Chapter 12
"I did not think an apparition could possess a robot."
"Probably because it’s a humanoid type, or something like that. An artifact spirit, unbelievable."
Tatsuya replied to Miyuki, who had a look on her face that said she still didn’t really believe it, in a manner that said he didn’t want to believe it.
The siblings were not talking in their living room, but in their personal car. This car was not a commuter that they shared with the public, but Tatsuya’s personal property. The name on the form said it belonged to his father, but the money for the purchase had come from his earnings as Taurus Silver.
As for why they were not using a commuter that was as cheap to use as a bus was half a century earlier, Tatsuya had a personal car in order to deliver Miyuki to places in a secure and prestigious manner.
Not many people were aware of it, but Miyuki was the daughter of a good family, in other words an ‘Ojou-sama.’ And a very high class one.
As part of her training for her position, she underwent studies in addition to her schoolwork.
Thanks to the special circumstances of the Yotsuba, she never went anywhere that might cause her to encounter Mayumi, but she still received private tutoring in order to hold her own at the highest levels of society, so she had to go to them in style.
Of course, there was a Driving Control Artificial Intelligence, and the luxury car was built to be bulletproof, heat resistant and had an anti-impact system installed; Miyuki continued to speak inside it while wearing a gloomy expression that did not suit the gorgeous clothing she was all dressed up in.
"And so Onii-sama… what do you intend to do?"
"By what, do you mean how I’m going to deal with Pixie?"
On the other hand, the dark jacket he wore couldn't be called formal, exactly; it could be said that Tatsuya was dressed more like a high school student while making a face that failed to become a wry smile, as it was more of a halfway expression.
"Because, there is no way I can take it home with us. Perhaps I’ll just have to come up with a proper excuse that I can give to the school."
"…You can’t take it home? Pixie wanted you to do that…"
Miyuki asked in a voice that had some fear mixed in it.
"There is no way it can enter the house."
This time Tatsuya’s face was smiling as he replied.
"We know very little about the biology or nature of Parasites. There’s no guarantee that the Parasite was not lying."
According to folklore, youkai did not lie; only humans that lied had been Ama no Jyaku’s weakness as a youkai.
Despite the fact that youkai who could not lie and youkai who did lie only existed in stories, at the time, no one there had doubted the words of the Parasite that claimed to possess Pixie, but it was something unbelievable to Tatsuya.
"Its claim that it was created from Honoka’s thoughts is not without proof. Since Mizuki saw the ‘traces’ that had been left behind. But other than that, we only have its word for it. Since we don’t have any way to know what kind of abilities it has, there is no way I’m going to keep it close to us. What if Pixie has some way to communicate with other parasites, calling them closer to it while we are sleeping? It would be the absolute worst situation. At least until I can confirm that it has no means to contact the other organisms, I will not hear of such foolishness."
When she heard him state his decision in a bland tone, the shadow disappeared from Miyuki’s face in the twinkling of an eye. "But if that’s so, how can you trust the answers you get from cross-examining it; is there no way you can know?"
"That is the same condition that applies to interrogating human prisoners of war. The authenticity of the extracted information is something that can be decided only from our side."
Some stiffness still remaining in her face, Miyuki was erasing the traces of happiness on her face through her willpower.
It was not all that big and not all that removed from common sensibilities; at the entrance to the elegant, western style house, Tatsuya handed off his role of guard.
Even though it was called a hand-off, it was nothing more than verifying the person’s face.
The classroom where Miyuki took piano and etiquette lessons (it might be better to call it a school) was prohibited to men. Even bodyguards, the accessory of the rich and powerful, were not allowed to enter.
"As usual, when the time comes, I will come to get you."
"Yes, I will wait for you to come."
Therefore inevitably, they would have this conversation at the time of the exchange.
By the way, the time he would come to pick her up was in two hours. Because he would have to use half that time if he returned home, it was normal for him to pass the time in a neighborhood food shop.
Tatsuya entered the name of the family oriented restaurant he had chosen into the GPS system. If he went into an alcohol-oriented shop dressed in more adult clothes, he would not be sent away, but he did not feel like doing that today.
He would have his evening meal at home, so he only ordered a drink. Normally, a customer who stayed for two hours and only bought a drink would be a problem for the shop, but whenever he was waiting for Miyuki, he ordered something expensive no matter what kind of shop it was. So it was alright not to worry about unintentionally causing harm.
Even if he got a dirty look, all he did was pretend he did not see it.
Tatsuya took up position in a vacant seat and did not open up a publication website, but just gazed out the window.
He looked like he was just daydreaming.
Tatsuya, himself, was not concentrating on anything.
Nonetheless, what he was doing was the complete opposite of the usual meaning of ‘daydreaming.’
He was not focusing his mind, but diffusing it.
Wider and wider, with Miyuki and himself as the two focal points, he laid his perceptions over every nook and cranny in the area.
