Concept: World - Chapter 2: The Shining Star (3)

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

Ethel woke up early that morning and arrived at the entrance of Central Headquarters with the luggage he had packed the night before, waiting for the other two.

The sun had only just begun to rise.

He couldn't understand why they had arranged to meet so early.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before they appeared.

"Morning, Ethel!"

Oenone called out cheerfully.

Behind her, Yinbing wore an equally bright smile, her excitement impossible to hide.

"These are yours."

The two of them handed over a pair of large suitcases before heading toward the rear of Central Headquarters.

"Tia actually wanted to come too."

"She'd liked Kotoha ever since she was still just a Force User."

"She wasn't nearly as famous back then, though."

"Then why didn't you invite her?"

"Weren't there three tickets?"

"Unlike us squad captains, the Commander can't just leave the city whenever she wants."

"Unless it's an expedition or some other serious matter."

"And, unfortunately..."

"...going to a concert doesn't qualify."

"We're leaving Sunblaze City?"

"Huh?"

Oenone turned toward Yinbing.

"You didn't tell him?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It's probably his first time leaving the city."

"How are we getting there?"

"By vehicle?"

"Too dangerous."

Travel between the Seven Cities was extremely rare.

The greatest reason was that long-distance travel through the wilderness carried a constant risk of encountering Concept Demons.

Even if you defeated—or escaped from—one, there was no guarantee another wouldn't appear.

"Then how are we supposed to get there?"

"The same method we use when Tia goes on expeditions."

Oenone looked back with a teasing grin.

"Don't tell me you thought she literally flew there with her Concept."

Judging from Ethel's expression...

she had guessed correctly.

"...I did."

"As strong as Tia is, nobody would ask her to take a risk like that."

"If that were how expeditions worked..."

"...no one would ever volunteer to support them."

"So..."

"...how do we travel?"

"Have you ever heard of Concept: Machine?"

"I have."

Ethel remembered Yinbing mentioning it when she had taken him for his physical examination.

"He spent years trying to invent a safe way for people to travel between cities."

"At first they dug underground tunnels."

"People used those for a long time."

"But they became a huge problem whenever Concept Demons capable of affecting the underground appeared."

"Eventually..."

"...he found a better solution."

"He invented a faster vehicle?"

"No."

"He found the right Concept User."

"Do you know what city eventually became Mechanical City?"

"...City?"

Oenone smiled.

"So you noticed."

"That's also our destination today."

"Flash Stride City."

"The current Commander there, Hermes, possesses Concept: Flash."

"In simple terms..."

"...it's coordinate-based teleportation."

"As long as you apply in advance, he can instantly transport people using the markers he's established in each city."

"Of course there are all kinds of conditions and restrictions."

"But it's more than enough for emergency support..."

"...or vacations like ours."

"That's... incredibly convenient."

"It is."

"He alone maintains teleportation between all Seven Cities."

"He's been the number one name on emergency support requests for years."

"If we ever lost his Concept..."

"...things would become very troublesome."

After finishing her explanation, Oenone led them into another office building behind Central Headquarters.

An elevator carried them to the top floor.

The first thing Ethel saw was an enormous platform that looked as though it had come straight out of a science fiction film.

"Commander Oenone of Sunblaze City's Third Squad?"

"And your two companions?"

"That's us."

"Please fill out these documents."

A staff member led Oenone away while Ethel and Yinbing remained behind to wait.

Yinbing was in exceptionally high spirits.

She hummed happily to herself the entire time, occasionally bouncing forward in little skipping steps.

A few minutes later, the two returned.

The staff member gestured toward the platform.

"You're cleared to proceed."

The instant they stepped onto it—

their surroundings vanished.

A heartbeat later, they found themselves somewhere completely different.

"Welcome to Flash Stride City."

"Commander Oenone Arvors of Sunblaze City's Third Squad."

"And your companions..."

"Ms. Yinbing..."

"...and Mr. Ethel Cardia, correct?"

"That's right!"

Oenone answered confidently.

Before Ethel could respond, Yinbing quietly stopped him.

"Teleportation records require both your given name and surname."

"Just go with it."

"What about you?"

"You don't have a surname?"

"I do."

"My family name is Yin."

"My given name is Bing."

"You didn't know?"

Ethel remained silent.

He had always thought Yinbing was simply her given name.

He had never imagined her full name was literally just those two characters.

"Heehee..."

"You didn't even know your best friend's name?"

"That's pretty bad."

Yinbing teased him mercilessly.

Judging by the smile on her face, she wasn't actually upset.

She was simply enjoying the opportunity to poke fun at him.

Knowing he was at fault, Ethel could only admit defeat.

"...I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"I didn't know your full name either."

When registering in Sunblaze City, Ethel had only provided his given name.

He had wanted a new life.

One no longer shackled to the surname tied to his past—

a surname that reminded him of his parents.

But perhaps...

there was no reason to hide it anymore.

"Monos."

"Hm?"

"My full name..."

"...is Ethel Monos."

For a brief moment, surprise crossed Yinbing's face.

Then it was replaced by something warmer.

Trust.

"Okay."

"I know now."

"...Thank you."

"You two!"

Oenone called from ahead after finishing the paperwork.

"Let's go!"

"Coming!"

Yinbing answered as she turned to follow.

Hidden from Ethel's view...

a quiet smile spread across her face.

Leaving the building behind, the three of them finally stepped into the streets of Flash Stride City.

The city before them looked nothing like Sunblaze City.

Sunblaze City treated Tia as its greatest hero.

Massive screens mounted on buildings constantly replayed edited footage of her battles.

But compared to Flash Stride City...

that was nothing.

The city itself was dominated by two colors—

yellow...

and green.

Yellow represented Flash Stride City's Commander.

Lightning motifs covered buildings and signs, while nearly half the businesses incorporated words related to lightning or flashes into their names.

Yet despite representing the Commander...

yellow occupied only a third of the city's visual identity.

The remaining two-thirds belonged to green.

To one woman.

Photographs of a young woman covered nearly every street.

She had long green hair tied into a ponytail and brilliant emerald eyes.

One slender finger rested lightly against her lower lip.

Her smile revealed perfectly white teeth, while her crescent-shaped eyes radiated effortless warmth.

She looked as though she had been born to stand before a camera.

It was the kind of face one could never forget.

Ethel had seen it once before.

Back at his previous job...

his coworker Nicole had shown him her picture on a phone.

At the time, Ethel had no intention of becoming close to his colleagues.

He had only glanced at the screen for a split second.

Yet even that fleeting look had etched her face permanently into his memory.

As the memory resurfaced...

so did Nicole's words.

"She's the biggest singer around right now."

"And she's also the captain of one of the combat squads."

"...Wait."

"So Kotoha is..."

"The captain of Flash Stride City's Second Squad."

"Kotoha Muxiqi."

Yinbing pointed toward the nearest billboard, her eyes sparkling.

This wasn't merely a city that revered its combat squad captains as heroes.

It was the ultimate pilgrimage site...

for fans and idol enthusiasts alike.

ns216.73.216.95da2

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