Hiding in a gazebo in the garden outside [Yume Nasai]'s mansion, Yukko and I changed clothes for our descent. Clothing for a girl is like armor. My battle sense told me getting armor might be more reasonable. However, Yukko, before I could stop her, dressed me in a flashy japanese military outfit.

I can't tell what period this is outfit is mirroring, but it's military inspiration got through to me. A cap that reminded me of a general, a large coat that Yukko showed me was supposed to hang off of my shoulders on purpose, pleated skirt, knee high boots, thighhighs approaching absolute territory.

Is it too late to say "I feel like I'm crossdressing?" It's too late. It's been too late for a long time, yet still, my pride remains. I made some last minute alterations with magic, heels are unforgivable. Even if I have an anime girl body, there are lines that I will never cross so long as my soul exists.

Yukko changed herself into a matching outfit, I'm calling it a ninja suit because it looks ninja-esque, but the colors are so bright I can't imagine it's useful for sneaking. The skirt is necessary, not for a pantry shot, but for girlish appeal. However, the potential of a panty shot alone is encouraging.

"That outfit..." I didn't want to say it, but my mouth did. I wanted to say it looked great on her, but it came out like that.

"It's important for even a ninja to be beautiful on stage." She said.

"This isn't a stage. What with that tiny cape?"

"It's a capelet."

"But, there's no point to it. It's not long enough to be a cape, it's not short or bulky enough to be a scarf."

Yukko puffed out a cloud of air. "It's because it is small and cute that it is fashionable. This is the essence of fashion, to create the appearance of usefulness rather than being useful. Your bad taste is showing again, Wizard. It's like your girl power is in the negative rating. Well, I'm not one to be judging others on girl power myself..." She glanced towards me. "You seem to bring out my enthusiasm. That, in it's own way, is lovable."

I'm being loved by an anime girl in the most unexpected way. Should I be happy? Should or shouldn't, I feel like I've done something good. Even though I've done absolutely nothing.

I practiced my stealth skills, mirroring her movements. Despite my thoughts that I wouldn't be able to keep up, the power of my anime girl body allowed me to mirror her perfectly. The maids were slipped by without much trouble. It wouldn't do to have an alarm raised, even if this is technically ally territory, my relations with Anime Girl might become strained if she finds out what I'm doing.

If she doesn't already know.

A glass elevator in a vast empty room begged entry with an open door. We went in together, I spaced myself apart from Yukko, self-conscious about being too close to her. Yukko sidled closer, and I dodged, leaving us in a delicate chess match for space as the glass elevator descended.

"The Geofront." Yukko said.

Spanning out into the horizon below us, forest trees dominated patches of buildings poking out like mushrooms. It looked like another town, a city, underground, hidden under the mansion of [Yume Nasai] itself.

"The 1st seal is here. I've snuck down to the 4th seal. I'm sorry, but the battle level here is far above my abilities. I'll be expecting you to pull most of the weight down here. You're fine with that, right, Wizard?"

I rubbed the back of my head. Being depended upon by an anime girl, I feel happy right now. No! Wait, she's using me! Fight back!

My will to resist faded, looking at Yukko. The stony look on her face and the kunai in her hand told me she wasn't here for fun. Meanwhile, I could really go either way. I admired that will of hers. I don't even know why she's helping. And I need her help. This is fine for now. Isn't it?

The elevator descending effortlessly, the space between the slightly serious anime girl and I remained appropriately distant.

Anime Girl isn't coming yet, but she'll come. It feels like recalling a fact, like I know she will come stop me uncovering the truth for sure. But, even Yukko is leading, I haven't told her. Yukko doesn't know about Anime Girl and my history together. From what I've heard from Yukko, Anime Girl's been way open with her and her friends than with me.

It's not like I mind. Really, socializing, and the desire to socialize, was never my strong point. My yapping battery runs low on talking as soon as it starts. The desire for connection is still there, otherwise, why would I like anime? Because the girls are cute and sound pretty?

Perhaps that is all it was from the start. I smiled to myself. I've learned. Then, I heard a beam special effect sound in my ear, turning, I caught a glimpse of it. Star Trek. It definitely, is that, the beam in sound effect!

