Chapter 8
The sun rose after the night of the frenzied maelstrom of high energy psions and diamond meteor blows.
Even though it was Sunday, Tatsuya still came to school. To his side, Miyuki flanked him as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Regardless of whether in the past or the present, the fact that school was open on Sundays remained unchanged. School was still accessible on Sundays primarily for students participating in club activities, but also for students who had received permission to use the library, labs, or even the practical skills facilities.
That being said, their target was not the club rooms, gymnasium, library, or lab.
Tatsuya and Miyuki’s target destination was the Student Council Office.
"Looks like no one’s here yet."
As Miyuki said, there was no one in the Student Council Room. Hearing his sister’s murmurs, Tatsuya chuckled quietly for some strange reason.
"Only in stories does the mediator take the stage last. Reality isn’t like that."
The retort that sprouted from Tatsuya’s mocking tone was certainly third rate. Miyuki’s smiling assent "You must be right" was simply to humor him out of politeness.
Still…… Tatsuya himself was aware of the absurdity of his joke. The reason for his laughter was because he was usually the one being summoned, whereas today he was the one who sent the summons. This little detail was the only oddity, so it didn’t matter if he was citing the plot of a novel.
On the other hand, he didn’t have a whole lot to prepare despite his invitations. Then again, it wasn’t like he had to wait too long.
"Good morning, Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki."
One of the people they were waiting for showed up right on time.
"Ara, Erika. You came with Yoshida-kun?"
"It's just a coincidence! ……Is it just me, or do I sense a little bit of malice here?"
"It’s just you."
On the other side from where the female students were having their heart-to-heart(?) conversation,
"Were you waiting for a long time?"
"Hardly, we just arrived. My apologies for calling you guys out here on a Sunday."
The guys were engaged in the customary small talk.
"For some reason, I get the feeling that Miki and I are treated differently…… Ah, whatever. So what’s up with today? It’s a rare sight for Tatsuya to summon us on a day off."
It was indeed a rarity. It was hardly atypical for high school students to act their age and go on an outing during their days off, but under those conditions, Tatsuya was usually the one being invited.
Speaking of oddities, Erika’s eyes were drifting all over the place from the get go, probably because she found the numerous data gathering devices on the walls of the Student Council Office to be rather jarring. Seeing her like this, Tatsuya recalled that this may be the first time she ever came into this room.
"Let’s wait a little while longer. We can start after everyone has arrived."
"Who else is coming?"
"Ah, we’re almost all here."
In response to Mikihiko’s query, Tatsuya replied in the affirmative. As if on cue to Tatsuya’s words, someone knocked on the door from the outside. Within the student body, she was probably the one who was most familiar with this room, to the point that she was almost the mistress of the Student Council Office, so no one would find it amiss if she entered without knocking. Even so, she turned out to be a surprisingly(?) well-mannered individual. Someone might question her "common sense" in knocking rather than using the intercom, but Tatsuya also opened the door personally rather than using the remote, so they were both in the same boat.
"I apologize for calling you out here on such short notice."
Just as Mikihiko was about to voice aloud his question of "why are you greeting them personally", his question was immediately dispelled upon the door swinging open. That was because Mayumi and Katsuto appeared in the doorway.
"Yoshida-kun and Chiba-kun? Were the two of you called here by Shiba-kun as well?"
In place of Mayumi, who stood frozen in shock and not inconsiderable wavering, Katsuto presented a simple question.
"Ah, yes."
In place of Erika, who was suddenly at a loss for words, Mikihiko was the one who gave a concise answer.
"Then, let’s begin."
Tatsuya reinforced his words and urged everyone to their seats.
"Can you start with an explanation first? Why did you call Saegusa-senpai and us here at the same time?"
"I concur. I would also like to hear your reasoning first."
Interpersonal feelings had a karma-like quality. Good intentions, malice, and enmity were all replied back in kind. Calculating the proper category and preparing the appropriate response would be the adult approach, but being unable to discern the other side’s intentions made this rather difficult to prepare for.
Mayumi’s attitude was an exemplary model of an emotional reflex. Personally, she bore no displeasure towards Erika, though to be precise, she didn’t really bother herself with Erika’s actions. That being said, she already responded to the blatant enmity that Erika was flaunting. Seeing her like this, Tatsuya couldn’t help but mentally add, "You’re two years older than her, can you please adopt a more logical stance?"
"In regards to the vampire we have been hunting, I have one detail I need to report to everyone present."
