Chapter 6 [Request from America]
July 5th, 4:30 P.M. Izu, in the director's office of the Industrial Magic Academy.
In this room that he uses as his office, Tatsuya was now facing a man and a woman.
The man is Tookami Ryousuke. He is a member of FEHR, a magician human rights organization that is based in Vancouver, USNA, and is an employee of the Magian Company.
The woman is Lena Fehr. She is the representative of FEHR and has a peculiar constitution, appearing to be a beautiful girl who looks to be around 16 years old, but is actually 30 years old.
It's worth noting that Lena's physical body isn't present. Although this Lena appears virtually indistinguishable from her physical body — indistinguishable unless you have "eyes" such as Tatsuya's — the one before them is an astral body, and she herself is in Vancouver. She has all but sent her consciousness across the Pacific Ocean by astral projection.
More precisely, she made a visible Psion Information Body by creating a copy of the Eidos of her physical body, and then possessed it with her consciousness.
"…Stone tablets excavated from a cave, you say?"
[Yes. We can confirm at least two types: black stone tablets and white stone tablets. Of those, FAIR has taken a black stone tablet. As for the white stone tablet, while we took it away from them, they seem to have successively dug up several more of the same type.]
Lena's astral body described to Tatsuya the clash between FEHR and FAIR over the stone tablet that took place on Mt. Shasta and the details that followed.
"Are those stone tablets relics of some kind?"
[The white stone tablet that we secured, which is now in police custody, wasn't a Relic in the sense that it exhibited any magical power. But there's no doubt it was a magical artifact.]
"And your basis for that is?"
[When I poured achromatic Psions into the white stone tablet, a number of curved traces appeared on the surface forming a pattern.]
Achromatic Psions refers to a homogeneous flow of Psions that have not been imparted with any shape or properties, and not even a wave pattern for that matter. Metaphorically speaking, it could be described as the image of a mirror-like surface of a lake with flowing still water. Of course, it's not something that occurs naturally, and it takes a very sophisticated Psion control technique to produce achromatic Psions.
[In my opinion, I think it is a map.]
At Lena's words, Tatsuya made no attempt to hide his curiosity.
"A map… like to the location of another Relic burial site?"
[I thought of that possibility too… however, I believe it leads to an even more preposterous place.]
"A place that contains buried objects that, if discovered, would cause great damage to modern society?"
[Or a place with objects that, if discovered, would be a great boon to mankind.]
"I see."
Tatsuya did not dismiss Lena's notions as tenuous.
"A stone tablet that appears to be a map of some sort is interesting, but I'm more concerned about the black stone tablet that FAIR took with them."
[I'm of the same mind. I have a feeling that the black stone tablet leads to an even bigger threat.]
Lena's (astral body) shivered.
Tatsuya watched her attentively as she did so.
"—Was that a precognition?"
[Oh…? No, no.]
Lena, who was taken by surprise, froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head from side to side.
[I don't have any precognitive abilities. It's just my impression.]
Tatsuya thought that it could have been precognition, but he didn't say it.
"…Miss Fehr. I understand your concern. So, what exactly do you want from me?"
Lena hesitated for a moment, then she turned to Tatsuya with a determined look on her face, as if — to make use of a Japanese idiom — she had made up her mind to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu.15
[Mr. Shiba. I'm aware it's a stretch to ask… but could you please come to the States, not to Hawaii, but to the West Coast on the mainland?]
"To the American mainland…? I can't give you an immediate answer."
Contrary to Lena's expectations, Tatsuya did not dismiss Lena's request with an immediate "No."
To tell the truth, it isn't as difficult as one would believe for Tatsuya to visit the USNA mainland. The Japanese government is powerless to stop Tatsuya. Or, rather, they have the jurisdiction but not the pretext to do so. The self-restraint imposed upon magicians from leaving the country has been greatly diminished, if not eliminated, by Mayumi's visit to the United States.
On the other hand, it is an open secret among defense and diplomatic officials that the USNA government has sought to bring Tatsuya into their country in cooperation over the Stellar Reactor technology. The high-ranking USNA officials understand that regardless of whether or not Tatsuya is in Japan or America, it makes no difference in the threat that he poses. The Pentagon knows that Tatsuya is able to bomb anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.
