Shiro ka kuro kongaragatte gray
Itsudatte aimai na mama de
Tayorinaku aruku tonari de hohoenderu kimi
Akogare wa tashika da toshite
Hateshinaku tooku mabushii
Chippokena kono genjou Abracada-Boo mahou kakete yo
Kimi no hitomi no yami ni kakushita
Samishisa wa yasashii uta de dakishimeteitai no ni
Sekaijuu ga uso datte sawagihajimetatte
Kimi ga kimi naraba
Kirameku kaze o makiokoshi shinjitsu o sakebu
Sekaijuu ga tsumi datte togameta toshitatte
Tatta hitori demo
Kimi o rikai shi tsuzuketai
I'm on your side mamotte ageru
Good morning.
A DRAGONRIDER'S BEATING HEART
Morning.
Alto, what is this? It's so sweet and delicious!
Really? It's just a crepe. Is this your first time trying one?
Uh-huh!
We didn't have these kinds of desserts back in my day!
That's right. The present day
is hundreds of years into the future for Vermeil.
C'mon, buy me another!
Sure, but you'll gain weight if you eat too many.
Is that true?!
Hundreds of years...
I really don't know much about Vermeil, do I?
Um, Vermeil?
Wow!
Look! There's Chris!
Are those the same Dragonriders?
Oh, yeah. That Rex guy was part of them.
Yes! Their little club of enthusiasts.
Shh, don't provoke them again!
Enough about them. You were about to say something.
Oh, uh...
N-no, it's nothing.
Next time we're out, I'll get you
a chocolate-banana crepe.
Splendid! I've never had one of those before!
Huh?
It'd be no fair if I'm the only one enjoying this.
Especially when it's so delicious! Try it.
I-it's so sweet.
Isn't it?!
Yes! Chris is captain of the Dragonriders.
The Dragonriders? That Rex guy
was one of them, wasn't he?
We haven't had very good experiences with them.
Can't say I know what you mean,
but Captain Chris is pretty incredible!
She founded the Dragonriders,
and she's led them to a position of power here!
I hear the Royal Air Force is scouting her out!
But that's not all!
She's one of only seven Gold Squares at the Academy!
AND she's an executive officer on the Student Council!
Whoa, really?!
People like her are proof that you can be blessed
with a wealth of talent!
Just like me!
If she's a Gold Square, she must be of incredible talent.
Incredible doesn't even begin to cover it!
So you really CAN earn Gold while you're still a student!
What?
Our Student Council members
are the top students at the Academy.
And Marx just said there are only
seven Gold Squares at the academy.
Five of them are executive officers
on the Student Council.
Those offers are chosen from different committees or
clubs to form the highest-ranking body at the Academy.
People say not even our professors can touch them.
And the Student Council President
is close to earning Platinum, too.
I wish that could be me...
Really? That wouldn't be hard for you to achieve.
S-stop! I can't breathe!
Hey! We're in public!
So you don't mind if we're doing it behind closed doors?
Don't twist the issue!
I have no idea what you mean to say, then.
This is just business as usual...
Ugh! I hate her so much!
She's got ulterior motives, I know it!
Ulterior motives? Like what?
You know what! It's weird that his familiar
is some random human!
Whoa, you're wearing some pretty crazy stuff
under your uniform.
And you must've heard her attack, right?
She took out that cerberus with one hit.
I don't think even a Gold Square could do that.
Indeed. It's difficult to believe
a novice could accomplish that.
Right? She's absolutely hiding something.
From us, AND Alto.
Just you watch. I'll expose her for the fraud she is!
You know, you must really like Alto, Lilia.
Huh?!
Am I wrong?
No! You're, you're not wrong!
We've just known each other for so long,
of COURSE I'm worried about him!
I see. In that case, you may want to hurry.
Huh?
The longer you know someone...
...the more troublesome your feelings can become.
Hold on, where is that harlot?!
Wh-what...
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
Please! I TOLD you to wait outside!
Huh? I tried to change in the hall,
but I got chastised for it.
And that was a changing room, was it not?
Yeah, the BOYS changing room, you moron!
I can't believe how jealous I am...
I mean, I can't believe you did that!
Besides, Alto was just changing clothes!
Even I would want a peek at that!
Never mind!
A-a-a-a-anyway! You should keep
your lascivious familiar locked in your room!
You should be ashamed of yourself! Ashamed!
We don't want to stand out
and draw the eye of the Student Council,
especially after that fight the other day.
Oh, those "powerful" students? I'll just send them flying.
Then, you'll be a Gold Square in no time!
Did you hear a single word I just said?
Could the two of you please get it together?
I'd like to have a normal, peaceful life here...
I-it's the Student Council!
Goodness. We're 6 minutes and 52 seconds late
thanks to a certain someone.
Have you anything to say?
You talking about me? What was I supposed to do,
skip feeding time altogether?
You observed the trial
for the second-year representative, right?
Do any of them have dragons?
Enough idle chatter. We're still on the job.
Who's THAT woman?
I'd never seen the Student Council
in the flesh before. They all looked so cool.
I'd agree. They're certainly on another level.
Right?
Whoa, whoa, Vermeil?!
Wh-what are you...?
I noticed this earlier, but goodness.
You're quite built.
Vermeil, your... They're touching...
What of it? You want to rise above
those Council members, yes?
H-huh?! I mean... one day!
But what does that have to do with this?
Everything.
I'm your familiar. I give you strength.
So use me however you like.