However, Tatsuya didn’t really care if they were set on opposing one another. He didn’t attempt any meaningless arbitration and quickly dived into his conversation.
"Then let’s hear it."
First one to react was Katsuto. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that no one save Katsuto had a reaction.
"Last night, I interjected a synthetic molecular transmitter that sends out a set electronic signal every three hours into the vampire’s body."
The transmitter was placed inside the tranquilizer pellet as a fallback plan in case the tranquilizer failed to take effect. However, the actual situation had far exceeded initial estimates, forcing him to rely on this insurance policy. That being said, just Tatsuya alone would be hard pressed to maximize the utility of this insurance.
"At most, the transmitter will last three days. While the signal strength is very weak, we should be able to capture the signal if we utilize the antennae placed on the street cameras that are used to detect illegal electronic signals."
This time, everyone had a reaction. Actually, it was more like there was no way they could sit still.
"Just a minute, Tatsuya-kun. Last night? Where?"
Mayumi’s eyes bulged outwards.
"How did you find it?"
Unlike her usual frustrated tone, Erika’s question was more of a reprimand.
"You say synthetic molecular transmitter, just where did you get your hands on something like that……"
Mikihiko murmured in a daze as everyone brought their own questions to bear on Tatsuya.
While Tatsuya personally believed that these were all legitimate questions worthy of asking, he wasn’t ready to divulge the entire process and background. In order to do so, he would not be able to avoid touching the tip of the iceberg for the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion’s equipment as well as Lina’s secret identity.
"This is the signal frequency."
As he said this, Tatsuya placed a card in front of each of the four.
"Senpais’ group and Erika’s group should all be able to access the observation antennae, correct?"
"……So we’re to find its location, right?"
Tatsuya wordlessly nodded at Mayumi’s question.
"……Why are you giving this to us?"
Tatsuya wasn’t dull enough to miss that the "us" Erika spoke of referred to the team formed by the Saegusa and Juumonji Families as well as the group formed by the Chiba Family. Even so, he had no intention of pointing out the obvious. Still, it was Tatsuya’s goal to pass along the data he had collected so far to the four in front of him, so he continued his explanation in spite of Erika’s query.
"In regards to the identity of the vampires we are hunting, they appear to be Magicians who deserted from the USNA Army."
The four of them betrayed looks of "how can this be" as well as "that makes sense".
The unknown force that was hampering their investigation. That sort of atypical individual and organizational strength told Mayumi and Erika that this was no ordinary criminal organization. It would make a whole lot of sense if the vampire’s real identity was that of Magicians who deserted from the USNA military.
"In addition, there’s more than one of them. There are at least two deserters and maybe as many as ten or more."
"Ten people deserted from Stars?"
"No, Erika. They may still belong to the USNA Army even if they are not affiliated with Stars."
"Eh, is that true?"
"Saegusa…… Stars is a unit comprised of only the Magicians with the highest combat rating in the entire USNA Army. That implies that there are also Magicians in the USNA Army that do not belong to Stars."
Tatsuya corrected Erika’s misinterpretation while Katsuto did the same for Mayumi. The two beautiful women were surprisingly birds of a feather(?), but would definitely throw a tantrum if this was said aloud. Tatsuya concluded that he should keep this to himself.
"—Even if they are not members of Stars, they are still trained opponents augmented by the vampire’s powers. They will not be easy opponents."
"That’s right. Even excluding the creature’s power, they are not opponents we can take lightly."
Katsuto said heavily.
"However, even if they are not Magicians from Stars, this does not change the fact that they are from the USNA Army…… I thought that any country with Magicians attached to the military would keep them on a short leash, or does the USNA Army have more relaxed discipline?"
Mikihiko’s comment was slightly off topic from the discussion at hand. Nevertheless, Tatsuya probably also had a few words on this point. He was not "agreeing" with the topic, but actively answering this question.
"No, maybe you’ve got it backwards."
"Backwards?"
"The Parasite’s influence is greater than even the military’s control. Isn’t it more like the Parasite has completely altered a human being? If that metamorphosis exceeds flesh and bone and encroaches on the mental level, then it would hardly be surprising if there’s a change in values after infestation."
"That’s…… true. Then, why did the Parasite flee?"
"Probably because it felt that there was no further reason to remain or that its goals could not be fulfilled within the military. We have no way of knowing until we capture the Parasite and interrogate it."
"Goal, eh…… Beyond just parasites, the goal of most creatures would be to satisfy their hunger or bolster their numbers, but there’s no point in dwelling on that now. Anything we come up with would only be pure conjecture. Compared to that, if it’s not because of their relaxed discipline, then the situation is far graver."