If anything, there are a considerable number of officials in the USNA government who believe that Tatsuya's power would actually pose less of a threat if he were in America where he would be under their jurisdiction. If Tatsuya sought to enter their country, it is more than likely that he would eventually, despite the objections of some, be allowed to do so.
"However, if I notice any signs that what they are doing can harm the stability of the world, then as you have asked, Miss Fehr, I'll gladly oblige you and get rid of the problem."
[—Thank you, your words are very reassuring.]
Lena cast her eyes downward, placing her hands on her chest with a calm expression. It was a gesture that showed as if she was taking to heart what Tatsuya said. That is at least how it appeared to Ryousuke.
Ryousuke couldn't help but feel jealous of Tatsuya for this.
◇ ◇ ◇
Tatsuya didn't make any empty promises to Lena.
"…Tatsuya-sama, is there something on your mind?"
That night, he had been seriously considering Lena's offer to the extent that Miyuki had asked him this question while at their home in Chofu.
"Miyuki, can I ask for your opinion on something? I have something that I would like to think about together."
He did not hesitate to ask Miyuki for her advice.
"Of course, what is it?"
Miyuki brought Tatsuya iced herbal tea as he pondered in the living room, she set the glass teacups on the low table and sat down opposite him, with her apron still on.
"I had a visit from Lena Fehr at the Industrial Magic Academy earlier this evening."
"From FEHR?! …Did she use Astral Projection?"
Despite her unconcealed surprise, Miyuki immediately grasped what took place. Miyuki immediately thought back to what Tatsuya had told her about Lena and how she visited Ryousuke in her astral body during the incident in Itoigawa involving the theft by the New Humanity Front.
"That's right. It was quite impressive, virtually indistinguishable from a flesh-and-blood body."
"FEHR's "Saint," huh. …She is not someone to be taken lightly, I see."
"Saint" is a nickname that was given to Lena. She is called "Milady" within the organization, but is often referred to as "Saint Lena" by her outside supporters.
This probably stems from the fact that the Mental-Interference Type Magic, [Euphoria], which she excels at, can cause people to forget their melancholy, thereby removing any pain and sorrow from their hearts. Some people find this temporary solace a "salvation," even if it is ephemeral.
The name "Lena Fehr" is also a pseudonym, for that matter. Or, maybe more of a stage name. It's not a business name, as she uses "Lena Fehr" in her private life as well. Her real name, which she seldom uses herself anymore, is "Lena Chevalley."
"She asked me to visit the United States."
"Tatsuya-sama, she wants you to visit America? What kind of business does she want with you?"
Tatsuya then shared with Miyuki the dispute over the stone tablets unearthed on Mt. Shasta.
"I see. Tookami-san did such a thing while in America…"
Miyuki wasn't blaming Ryousuke in particular for neglecting the task given to him by Tatsuya to be escorting Mayumi around.
"Lena Fehr apparently had an ominous premonition about the stone tablet that is in FAIR's possession."
"I do understand that there is a chance that something bad might happen…"
Miyuki tilted her head doubtfully.
"Tatsuya-sama, what is she trying to accomplish by inviting you to America? I just can't understand why she would ask Tatsuya-sama for help when she doesn't even know for sure what is going to happen."
"And that's just a hunch too, I suppose. That she will need my help to resolve the situation."
"…Isn't that pretty much a precognition?"
"I think so, too."
A brief silence fell in the living room.
"…Tatsuya-sama, how may I help you?"
"We can't take action since an incident hasn't occurred yet, and we don't have the luxury of waiting for something to happen either."
"So, you plan to take action once an incident has occurred?"
Miyuki did not misunderstand Tatsuya's answer. She read his reasoning correctly, even the omitted details.
"All I was thinking about was how to get to the United States."
Tatsuya also moved on, his expression suggesting that she was on point.
"Why don't you leave the country like how Saegusa-senpai did, would that be possible?"
"It's not impossible, but I don't want to impose too much."
There is no way that Tatsuya could be stopped from visiting the United States through regular means. But there would be interference. And it could result in the loss of time, which can't be ignored.
Considering this, Tatsuya concluded that even if it might be against the law, it would be more viable for him to sneak out of the country.
