[Strike Witches] Witches of Aurora Novel Adaptation

The Witches and the Complex (part 3)

(Adapted from the chapter Nipa and Hasse (Part 3), from the manga series Witches of Aurora by Kyougoku Shin.)

"Lapra! How long till you can deploy your shield again?" Nipa asked Laura on the radio.

"Ten...no, give me five minutes."

"Got it. In the meantime, focus on giving orders from the sidelines."

"Illu, can you go wild and draw the enemy's attention? I want to avoid getting caught in the line of fire."

"Aye, ma'ma."

"Also, please ask everyone who's exhausted to regroup near my location. Shift to a defensive formation, now!"

Nikka Edvardine Katajanen methodically arranged every cog of this unit, showing her unwonted leadership. Everyone was surprised at how she was so different from the whiny child she usually was, the whiny child who always pouted and said "I can do it on my own!"

"I will protect everyone!" said Nipa, half to all her comrades, half to herself. Her firm, determined voice echoed in the air of Suomus and everyone's communicator, vibrating their eardrums.

Nipa continued giving orders, "All of you, stay close and watch each other's backs! We'll hold this position until Lapra recovers. Leave the attack to Illu. Our job will be to divert the enemy's attention. Don't push yourselves."

"It's like we're seeing a completely different person..." exclaimed a girl with blonde braids. She was the newbie witch who once remarked that Nipa and Hasse were so dissimilar despite their close resemblance. Another witch beside her nodded her agreement.

"!" No lapse of concentration was allowed in battle time. When the newbie witch was paying all her attention to Nipa, a Neuroi made a dash for her before she ever noticed it. Next second a familiar figure already got in front of her and put up a shield, successfully protecting her. It was none other than Nipa.

"Do it! Fire!" Nipa demanded, still keeping the shield up.

"Al...alright!" The newbie witch, barely recovered from shock, raised her gun and took aim then fired.

"You alright?"

"Yes, somehow..." she felt quite embarrassed from being saved by someone whom she once laughed at.

Again, Nipa shouted, "I'll shield you from their attacks! Don't lose your focus!"

Somewhere on the edge of the battlefield, Laura was watching the ongoing battle while she was taking her must-needed rest. The longer she observed Nipa's fighting style, the more worried she grew. Nipa had been keeping her shield working at maximum power, and she was making use of the BF-109 so well that any gap which appeared in their formation were closed in an instant, but she would run out of magic very soon if she kept going on like that.

Wasting no time, Laura turned on her communicator, "Don't, Nipa! You're overworking yourself! You'll not last long with that kind of fighting!"

"It's alright, Lapra. Don't worry." Across the communicator came Nipa's reassuring voice.

"But—" When she wanted to argue, Laura was interrupted by a voice which was not very high-pitched but possessed a laid-back, high-spirited nature.

"This is something only Nipa can do. It's her natural style!" Seeing Nipa finally find her place, Eila just couldn't be happier.

With her both arms stretching forwards to keep the shield in the hope of offering her comrades the strongest protection, Nipa's mind wandered back to earlier...