"Now that we've settled on a plan, I have a question for Shion and Oliver. How exactly did you two become Transcendents?"
At my question, Shion and Oliver briefly exchanged glances. Shion was the first to speak.
"In my case, I used the ice spirits through the Seirei Eyes in my right eye to forcibly smash through the wall of the Principles of Magic. Man, that was a nightmare. I was crying tears of blood, my head felt like it was splitting open, and I ended up bedridden for months afterward. What about you, Oliver?"
"It was a similar process for me. Though, because I had Mana Convergence, I didn't experience quite that much agony. I think I was only out of commission for about a week."
"What?! Hey, that’s totally cheating!"
"How is that cheating? Besides, the only reason you suffered so much was because you did something reckless. You tried to break the wall of the Principles with a single Seirei Eye when you normally shouldn't have been able to at all, right?"
"I didn't have a choice! I had to do at least that much, or I'd never have caught up to Orun!"
Before I knew it, the two of them had descended into their usual bickering. I couldn't help but let a smile slip at the sight—it was a scene I had witnessed countless times during our childhood.
"The two of them are very close, aren't they?" Luna noted, watching them with a warm, sisterly smile.
"Well, they are childhood friends," I replied.
Fuuka eventually stepped in to separate them. "The conversation is drifting."
At her intervention, Shion and Oliver shrugged simultaneously, looking a bit sheepish.
"...Right. Yeah, we're supposed to be having a serious discussion," Shion admitted, scratching her cheek and averting her eyes.
Oliver cleared his throat. "That’s enough about us." He raised his voice as if to cover his embarrassment and turned his attention toward Luna. "That being said, Luna, you’re a Seirei Command ability user. In terms of the spirits you can handle, you’re far beyond what a pair of Seirei Eyes can do. It might actually be relatively easy for you."
"...For me?" Luna blinked in surprise.
"It’s true. Based on raw talent alone, you likely surpass those two," I added, affirming Oliver’s point. "If it’s just a matter of breaking through the wall of the Principles, your power should provide a massive boost."
"...I see." Luna took a small breath to steady herself, then looked up as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Come to think of it... Fuuka-san, you’re a Transcendent as well, aren't you?"
"Yes." Fuuka nodded simply, as if stating a basic fact of nature.
"Um... how did you become one?"
To Luna’s earnest question, Fuuka looked thoughtful for only a heartbeat before giving a blunt answer.
"Once I synced with my cursed katana, it just happened."
"............"
Shion and Oliver froze in unison.
"Since I can manipulate Yoryoku, I think my path was an exception," Fuuka added tonelessly.
However, because she said it so casually, her words seemed to carry even more weight. That was when I realized there was still something I didn't know.
"...By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask: what exactly is Yoryoku? I know it’s a power distinct from both mana and ki, but I still don’t quite grasp its essence."
At my inquiry, Fuuka stared into space for a moment before replying, "I don't really know, either."
I slumped my shoulders. "Well, you've always been the intuitive type. I guess it can't be helped if you can't explain it."
In response to my sigh, Fuuka spoke again. "That's why I'll make the one who knows the details talk."
With that, Fuuka drew her katana, Hakuyou, from the storage magic tool at her waist. Shion and Oliver both knit their brows in suspicion.
"...Is that sword the one who knows the details?"
"You can't be serious. It’s not like the blade can talk..."
Fuuka didn't answer. She quietly unlocked the hilt from the scabbard. As the blade peeked out, it began to emit a faint glow. The silver-white steel was gradually dyed in a pale cherry-blossom hue.
"—Sakuramochi, come out."
The moment she called the name, a mist rose from the blade. It wavered and swirled, gathering together until it took a physical shape. Eventually, a pale-pink fox appeared, clutching a fluffy tail that looked like a rounded flower bud. Its paws didn't touch the ground; it drifted in mid-air as if liberated from the laws of gravity. In its floating state, it looked like nothing more than a charming, round ball of fur.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" the fox barked the moment it appeared.
As it glared at Fuuka, an eerie, mysterious pressure wafted from its form, coexisting strangely with its adorable appearance. Fuuka simply tilted her head.
"You said you hated the name 'Cotton Candy,' didn't you, Sakuramochi? That's why I went with Sakuramochi instead."
"Stop messing with me! Why are the only options fluffy food names?!"
"Hey, h-hey, Fuuka... what is that cute, fuzzy little creature?" Shion asked, tentatively pointing a finger.
Fuuka answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "My pet."
"Hah?! Who are you calling a pet?!" The pink fox—Sakuramochi—perked up its ears and shrieked in protest. "Listen here, girl! Don't you go getting cocky—"
In the next instant, Fuuka’s arm was a blur. Before anyone could react, she had Sakuramochi firmly by the scruff of its neck.
"Don't speak to your master that way. Bad fox. I am not a 'girl.' You will call me 'Fuuka.' Understood?"
She scolded it in a quiet voice, but it was laden with a pressure that brooked no defiance.
"~~~~?!"
Sakuramochi’s eyes bugged out, and it let out a pathetic whimper. The intimidating aura from a moment ago vanished instantly as its ears and tail drooped in defeat.
Seeing the creature humbled, Shion’s eyes began to sparkle. "So... so cute...! Hey, can I touch it...?"
"C-Can I as well?" Luna chimed in, leaning forward with equal enthusiasm.
"Go ahead," Fuuka said.
"Hah?! Don't just give them permission—!"
Ignoring Sakuramochi’s protest entirely, Shion tentatively reached out with both hands. The moment her fingertips sank into the cherry-blossom fur, her expression lit up.
"W-What is this fur?! It’s so incredibly soft... and warm!"
As Shion cried out in delight, Luna followed suit, practically burying her face in the fox's side to savor the fluffiness.
"S-Stop it! No fluffing! I am a being feared by all humanity!"
The two girls ignored its desperate cries, unreservedly pampering and petting Sakuramochi. The fox flailed and struggled, but every time they squeezed its bud-like tail, it squished and changed shape, making it look exactly like a real piece of squishy sakuramochi.
"See? The name Sakuramochi really does fit perfectly," Fuuka said proudly.
The fox’s ears stood straight up as it let out one final, desperate scream.
"I... told... you... to stop calling me that!"