◇ ◇ ◇
Wednesday, July 7th, 2100 A.D.
Despite it being a weekday, Tatsuya wasn't at his office or the university.
He's been at the Yotsuba Main House since early this morning.
"What's wrong? It's unusual for you to come here without being invited."
Maya said this to Tatsuya, when he came to greet her, with a mixture of surprise and teasing.
Tatsuya shrugged off the teasing and went on to talk about Lena's visit.
"Black and white stone tablets… That's a very interesting story you have there."
"She believes them to be magical artifacts."
"A new kind of Relic, then?"
"I can't draw any conclusions without access to the objects in question, but from her description, I'd say they're artifacts of a different nature than Relics."
"There is a white one at the police station, isn't there?"
"It wouldn't be impossible to acquire it, but…"
"Yes. Let's make that a last resort."
Neither of their expressions seemed to indicate that "stealing from the police" would be a difficult task.
"So, what reason brings you here today? You didn't really come here simply to report to me, did you?"
"I deemed a report necessary."
"And?"
"I would also like to see how the research on [Kimon Tonkou]16 is progressing."
"Sure, that's fine."
Ever since the trouble they went through in tracking down Zhou Gongjin, the Yotsuba Family has been conducting research on [Kimon Tonkou]. The research on it has mainly been about how to defeat [Kimon Tonkou], but they are simultaneously developing a technique to achieve the same effect through Modern Magic.
"Yuuka-san should be in the laboratory as always."
At the forefront of this research is Tsukuba Yuuka, the next head of the Tsukuba Family, one of the Yotsuba branch families. The Tsukuba Family has a high aptitude for Mental-Interference Type Magic, and Yuuka who is particularly well suited for this, has been living up to her title as the next head of a branch family.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Tatsuya stood up, bowed not only to Maya but also to Hayama standing behind her, and left the room.
To his misfortune, Tatsuya didn't have the chance to see Yuuka straight away.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
It was only after 30 minutes of waiting in the coffee room of the research facility, set in a separate building from the main house, that Yuuka finally showed up.
"No, it's my fault since I suddenly showed up unannounced."
Answering Yuuka, Tatsuya told the other researchers present that he would be leaving the room.
The researchers seemed to be sad and frustrated to have Tatsuya leaving the table.
As they walked together toward the exit of the coffee room, Yuuka smiled at Tatsuya.
"You're quite popular, Tatsuya-san."
"I feel the same, for me, discussing with the researchers here is much more productive than at the university."
"Please, spare me a few, okay? It has been a headache for me lately that so many of the research staff want to transfer to Miyaki-shima."17
As a figure of authority among the branch families, Yuuka is responsible for part of the management of the research facilities in this "village." While the research institute has a horizontal organizational structure with no specific title, in terms of position, Yuuka is the No 2 in terms of authority after Butler Kurebayashi, who oversees the coordination of these facilities.
"It isn't like I'm trying to recruit them, you know."
"Well, yeah, I know."
Yuuka understands the situation. She knows that the researchers simply want to work with Tatsuya out of sheer academic curiosity. Even so, in her expression, she couldn't hold back her frustration or rather, she didn't want to.
"Oh, by the way, I heard you've decided to get married."
"Huh!?"
Yuuka faltered on the spot with Tatsuya's surprise attack.
"My congratulations."
"Ah, ha ha ha… Well, you know, I'll be turning 26 this year."
Yuuka's eyes darted around as she feigned a laugh. It was clear the topic was uncomfortable for her. She seemed done with the topic from her exasperated expression, hinting at how insistently those around her must have been pressuring her about marriage.
—Aware of that, Tatsuya still brought up the topic.
Yuuka hastened her pace. Of course, not so fast that Tatsuya could not keep up with her.
Once in her own laboratory, Yuuka immediately asked Tatsuya what his business was. As if suggesting that the topic of her marriage should not be rehashed.
"Yuuka-san, how far have you been able to reproduce [Kimon Tonkou]?"
Tatsuya was also not there to make small talk, so he cut right to the chase.
"Oh, that."
Yuuka frowned to the point of her eyebrows nearly meeting.
"There's no point in pretending, I'll be honest with you. At the moment, there is no hope of reproducing it."