This was not looking down from a bird’s eye view, but looking at things from the point of view of the information dimension.
It was not an elliptical sphere around the double focal points, as it had nothing to do with physical distance; Tatsuya fixedly concentrated his ‘eye,’ intensifying his contact with the law of cause and effect within Link space.
So that he wouldn’t miss even one thing that could harm Miyuki.
Because he had this ‘eye’, he overcame the barrier of his gender and could be employed as his sister’s only guard.
To be correct, he did not normally use this ‘observation field.’ Normally, he operated this unconsciously; right now he was consciously using it and even intensifying it.
Suddenly invoking his vision of the relationship of cause and effect left him open to ‘accidents;’ namely leaving his body behind in the physical dimension by incessantly using it; when he was in link space, any wound he suffered wouldn’t heal. Becoming engrossed in ‘observation’ was a situation that could indeed make him switch his mind to that side.
Even if he called it Link space, the dimension did not really have that kind of meaning.
The ways you were able to see something formed part of a framework of recognition.
Also, even if he called it Links, it did not mean he saw red strings or black chains connecting people; he could read no more than the information related to cause and effect. Perhaps someone else would be able to see red strings or black chains if they used those symbols; the images Tatsuya used pointed out the existence of what he realized were focal points jutting out behind the scene indicating the existence of cause and effect and events, etc.
In theory, the way he did things could be used to predict events; however, Tatsuya still could only read information on the ‘present’ and twenty four hours of the ‘past.’ As a result, it was extraordinarily effective at searching for enemies. It was probably equal to having an innate skill at remote viewing, though it was better than that because it had the potential to distinguish enemies with precision and range.
Within that observation field, the information about the looming adversaries was displayed.
They were not after his sister; he, himself, was the one they were coming after.
(I am a failure as a guard.)
Since he, himself, had become a target, he was exposing the person under his protection to danger. Calling himself a failure as a guard was not an insult he usually inflicted on himself.
However, he was not able to lose himself to the whispers of despair or remorse that were never quite voiced.
Lt. Colonel Virginia Barans made a slight nod when she heard the report that the troop emplacement was complete.
Prior to the current operation, they had analyzed the target’s daily habits and the fact that there were so few opportunities to attack had shocked her.
Moreover, the target almost never played at night like a child(?).
The target trained every morning before his morning commute at the Ninja Dojo where they could not interfere with the target at a moment’s notice.
(There were many americans who would have made this type of mistake as she did just now.)
He had gone somewhere on his bike the past two Sundays but he had quickly lost his tail and even using the observation satellite, they still had absolutely no idea where he went.
The only thing they understood from two weeks of observation was that he was no ordinary high school student. They had just about concluded that he was an agent of a special ops group. They had doubts because the target did not have any special connections (to be correct, they assumed he didn’t) but their investigation was not quite futile.
Lt. Sirius had already established the degree of difficulty of getting to him when he was with his younger sister. The target did not spend much time alone, much less, in places where the potential to escape was slight — this evening was one of those few chances.
"Lt. Sirius, can you hear me?"
When Barans spoke to the dedicated radio device, she immediately received a reply from Lina. The girl was standing by in a nearby park as planned.
This was the operation.
‘Stardust’ members disguised as robbers would break into the restaurant, and make a non-lethal attack. And if it was possible to capture the target, abduct him. If they received a counterattack then, exchange battle while fleeing and lead the target to the park where Lt. Sirius was waiting.
It was a vague plan, but under conditions with a large number of uncertain elements, this was as detailed a plan as it could be; she didn’t just practice combat operations in order to make a good show for her superiors, Barans had learned to practice in conditions as close to actual combat as she could.
After all, in chess, you were able to see all of your opponent’s moves, so only elaborate tactics were useful in it.
(There was concern that Stardust might be completely destroyed in the first phase however……)
That possibility is slight, Barans tamped down on her own uneasiness.
She could however decide to abandon the operation in case of failure, but Stardust were also modified magicians whom the USNA had poured their magic technology into. That these five men could be destroyed by one boy in the middle of his teen years was unthinkable .
Even if the target was as she believed him to be a user of an unknown strategic class magic, there were numerous cases where magic that was aimed at causing large scale destruction was useless in personal combat. If the target possessed destructive power of the strategic class magic, then it was even more likely that he could not use it unless he was prepared to kill himself as well.
Unless he had a special tool like Brionac.
(Even if they were wiped out, all records of Stardust had been erased so it was impossible to determine their identities.)
Therefore, even if the operation failed, it wasn’t necessary to worry about consequences, thought the Lt. Colonel putting an end to her speculations.
She seemed to be purposely not thinking about Murphy’s Law.
After she had finished her business with Barans, Lina did the final check on the tactical magic weapon, ‘Brionac’, in the station wagon that was parked in the park’s parking lot.
