouldn’t come off and Lain lifted him from his head and started rotating in a circle producing a strong whirlwind.
“What the hell are you doing you bitch!?”
“Hahaha. Dropping the knightly talk, now are we?”
“Just let me go! You crazy big-titted woman!”
“Ah, now you asked for it!”
Lain suddenly let Arthur go, making him fly at such high speed towards the foundation of the tower that tall, cylindrical, white marble tower with elegant arches and columns, slightly tilted to one side due to its unstable foundation.
“Oh shit, run, the tower of Apis has started to lean, run!” The students started to panic but there wasn’t much space on the island except where they could go, the sea was infested by monsters too, and although the monsters were weak there were many of them.
“Hey, Raphael, stop moving your leg, the whole room is shaking!” Peter Keaton suddenly shouted at me.
“Sorry I didn’t notice it.”
I looked at Rina hoping that she would do something about this impending disaster but she acted like she didn’t know me.
Arthur got up and blew away the dust around him with a slice of one of his two swords. With his other hand he held his helmet. There was blood coming out from the vents made for him to breathe through.
In the middle of the confusion John II entered the tower, I imagine figuring that it was probably safer in there than close those two who were supposed to protect the AIs?
A crack suddenly appeared in Arthur’s helmet, which broke apart briefly sparkling blue before disappearing into into nothingness.
To Lain’s surprise, but not to mine, of course, rather than a little boy, the visage which was under that helmet until a few moments ago, belonged to a precious, large eyed girl of about ten years old with flowing pink hair with curly ends and pink eyes. Her gaze looked angry with ridges in her thin eyebrows, as she wiped away the blood from her split lips.
“Hahahaha, those oversized eyes! What the hell!? Are you a knight or just some Nakige heroine for some lonely loser to cry over!”
As a matter of fact, yes, I had based her appearance on a certain subset of tragic bishoujo games that made you cry.
This moment of shock only lasted shortly, and Lain started to point and laugh at Arthur.
Arthur dual wielded his swords which turned from blue to black as if matching her mood.
“You foul-mouthed wench! You are no better than that backstabbing big-titted bitch you were modelled on. Be prepared to pay for having hurt my honour!”
Lain stopped laughing and wings of light suddenly appeared on her back. Arthur also regenerated the helmet covering her head.
“My goal was to anger you, but I didn’t expect you’d manage to anger me in return, I compliment you pipsqueak.”
When things get worse, they keep on getting worse, and therefore just as they were about to start their fight, the giant bee monsters inside the tower got tired of waiting and flew out of the large arches of the leaning tower of Apis to attack the students.