"Indeed. In other words, how can they expect to instill discipline in the military if there are deserters?"
"……In the end, what are we going to do?"
Just as Tatsuya and Mikihiko were getting embroiled in their conversation, Erika sulkily interposed. Once they looked around, they found Mayumi also wearing a fed up expression.
"I never planned on saying that."
Tatsuya failed to betray any sign of awkwardness at being accused of going off tangent, nor did he cough to break the ice. He immediately used a perfectly natural tone to make his announcement.
At this response, Erika wasn’t the only one who wore an "Eh?" expression.
"At any rate, I don’t plan on turning a blind eye at my friend’s suffering, but at the same time, I don’t intend to personally avenge him either. If Public Safety and the police force can handle this then there’s nothing else I need to do, nor would I have any complaints as to any punishment on behalf of the Clan Meeting. Of course, I have no problems either if the Chiba Family decides to solo this endeavor."
Already on his feet, Tatsuya dropped this as he left the table.
Seizing the initiative before Mayumi could say anything, Katsuto said a few congratulatory words to Tatsuya.
"It’s not easy for everyone to gather together. Let’s talk a little more before taking our leave."
"Is that so? Then, could I trouble you to lock the doors and windows?"
"Leave that to me."
Tatsuya bowed to Katsuto and gave a meaningful glance at Miyuki before leaving.
As for Mikihiko’s desperate plea for help communicated through his eyes, Tatsuya chalked that up to a misinterpretation and ignored it.
Meanwhile, at the same time as Tatsuya left the campus.
"Lina, it’s about time you got out of bed!"
Chastised by her roommate, Lina finally crawled out of bed.
Ten minutes ago, she had reluctantly got out of bed after her roommate ruthlessly confiscated her blanket. Now, Lina was sitting before the table still clad in her pajamas.
"Seriously…… Even for a Sunday, you’re taking it too easy."
Utterly befuddled, Silvia set a mug of warm milk laced with honey in front of Lina. Lina slowly used her powerless hand to move that cup to her mouth. Letting out a breath after looking at the honey milk, Lina was finally awake.
"Thanks for the food…… Silvie, did we get anything from HQ?"
Her tone had completely transformed to that of the Stars High Commander. –Except her light sleepwear and haphazard hair belied any sort of authority on her part. Still, even her lazy appearance could not detract from her beauty, such was the absolute authority of "true beauty". Silvia could only chuckle wryly, finally choosing to bite her tongue because she too acknowledged "that’s just how it is".
"Currently, we have received no new information. However, I don’t believe that we’re going to get off without a reprimand……"
"You think so too, Silvie……"
Hearing Silvia’s answer, Lina gloomily lowered her head and covered it with both hands. When matched with her age, that posture of hers simply screamed unreliable. Even knowing that this would rub salt into the wound, Silvia couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.
"Lina, exactly what happened last night? Even if they were Satellite class, there are still members with Stars designation, but four of them were neutralized in one instance…… Among them, two sustained internal lacerations, concussions, and bone fractures. They have all been injured to the point that returning to active duty on this mission seems impossible."
"Wah……"
"On top of that, we lost communication with you for over three hours, practically full blown MIA……"
"Wah……"
Silvia probably didn’t intend to do this, but the contents of her interrogation were pressing Lina for her behavior.
"Don’t tell me…… You lost?"
That was the finishing blow. Lina, who was just covering her head with both hands and making small noises, suddenly keeled over on the table. This situation completely flabbergasted Silvia, who had inadvertently landed a critical hit.
"I can’t go on. I don’t have the confidence to continue the mission. I will return the title Sirius."
"Huh, ah, Lina…… High Commander!?"
Before the teary-eyed and thoroughly depressed Lina, even Silvia was starting to panic.
"N-Nothing of the sort. High Commander, you have always carried out the duties of Sirius with distinction."
Silvia had intended to just ask Lina a routine series of questions and only just realized that she had pushed Lina into a depressive cycle. Frantically, she tried to console Lina.
"The High Commander couldn't lose to a high school student, right?"
Currently, Silvia really wanted to sigh aloud. It appeared that Lina was completely immersed in a black morass of negativity. Despite the words "losing to a high school student", under normal circumstances, Lina was still of the age that she should be attending high school herself. Setting that aside, her current tear stricken appearance was perfectly befitting of a young girl her age that could be seen anywhere, Silvia thought with a particular sort of understanding.