It was constructed for her use, and no one but her could use it; it was a super weapon such that even she who was the commander of the USNA magician troops was not allowed to choose when and where she could use it. While it was a portable weapon, its maximum power was equivalent to the main armament of a battleship; although it had such destructive power, its range and output could be freely controlled. It had an absurd outward appearance: it was a thick pole about four feet in length.
About two thirds of it was about the same width as the handle of a tennis racket, and the remaining one third was a cylinder with a bigger circumference; at the border between the two, a box shaped stick about the right width and thickness for her hand was placed cross-like.
Even though it was called an inspection, the weapon worked purely by magic power.
The armament was combined with a CAD, it was a magic weapon.
The Brionac did not use electrical powered movement or springs. So naturally, she did not perform a mechanical inspection. So even if it was called an inspection, she was only checking the responses in stand by mode prior to invoking magic.
She knew that by this tool’s very nature, it could not have a complicated structure. However, when she carried the Brionac which looked kind of like a cane, a spear or a club, she had the strange feeling that she had become a heroine in a fantasy novel (or a game).
Speaking of strange feelings.
(There was no way she felt any doubts about the colonel’s abilities but…..would it go well?)
Essentially, Lina doubted that the crude operation would be effective against Tatsuya.
Lina also understood that a too detailed operation wasn’t combat effective.
Nevertheless, the main phase of the operation was to be completed by the five men who were operatives at the ‘Stardust’ level, and she felt that she wasn’t going to have to endure a difficult wait. She was concerned that the possibility of them being wiped out quickly was probably quite high. Tatsuya is satellite class, no, he had fought above the level of four Stars member in an actual battle.
Tatsuya was a dangerous opponent; however, at first, Lina had thought Miyuki the tougher adversary.
Nonetheless, such thoughts had now completely disappeared.
Any inclination to treat Tatsuya lightly due to his lower rank were gone now.
She was able to realize recently that the embarrassing defeat she, herself, had suffered was not in any way due to her being careless.
If she had called his bluff, she might have been able to see his weirdly limitless true strength. And then, she really had no idea what would have actually happened to her.
—What could the magic that turned ‘Dancing Blades’ to dust be?
—What on earth was the technique that cancelled the effects of 'Muspelheim’?
At the time, she thought it was simply the bonds of the intermolecular forces being destroyed.
She thought the activation sequence had been neutralized.
But the instant she started to think about what could possibly do that, Lina’s mind froze.
She became aware that such a thing couldn’t be done.
At least, no one in the Stars could, herself included.
Destroying the bonds of intermolecular forces was one thing.
On the other hand, cancelling the effects of Muspelheim.
Neutralizing magic required interference power exceeding that of the magic being neutralized.
Even if she conceded that he had greater interference power than herself who was a Sirius, at that time, he had also affected Miyuki’s magic.
In that frozen area, her own Muspelheim and Miyuki’s Niflheim had battled for supremacy.
As the two opposing activation sequences had clashed, only the effects had cancelled each other, the magic had not been neutralized. In order for magic to be neutralized, a calculation sequence must overwrite the magic sequence.
In short, at that time, if the resources that Tatsuya commanded had neutralized the magic then he had invoked over twice Lina’s interference power.
The moment she thought of that, Lina became unable to quell the shaking in her body.
If that was really possible, then Tatsuya must secretly posses a technique that used power of that magnitude.
If there was a method other than neutralization to cancel the effects of magic, then it would also destroy more than the magic sequence.
Lina also knew that attacking with a high pressure stream of psions was also a means of destroying a magic sequence but at that time, there was no sign of that.
It had not been destroyed by an outside attack, it had been destroyed by interfering with the inner information structure — the Stars vice commander, Benjamin Canopus might have been able to figure out that Tatsuya had used ‘Gram Dispersion’ to do that. However, Lina was unaware of the magic known as Gram Dispersion.
She had been young (immature might be more appropriate) when she joined the Stars troop; unlike a normal girl, she had an abundance of combat experience but aside from that she had not been able to take enough time to acquire enough knowledge. Of course, compared to a normal (magic) high school student, she had a large variety of knowledge, but the quantity of knowledge you have is limited by the time spent acquiring it. No matter how well she was versed in the knowledge she had, information she hadn’t learned could not exist in her mind.
The unease gripping Lina was brought about by the lack of time studying caused by the deficiency of her ability to expand her experience. To put it simply, the girl was too young to be the commander of the Stars.
It might be better to say that it was the embodiment of the weaknesses of the abhorrent practice of the doctrine of complete relying on strength to determine leadership.
Until now, that weakness hadn’t really affected her, but now she had a mission outside her home country with insufficient support staff against an opponent like Tatsuya who had not only had opportunities to acquire combat experience but had formidable knowledge and technical skills, and she was paying the price for her deficiencies.
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