"Is that so…"
"Kudou Minoru did give us some know-how, but the method behind its process is just too different from Modern Magic."
Minoru is much like a family member to Tatsuya's inner circle, but for the Yotsuba Family as a whole, he is regarded as a "former adversary." This is especially true for magists who specialize in Mental-Interference Type Magic, such as Yuuka, since they tend to be distant towards Minoru. Even Fumiya's unfriendly attitude towards Minoru may be due not only to the fact that they are rivals of the same gender and the same age, but also because, as with Yuuka, he is a magister who specializes in Mental-Interference Type Magic. As for Miyuki, since she does not have such a contentious tendency, it means that such a thing does not hold true for everyone.
"But it is possible to develop a magic with similar effects. Though it'll be completely different from that of [Kimon Tonkou].
"That's great."
Tatsuya commended with open arms.
Developing a new magic is worth it in itself. Even more so, if it means creating a magic that has effects that have never existed before in Modern Magic. It could be said to be a greater accomplishment than simply adapting Ancient Magic into Modern Magic. In both academic and practical terms.
If Yuuka was elated by Tatsuya's praise, she didn't show.
"…I appreciate the praise, but it's not finished yet. To be more accurate, I feel like we're a step away from being able to develop it."
"May I see the data?"
"Of course. Just give me a moment."
Moving from the long desk where she was facing Tatsuya over to a desk by the wall, Yuuka returned with a notebook-type terminal.
It was a dual-screen device with a touch display and a touch console. Yuuka ran her fingers over the console screen. Immediately thereafter, a mathematical expression mixed with alphabets and symbols appeared on the display, which until then had been a white geometric pattern wallpaper. It's the data representing the structure of a Magic Sequence. When processed, it would become an Activation Sequence.
Tatsuya placed his hand on the display and scrolled through the mathematical expression. The speed at which he was scrolling through was quite fast, but Yuuka wasn't shocked nor surprised by this. She understood that Tatsuya was fully capable of this level of processing.
"…Does this magic have a name?"
"Huh? …No. It is not even finished yet."
"Please think of a name. I think I know where you are stuck."
The act of naming it is like claiming a patent on the magic. Unfortunately, there is no system in place to register or claim royalties, but one could at least indulge their desire for any honor by doing so.
"No, I don't want to. I told you, It is not even finished yet. I also don't want to take credit for someone else's work."
When Tatsuya requested for Yuuka to name it, he meant, "I will complete this magic myself, and you will be registered as the developer." With a perfect understanding of this, Yuuka asserted her pride as a researcher.
"If so, then how about we come up with a name for it together after it is successfully completed?"
Tatsuya could understand this kind of pride. Therefore, he offered a compromise.
"…Well, then."
"I'll mess around with it a little bit. I think I'll be able to come up with something in three or four days."
"Why don't you just take it back to Tokyo or Miyaki-shima? I haven't made any progress in a while anyway."
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah. Right now I'm focused on a way to defeat [Kimon Tonkou]. It will probably take another month or two, and I was planning to suspend development of the new magic for the time being. So, Tatsuya-san, if you want to take it over, that's fine with me."
"Then, I'll take you up on it."
"Okay, just hold on a moment, I'll put it on a card for you right now."
Yuuka returned to the desk again, this time operating the console furnished there.
After about ten seconds, a card-shaped storage device popped halfway out from the edge of the desk. Yuuka pulled it out, and put it in a case, and handed it to Tatsuya.
"I'll take care of it."
Tatsuya slipped the case containing the card-shaped storage device into the inside pocket of his summer jacket and left the research institute.
◇ ◇ ◇
From the day after his visit to the Yotsuba Main House, Tatsuya devoted himself to the development of the new magic at the laboratory on Miyaki-shima. It was a rare occurrence, but he literally forgot to eat and sleep as he worked on it.
More than a full day had passed, shortly before noon on July 9th, when he was struck by inspiration.
[Excuse me, Tatsuya-sama.]
Hanabishi Hyogo, his personal butler, spoke apologetically over the extension line.
"Did something happen?"
He had been instructed to only contact him in case of an urgent matter.
[Yes.]
A trace of unusual apprehension could be heard in Hyougo's voice.