My hand raised to stop Yukko who readied her kunai.

"It's okay. She's on our side." Probably? The brown clothed loli floated down out of the disappearing light particles her shut eyes and brown twintails swishing in the wind as she settled to the ground.

Stehy adjusted her robe, pulling out a smartphone like it was nothing. Tap tap tap. She's sending a text. Internet? Bakana! Stehy took a glimpse at Yukko, then settled her eyes on me. The force of her stare in intimidating, even though even her twintails don't reach my waist.

Well, the gavel isn't out. So, we're good, right?

"Since when could you teleport, Stehy? And that sound effect..."

「The adventurer's card wasn't entirely falsified。I feigned not knowing what magic was, out of fear that you all would abuse my power. Until I understood the power dynamics between Yarko, Anime Girl, and you, Wizard, I kept myself impartial。」Stehy stretched her arms up behind her head, twirling her fingers, a tiny gavel spun in her palm, and she closed it around her fist.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Uh-oh, the gavel's out. But, more importantly! "So the U.S.S. Enterprise is real? Tell me it's real!" The desperation coloring my voice surprised me. And Stehy as well.

「Why... well, it is now。I actually had to build it。But with the invention of [Yumicite] and expertise from crafters from the 2nd dimension, in addition to some techniques I learned from a helpful Moon Elf, the dream became a reality。」

I have a spaceship?! No. Hold on, Wizard, your excitement blinds you. The one who has the spaceship isn't you...

"You're not on my side, are you, Stehy?"

Stehy raised her gavel.「I'll have to ask you to stay out of this fight, Yukko。I wish for no diplomatic troubles with Anime Girl, if she found out I attacked one of her friends, her behavior might become undesirable。」

Yukko backed toward the glass panel, keeping her kunai near her chest. Seems she's all too happy to let me fight this out on my own. But, why, Stehy?

「It's been awhile since the connection between our thoughts has been severed, Wizard。Perhaps you were right when you said that maybe we could never read your thoughts, and that as your creations we were too similar to you。」Stehy fanned out her arms. 「If I am a part of you that was brought into this world, which part of you do you think I am?」

My heart dropped. Stehy's smiling. This serious, cute girl with shiny brown twintails turned my blood cold. This is the first time I've seen her smile.

"h-hey can't we talk this out? You like talking rig—"

Stehy's gavel came down. It hit the bottom of the elevator, snapping a hole in the shaft. I slid back, falling straight out of the elevator, staring up as the elevator smoothly descended downward, Yukko standing untouched inside. Stehy teleported above me, a flash of brown aimed straight for my head.

I whipped out my yumicite katana with a twist of my hand. Without Anime Girl's guidance the katana felt like a block of wood. My latent ability was enough to block, jamming the Yumicite blade between Stehy's gavel and my forehead.

Force built from Stehy's side, her smile gone, as the gavel pushed. Weight piled in on me, my arms failing against the exponetial force from the loli. The two of us plummeted to the forest below. Mana pulsed out from my hand. This Yumicite katana. It's pure mana, my mana. I'll through it. Spell, spell, I'm no longer as all over the place compared to... yesterday! So!

The forest rose closer below us, the gavel's force pushing in against my blocking katana.I silently invoked the spell that sapped the memories of my clothes. This time, I'll use it to to even the force. [Uiharu]. A flower hairband and an outline of a long skirt appeared around my katana.

Stehy's gavel stopped pushing in. The force didn't increase. However, the force of the gavel didn't decrease either. Stehy pulled back her hand, trying to free the gavel from it's place set against my katana. She grasped her hand holding the gavel, trying to pull her fingers loose. Then, she gave up, looking past me, towards the trees below.

「She's right。Anime Girl was right。」

I threw my back towards the tree branches, shielding Stehy's body. My eyes winched from the force. Red paint ejected from my throat. I dodged my head to one side being cautious. In the chaos as my body hit the forest floor, my thoughts of not covering Stehy in the red paint that comes out of this anime girl body superseded any other concerns.

I found it weird that my priorities were weird. But, since it's natural for my priorities to be off-kilter, despite the situation, I recovered fast. Standing up, I released [Uiharu], separating the gavel from my katana, backing off from Stehy with the blade raised.

