Claire blinked her eyes at the girl, activating her .

[Name: Via Goodwill

Race: Beastman

Strength: C+

Speed: A+

Mana: B

Skills: Lover's Maws (Rising)

Overall: A]

'She's weaker than me,' She thought, 'What gives her so much confidence?'

In the first place, it was odd that a person could recover so quickly from Alicia's , much less not be affected in the least. As she stared at the grinning girl who had chains spinning around her, Claire wondered if she had already 'experienced death.'

A cough brought her attention to a smiling Clara.

"Why don't you two have a spar?" The receptionist said with a gleam in her eyes. In fact, Claire saw her face and recognized her expression as a stern 'Have a spar. Release a bit of my boredom. Would'ya?'

"A spar huh~?" A chain floated, grinding with the sound of metal, into the hand of the bunny-girl as she grasped it. She licked her lips, and looked to Claire as if savoring a meal, "If she's not a chicken, I'm in."

"How childish," Claire replied, yet still agreed, "I don't mind."

She did not mind in the least. To her, if someone wanted a bashing that badly, she had no problem giving in to their wish.

They were guided to one of the stone arenas. A bored Alicia sat at the side, dangling her foot off the edge of the structure with listlessness.

". . .you're quite carefree, don't you think your partner might lose to the 'Killer Bunny'?"

"Hmm?" Alicia tilted her head at a blonde-headed man. The male had a single sword at his hip, and wore a black military-uniform, with padded leather armor on his legs and arm and an iron chest plate supplementing his defense.

She stared at the arena for a moment, eyes looking up to Claire's back, then back at the man.

"She's too weak. Claire won't lose."

"Interesting. . ." The man stated, turning towards the arena.

Much like the rest of the adventurers and military men around, they all gawked at the two figures at either ends of the structure with anticipation. It took only a moment before a barrier of light covered the place, which also took a puzzled Alicia with it, and Clara's words fell.

"The first to three strikes on their opponent, immobilize them, knock them out, or make the other give up, wins. Although the Guild does having healers, please be careful either way."

Claire maintained a neutral state of mind as she stared at Via's smiling figure.

"Fight."

The voice fell and a leg pushed against the arena's ground. Via trailed the space, covering meters of distance with a few taps of her feet, golden against spinning around her.

Claire raised a hand.

A blue wave reached the air, morphing into spears of ice, and shooting forward in a blitz.

"Humph."

The bunny-girl scoffed. Her body moved, she dodged a spear that pierced the floor, then dodged another.

However—

The sound of crashing came and spears continued falling from the sky, smacking against the golden chains that flowed around her. In no time at all, she was forced to a stop.

"Damn mages."

She cursed, both hands reaching out and grasping respective chains. Their ends morphed into short swords as Claire raised a brow and she slashed.

A spear broke apart under that slash and she brought her hands up, cutting another vertically into two. She advanced, there was the grinding of metal as those chains that flowed around her rose into the air and flapped widely, tearing and ripping ice before they could reach her.

Claire tapped her foot. A layer of coldness washed over the arena's floor as white advance above it. In little time, her mana crossed the distance of ten meters and reached the foot of the girl.

Via tched as she glanced at her feet, watching as ice began to crawl over her feet. She bent her legs and leaped into the air.

"The power of a bunny huh. . ." Claire wondered in amazement, watching golden chains narrow her way, "I can play that game as well."

Chains of ice sprouted behind her back and followed the movements in the air, shooting forward and clashing, twisting, and entangling with the chains of the girl. In little time, the bunny came closer and raised that which was grasped in her hands, piercing down with a grin.

"Gotcha."

—Clank—

A katana met the two shortswords as Clara smiled.

Via frowned.

"Huh, so you're not just a mage?"

"Maybe, maybe not so. Your skill is a chain that can morph into blades, I presume? A glorified equipment box?"

"Tch. You haven't seen anything yet you Rare Ice Bitch."

"I believe I have."

"Huh?"

Shock covered the girl's face as the coldness seeped over her skin. In short notice, an ice cocoon had frozen her to the neck.

"What the fuck, since when—."

"When our swords clashed. You gave me a free, quick, ease of spread."

"Dammit."

The chains in the air had already been rendered mute with Claire's own ice creations. She looked up at the girl, azure eyes returning back to their natural crimson and spoke two simple words.

"You lost."

There was a crunch and Claire looked back to see the figure of Alicia grasping a golden chain behind her head. The vampire turned around and smiled at the bunny-girl with fangs gleaming.

"Your stench is strong," Alicia mouthed, her nose twitching.

The girl grinned back, "I like you already."

". . .?"

———

The expedition was to start in the afternoon, the next day, meeting at the Guild. Claire and Alicia found themselves in the House floor of the Crystal Tower.

The Ice Queen took off her clothing, along with Alicia's, and twisted a nub. However, in a moment, her expression froze.

". . .are you? Are you still here, Ghost-Mentor-That-Has-Taught-Me-Nothing?"

Alicia tilted her head behind her.

[Of course.]

"Can I turn you off?"

[My disciple is truly foolish sometimes. . .]

"What?"

[Although you haven't conquered all the floors yet, the Crystal Tower belongs to you. Me being a remnant soul tied to it, if you wish, I can be disallowed from speaking to you or peeking at your daily goings unless you specifically call for me or an emergency occurs.]

". . .how would I have known that?"

[Beats me.]

She willed him shut and opened the door. There was a light and the two girls opened their eyes to the sight of a large bathhouse. Steam filled the crystal place and there was a pool of glittering water that continued to endlessly filter out of an eagle-head statue's beak.

It was safe to say, it was very modern.

Soap bubbles on golden hair as Claire ran a hand through it. Alicia sat in front of her, humming a merry tune with a plastered grin of contentment. To the vampire, this moment was perfection, relaxing with her favorite person.

When their bath finished, and Claire stared inquisitorially at two white boxes, she couldn't help but question the place.

'Isn't this a washing machine and dryer?' She tilted her head and called out to that Remnant soul.

"This friend of yours, Fren you said?" Her memory was good, "Could he, perhaps, have arrived from another world? Or visited one?"

[Hmm. My memories are murky, but Fren did talk and blabber a lot about the strangest of things. From mechanical contraptions that walked the roads to those that soared the skies. Hump hump, if only we had such things.]

"Interesting."

'There's most likely a way to cross between here and Earth.'