Sensing that it was genuinely an "urgent matter," Tatsuya switched gears.
[Sir, Jeffrey James-sama of the USNA has contacted us and urgently needs to see you.]
Jeffrey James is the secretary to Liam Spencer, the USNA Secretary of Defense, the leading candidate in the next presidential race. He has made numerous visits to Miyaki-shima to meet Tatsuya as Spencer's liaison.
"Is he on the line right now?"
[Yes.]
"Tell him I'll be five minutes."
[Understood.]
At once, Tatsuya hung up the call through the extension line and hurriedly checked his appearance.
He then went to the conference room and dialed Hyougo on the videophone. Four minutes and fifty seconds had passed since he hung up the call.
"Please connect us."
On the display, Hyougo bowed, and then it was replaced by the face of a friendly-looking caucasian man.
"JJ, it's been almost a month."
Tatsuya addressed Jeffrey James by "JJ," at his own request. He asked so three years ago, when they first met, and Tatsuya has since then used the nickname without qualms.
[Yes, Tatsuya. It's been a while.]
"I was told this is an urgent matter, where would you like us to meet?"
Tatsuya wasn't going to ask him about the matter over the phone. This is why he asked, "where would you like us to meet." He knew It must be a request, a consultation, a complaint, or about something else that cannot be discussed over the phone. It would be a waste of time for him to ask if it could be discussed over the phone instead of meeting in person.
[Actually, I'm about a hundred and twenty miles from… uh, I mean, about two hundred kilometers east of you, out at sea.]
"…Are you aboard the aircraft carrier?"
[That's right. I see you're well informed.]
Tatsuya knew from the news that the USNA Navy's massive aircraft carrier, the [Independence], was coming to the Western Pacific for a joint training exercise with Japan.
Being Spencer's secretary and with the presidential election on the horizon, JJ certainly is a busy man. It is quite unlikely that he boarded the aircraft carrier from Hawaii. It is most likely the case that he was flown aboard a small-sized transport plane to the warship in the Pacific Ocean.
[So, if you have the time to spare, I'd appreciate it if you could come over here.]
"Right now? It must be about something quite urgent."
[The matter I would like to consult about with you is quite urgent.]
He says it's a consultation, but from the sound of this call, it's probably a favor. And it sounds like it is a tricky one at that.
"Okay, I understand. I'll be waiting for you."
The Secretary of Defense's staff appeared to be at their wits' end. If he were to leave things as is, then there is no denying the possibility of it blowing up and spiraling out of control. With this in mind, Tatsuya accepted having JJ visit him to meet up.
Due to the technical exchange regarding the Stellar Reactor, the staff on Miyaki-shima are accustomed to receiving American visitors. Notably, JJ, for one, is a frequent visitor to Miyaki-shima for short stays.
Given the technical exchange program regarding the Stellar Reactor, the staff at Miyaki-shima is accustomed to receiving american visitors. JJ, in particular, frequently visits and stays for short periods of time. Nowadays, the airport staff no longer feel overly nervous about welcoming him.
Today, however, the airport staff were a bit nervous about JJ's tense mood when he landed at the northeast airport, which is exclusively used by members of the Yotsuba Family, instead of the southeast airport that is open to the public. At this point, all of them, except for Tatsuya, shared the same feeling that the situation is different from usual.
Guided to the reception room by Tatsuya, where they sat opposite each other, JJ exchanged a few brief words of greeting, and then immediately began to address his business there.
"Actually, there have been a series of mysterious incidents in Oakland, a city on the West Coast, where a number of people have suddenly lost the ability to speak."
"Lost the ability to speak? Are their tongues and throats paralyzed?"
Tatsuya first suspected that it could be due to the effects of a toxic gas.
"No. The reports from third parties indicate that they can pronounce normally. Rather, the phenomenon is that a person who was speaking normally before has now suddenly lost the ability to make sense of words."
"Is it something causing brain dysfunction?"
"It's certainly similar to the symptoms of Wernicke's aphasia."