Stehy stood there, swinging her gavel, testing her fingers as she tossed the gavel from hand to hand.

「You purposely took the impact of the fall upon your back。You had total control over my position in the air, I expected a body slam。You disappoint。」

"Of course? Yarko had blood come out of her body when we fought in the sewers, so maybe she can die, I guess, but Niji ripped out my heart and it just caused more mental damage than physical. If we were a dungeon party, I'm the perfect tank."

Stehy offered her palm to me, as if asking me to give her a treat.「Did you believe that the impact would have killed me? Even though I attacked you with no explanation, you covered for me? Didn't you think of me as an enemy, even once?」

My stance remained firm. First things first. "Even if you were my enemy, I trust you. I trust your justice. Your justice, it, no it has to be, my justice. You were created like Anime Girl was, a spell, and so as fabricated existence, you must embody that part of me."

I put the pieces together as I talked. Not like I was really sure of it until it came out of my mouth, my mouth's a much better thinker than I am.

"Niji is my evil, Yarko my chaos, Anime Girl is my— love, and Stehy is my justice."

「The way you said that makes me want to punish you。」

I laughed. "I feel embarrassed as well. It's that kind of situation, isn't it? Now, come on, if you want to continue, I'll play along until you're satisfied."

Is it bad I felt a little cool saying that line? It's bad. I'm in danger losing my sense of nor- no my normality never existed, so I'm safe.

But, Stehy's gavel disappeared. Aww.

「Were you actually getting hyped fighting a little girl?」

"Yep."

「My next move was to teleport you into a black hole, if I found you lacking。Expelling you would make my position even more difficult to maintain between Anime Girl and Yarko。And I have feeling the Wizard I know would pull something outrageous and insensible like always and become more troublesome if I bothered to continue testing you。It seems there is no punishment fit for you that I can carry out。As the embodiment of your justice, I am also your 'guilt', wouldn't you say? And so I know how strong your judgement of yourself is already。It needs no help from me。」

"It's painful to hear it out loud." I lowered my katana.

「Which means it's true, to an extent。The time has come。You asked which side I am on? Well, I have remained impartial。That is why at the clothing summit, I sided with Hohemi. That girl has a good head on her shoulders。」

I hid my disgust, fruitlessly, as I could tell Stehy noticed it, and I figured she already knew my feelings toward the girl who cut my hair as she sighed. Stehy swept a hand towards the sky above, far far above, the bottom the mansion of [Yume Nasai]. The glass elevator descended with Yuyuko inside, smaller than any anime girl figurine.

「For now, at least, I will perform my duty bestowed on me by Anime Girl. Anime Girl is feeds off your mind and mana, everything here already existed within you。This entire place is well within your control。To safeguard this fact, and in fear of losing her individuality and autonomy, Anime Girl created seven seals。To protect her existence from you... and I believe herself, as well。」

Stehy pointed to the ground below her. 「I am the guardian of the 1st seal。Anime Girl put me in charge of deciding whether to reveal the truth to you or not。It appears you've already discovered as much from your tutelage under Kirei。」

It's a little much to call our time together a 'tutelage'. "So? There are seven seals on [Yume Nasai]? If I break them, then I'll get full access to all my power?"

Stehy shook her head, brown twintails swishing from side to side. 「This entire place is within your control。The seals don't bind you。They bind Anime Girl, your spell, [Anime Girl]。The more seals you break, the more you will learn of [Anime Girl]。Your power remains the highest。Even if you are lacking control and confidence in your abilities, the truth doesn't change no matter how much time passes。」

Aaagh. I mean. I knew I was here to learn more about [Anime Girl]. The spell. I figured that was just a side quest I'd have to grind through to get to the main event, unleashing my power. Then, that's separate. Or is it? These two, I don't see how they are connected, but if I go deeper... I'll know something more. I know that.

「Tell me, how much of The Pactio have you heard from Yuyuko, Wizard?」

"The Pactio?"

Stehy laced her fingers together, wandering off towards the glass elevator through the trees.「Hmm。So, even Yuyuko has said nothing。I'll save it for another time。It is time to continue onto the first seal。I believe you will understand it better if you see it for yourself。」