Don't worry. I'll make your dreams come true.
Bro!
I see.
Long story short, you lost a duel to an underclassman,
one who doesn't even have a familiar.
N-no! It wasn't a duel, it was just a regular fight!
And he had a familiar! Some human woman!
A human woman?
This underclassman's piqued my interest.
You were quick to make your incompetence known.
You bitch...
Don't glare at me like that.
You BEGGED me to let you join the Dragonriders.
But sadly, it seems your "dragon" was just a big lizard.
You little...
You've sullied my shoe.
Lick it clean.
Do enough chores for us and I might let you back in.
She was right about you guys.
What?
You're just a club full of braggarts.
Screw chores. I quit.
B-Bro! Are you all right?!
Alto Goldfield...
What an interesting little boy you must be.
Why're you guys here?
We heard you were carried to the infirmary...
How'd you get hurt like that?
You didn't need to do that...
I'm not that hurt. Just got into a scuffle with some bitch.
A-a scuffle? What did you do to get hurt like this?
What did HE do?
It's all my fault! And now, Bro's not in the Dragonriders!
Hey, underclassman. How do you feel about dinosaurs?
H-how do I feel about them?
Uh, they're big, kinda scary,
but really cool! That's how I feel.
Get outta here. It ain't your fault I'm in here.
Hey, Alto! Don't you remember
what you keep saying to Vermeil?!
You heard him, too! You don't need
to pick a fight with anyone!
Thanks, Lilia, but...
You're really challenging me
to a duel, Second-Year Alto?
You do understand the situation
you're putting yourself in, right?
Now's your time to back out.
I see. This must be why Rex lost.
Very well, then.
I respect your courage.
But you need to learn not to disrespect authority...
...so I'll beat that into you!
Summon!
CAPTAIN OF THE DRAGONRIDERS
CHRIS WESTLAND
FAMILIAR
WHIRLWIND
Vermeil!
Let's go.
Golden mana?
I'm going to fight with everything I have!
This will be fun.
B-Bro!
Y-you gotta see this!
Hey, pipe down. We gotta be quiet in here.
Who cares about being quiet?!
You know what Alto is doing?!
What?
Interesting. You're quite powerful for a second year.
That was powerful!
Vermeil! A-are you all right?!
I'm fine.
Goodness, you're truly going all-out
against an underclassman?
"All-out"? Don't be ridiculous.
A lion would go all-out to hunt a rabbit, but not a dragon.
This here...
...is a punishment!
Vermeil took damage?!
Dammit! I need to do something!
His mana levels, formulaic execution,
and cast speed are all laudable for a student of his year.
But that's not what startles me.
It's this. You took my fire attack
head-on with no protection.
You're no typical mage, are you?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Alto, I'm going to give you everything I have.
We're going to settle this, right here and now!
R-right!
Yes! There's no way she could counter that!
We did it!
You're right. I wouldn't have been able
to counter those crystals.
But you may not have wanted
to let me mount my dragon.
Whoa, watch out, there.
She dodged it in mid-air? How did she turn
that tight on a dragon? They're so hard to control!
Now you're trapped like a rat.
Fitting metaphor as I watch you scurry about.
This is your last chance. Get down and beg for your life.
Do that, and I'll let you off
with a trip to the infirmary, just like Rex.
Why?
Why do you look down on everyone?!
That's a silly question.
You must know why everyone
is so afraid of dragons, right?
Is it their stone-crushing teeth?
Or their iron-slicing claws?
Or perhaps their earth-scorching breath?
No!
It's their wings! Their ability to fly through
the heavens gives them their status!
The sky is mine! All you insects
crawling on the ground are beneath me!
There she goes again.
She was like that with my cerberus, too.
You sure you don't wanna see this to the end?
The duel's already finished.
There's no coming back from that.
All right, we'll see...
Vermeil, I'll put up a shield!
No!
B-but...
I'll be fine! You just build up enough mana!
I'm going to send that moron flying with a single hit!
See? You can't fight me
when I control the field from above!
Why do I look down on everyone?
Because THIS is how high up I stand!
A familiar is the measure of a mage's power!
Powerful mages have familiars fitting of their standing!
Talentless weaklings have pitiful insects
as their familiars!
Rex's familiar was a gigantic lizard who couldn't even fly!
Why wouldn't I look down on the both of them?!
Hey, underclassman. How do you feel about dinosaurs?
Uh, they're big, kinda scary,
but really cool! That's how I feel.
You're wrong!
A familiar is your precious companion!
That goes for everyone!
Then beat me and prove it!
You challenged me to this duel!
I gave you a chance to back down!
Duels are how you convey your beliefs
through magical prowess when words aren't enough!
So come at me, Second-Year Alto!
I, Chris Westland, will crush you
and your weak little beliefs!
Well, she's not wrong.
Fine, then, we'll prove it to her.
You and I will crush her beliefs to dust.
Impossible. They still had this much mana left?
After casting all those spells?
Golden mana and a human familiar...
How very interesting!
GO!
Does it get easier with time for the immortal?
If I was born normal, if I become normal, can I stay close?
With the children, we link our arms
Make a circle and sing a song
Knowing there was no chair for me all along
You locked me into the dark, I'm your preserved flower
The world is too slow to understand
Not all blossoms spark, And spikes may be sharp
They only want to see the beautiful parts
Sitting in a shower of scarlet rain
It all used to be ours, I'm counting the hours
Hours that stood between us like a river
Once I crawled through the water
All I ever knew have become distant past