Wernicke's aphasia is a form of speech impairment caused by damage to one of the language centers of the cerebrum18 called Wernicke's area19, resulting in the difficulty in grasping the meaning of words. Not only is the affected individual less able to comprehend others' speech, but they themselves also have difficulty articulating meaningful sentences. They are able to correctly pronounce the words themselves, but are sometimes unable to adopt the right ones and make correct use of them, resulting in often disjointed sentences. This affects not only speech, but also the ability to read and write.
"—However, no matter how many tests we ran, we could not find any abnormality in the cerebrum. If that wasn't enough, there have been cases of symptoms being reflected in others with a time lag of a few hours to about a day."
"Is there a possibility that it's an illness caused by an unknown virus?"
"We conducted thorough examinations and found nothing but known viruses."
Tatsuya expected this answer. With such an outbreak of an illness, the logical course of action would be to conduct a thorough virological examination.
"Besides, the patients — we are calling them 'patients' for now — have not been appearing in any specific spot, and there have been no cases of simultaneous outbreaks in areas near ground zero where the outbreak occurred."
"So the aphasia is not the result of toxic gasses or viruses, then."
"That's what we believe."
Indeed, it certainly is a puzzling case.
"…If you're coming to consult with me, you must suspect that this phenomenon may have been caused by magic, right?"
"Yes. We suspect that it may have been an act of terrorism using magic."
This was a far more serious matter than Tatsuya assumed prior to this meeting.
A terrorist act using magic.
Even if it ends up being a false accusation, it's easily a catalyst for a "witch-hunt". A "witch-hunt" that could be perpetuated not only by extremists such as the "Humanists," but also by institutions with political power.
If true, there is a danger of war between those who possess the gift of magic20 and those who don't possess the gift of magic.21 Rather, if it were to come to that, not only would it be Magians vs. the Majority, but a blood feud could break out between fellow Magians.
Whether it be a false accusation or the truth, it's something that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
"Tatsuya. Could you travel to the West Coast?"
"To your country, is that right…?"
"We would like for you to come and see the site as well as the patients, in order to help us determine the cause of the illness."
"……"
"We've already tasked a number of magicians, including star-class members of Stars, to investigate, but they have had no success. You are our last hope."
"Tell me one thing. When did the outbreak of the illness begin?"
"The first case appeared seven days ago."
Tatsuya intuitively thought that this matter could be connected to the black stone tablet that was excavated from Mt. Shasta.
"—I understand. I will gladly cooperate."
"Ooh!"
JJ leaned forward and grasped Tatsuya's hand, saying "thank you" repeatedly with a vigorous handshake.
◇ ◇ ◇
The Yotsuba Tokyo headquarters building in Chofu, Tokyo, consists of apartments from the fourth floor up.
The apartment where Tatsuya and Miyuki live is situated on the uppermost floor.
After the meeting with JJ, Tatsuya finished the new magic earlier than scheduled and returned home.
The time was 8:00 P.M. Miyuki was waiting at the rooftop helipad where Tatsuya had arrived using a small-sized VTOL.
"I'm home, Miyuki. Thanks for welcoming me back. "
Tatsuya thanked Miyuki for expressly coming to the rooftop to welcome him.
"Welcome home, Tatsuya-sama."
Miyuki responded to Tatsuya with a smile tinged with unblemished affection.
Lina was standing inside the kitchen. She was taking a plate out of the microwave oven just as Tatsuya and Miyuki entered. Rather than cooking, it is more appropriate to say that she was watching over the cooking appliance. This isn't something unique to just Lina, but is rather a common sight in the kitchens of contemporary Japan.
She must have been waiting for Tatsuya. Dinner tends to start a tad later in his home.
"Tatsuya-sama, the urgent matter that held you up, do you mind if I ask what it was about?"
"Tatsuya, what got you holed up on Miyaki-shima?"
Miyuki and Lina, respectively, asked in rapid succession about the reason why he did not return home last night. Their tone of voice wasn't very inquisitive, but neither of them seemed to be able to suppress their doubts about the reason behind his lateness.
"I have been working on a new magic."
"Was it a request from the main house? Is that the reason for your visit the day before yesterday, they called you there?"
Miyuki's voice was laced with condemnation against the main house.
"No, it wasn't that."
To which Tatsuya dismissed without any particular fluster. In the past, these circumstances would result in frost covering the entire room, but since such occurrences no longer happen these days, there was no need to feel flustered.
"Remember the request from Lena Fehr?"
"Yes. Was it for that…?"
Tatsuya nodded in response to Miyuki's remark.
"Wait, you've been working on a magic to sneak into the States?!"
And then, Lina exclaimed in surprise. The matter of Lena wanting Tatsuya to come to America had also been shared with her.
"Yes. Aside from Lena Fehr's request, I have another matter that requires me to go to the West Coast of the USNA. It's no exaggeration to say that it's likely an emergency situation. Lena Fehr's call for me to visit couldn't have been at a better time."
"…What in the world is going on in the States?"
Miyuki also joined Lina in giving Tatsuya a serious look.
"Actually, I got an unscheduled visit from Jeffrey James today."
Tatsuya proceeded to recount to them the matter that JJ had brought to his attention.
"That kind of thing happened in Oakland…"
"Tatsuya-sama. It's quite suspicious since magic is involved, but considering the timing of this incident, you don't think…"
"You think so too?"
Tatsuya and Miyuki shared an understanding glance with each other.
"Hey!"
They turned their attention to Lina in response.
"You two aren't alone here, don't keep to yourselves!"
Tatsuya and Miyuki exchanged looks once more.
"Remember when we talked about FAIR taking stone tablets they dug up at Mt. Shasta?"
"Yeah, I remember."
Lina didn't have access to this information during her time in America. It was only when Tatsuya told her about it, that she came to learn about what had happened.
"FAIR brought back a stone tablet that is presumed to be a magical artifact. And less than a week later, the first in a series of unusual cases occurred where magic is suspected in being involved."
"…You two think the stone tablet is responsible?"
"I'm concerned that FAIR is the one responsible for causing the illness through the use of the stone tablet artifact."
"…This is really bad!"
Lina raised her voice because she, too, had thought of the possibility of a "witch-hunt."
"Yes, I agree. It requires urgent attention. Even if it turns out that we are overthinking this and it's a waste of time, it would still be worth the trip."
"Let's leave right away. I'll get myself ready."
Lina was about to start preparing for the trip, as if she didn't care about what Tatsuya's last few words "meant."
"No, Lina, you need to remain here in Japan."
"Why!?"
"It was a request from JJ to go to the United States this time. In other words, this is a request from the Pentagon. If you accompany me, they may inadvertently try to keep you from coming back to Japan."
"It's not like… I wouldn't be able to come back, though."
Lina's eyes, which had been fixed on Tatsuya as if she were glaring at him, swayed uncomfortably from side to side.
"Besides, it's something that only you can do while here in Japan."
"Something that only I can do?"
"Something I couldn't ask anyone except you, Lina."
"Well, if you insist so much… okay, I got it! I'll sit this one out. Are you going to the West Coast by yourself, Tatsuya?"
"No, I'll be bringing Miyuki with me."
"Miyuki is going too!?"
"I am!?"
Both Miyuki and Lina widened their eyes.
"If this outbreak of aphasia in Oakland is really caused by magic, then it's most likely to be a sustained Outer-Systematic Magic. Only Miyuki's magic might be able to deal with it."
It is generally believed that Miyuki is skilled in Cooling Magic, but what she is truly skilled in is Outer-Systematic, Mental-Interference Type Magic. The cards in her hand are magics that, rather than interfere with another's consciousness or emotions, damage the mind (Information Body). If the Mental-Interference Type Magic can impair their language comprehension by causing a sustained interference to their mind, then there is a small possibility that Miyuki's magic could be significantly more effective than Tatsuya's [Gram Dispersion].
"But, can I really leave the country with you, Tatsuya-sama?"
"I will talk it out with Oba-ue. If she brings up the issue of safety, I'll ask Minoru and Minami to act as backup."
"…What about the government?"
Tatsuya gave the gloomy Miyuki a wicked smile to cheer her up.
"That's what the new magic is for, and that's why we're asking Lina to lend us a hand."
"…What are you getting me into this time?"
Lina narrowed her eyes and glared at Tatsuya.
"First, a trip to Hokkaido."
With that seemingly off-the-wall statement, Tatsuya smiled meaningfully.
It was a genuine, wicked smile from the man himself.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login