"Well, that’s right, you were just unlucky this time."
Even so, there was no way Lina could continue her task if this situation continued. "Sirius" was the mightiest fighting force in their arsenal. In an effort to get her to rally, Silvia kept trying to console Lina.
"Of the Shiba siblings you spoke of last time, which one defeated the High Commander?"
"……Both. Just as I caught Tatsuya, Miyuki interfered."
"Oh! As expected, those two aren’t normal high school students."
"...There’s no way in hell that those two are 'normal high school students'!"
"When faced with atypical Magicians, it is true that would be too heavy of a burden for Satellite Classes."
Silvia swapped "high school students" for "abnormal high school students" and substituted "abnormal high school students" with "atypical Magicians" in an effort to remove the catalyst for Lina’s shock and boost her recovery.
"It wasn’t just the two of them!"
Suddenly, Lina raised her head in a vibrant manner. It appeared that Silvia’s plan of action yielded some unexpected results.
"Besides Tatsuya and Miyuki, three ninjas also came out of nowhere!"
"Ninjas……?"
Silvia was aware that ninjas – or "Ninjutsu Practitioners", were another term for a type of Ancient Magic user. The source of her (mental) shock was not because she viewed the word "ninja" as a suspicious fabrication, but more because of Lina’s sudden fervor.
"While I know that Tatsuya has connection with ninjas, but I never thought that such skilled ninjas would intervene at that time!"
"Y-Yes. That’s true……"
"The data files from intelligence only mentioned that 'a ninja serves as Shiba Tatsuya’s trainer'! How was I to know that ninja was Master caliber!"
"……Where did that intelligence come from?"
"I heard the man mention it himself. If I knew there was the possibility of such a tricky opponent interfering, I would have devised another location for this engagement. This is plainly a mistake on part of the intelligence unit. I originally wasn’t someone with an intelligence background, so it would be very difficult for me if I don’t receive accurate intelligence. Right, Silvie!?"
Just as Silvia planned, Lina had successfully escaped from that vicious cycle of negativity. As a price, Silvia was forced to listen to Lina’s tantrum and complaints.
"Silvie, sorry about earlier……"
Thanks to a thorough rant of her displeasure, Lina had completely reverted to her usual self. By the time she mastered herself, the first thing that crept up on her was a personal loathing for her display.
"No worries. It’s unhealthy if you don’t vent once in a while."
Seeing Lina slightly dip her head, Silvia smiled and shook her head before refilling the mug of honey milk. Those words only flattened Lina’s self-esteem even more, but Silvia meant nothing by that. At her young age, she had already learned that sitting through a superior’s complaints was one of the duties of a subordinate.
"Though we have no new orders from HQ, there’s still a few reports I need you to go through. Ah, no, you’re fine just like that."
Lina probably wanted to "freshen up a little". Silvia waved her hand at her superior, still dressed in her night clothes, as if requesting her to remain seated.
"First, the four who were injured last night…… Titan and Enceladus avoided major injury, so we’ll observe them for one day and if there are no lingering issues, they should be able to return to active duty. Mimas and Iapetus are as I said earlier and I doubt that they will be able to return to the mission."
"……If the two who have suffered serious injury can recover to a mobile state, arrange for them to return home."
"Then there’s just me. Next from Commander Canopus, it doesn’t seem likely that we will be able to mobilize more people from Stars to Japan."
"……I see."
"The Joint Chiefs appear to want Stardust as support, at least that’s the rumor."
"Do they plan on adding pursuit units?"
When compared to the practical magic systems developed by the Four Systems and Eight Major Types, the research in regards to utilizing special abilities in the Sensory System as magic was slightly behind. Even within a specialized group like Stardust, Magicians who specialized in search and pursuit were hard to come by. Even in the entire USNA military, it was hard to say that they had enough personnel. Now, with this already limited resource invested in Japan, the Joint Chiefs simply didn’t have any more troops at their disposal to supply additional pursuers.
"No, they’re sending special ops."
As expected, Silvia’s response denied Lina’s question.
"While I agree that Stardust’s firepower would probably be insufficient to handle the situation at hand…… There’s nothing we can do."
The difference in capabilities between the Satellite Class and Stardust was not significant. The disparity was that Stardust troops were unable to sustain the augments and could break down at any moment. After augmentation, they displayed prowess on par with Stars members. Still, the Satellite Class units mobilized for this mission to Japan were also picked more for martial abilities, and when compared to them, Stardust’s firepower was noticeably inferior. This was the reason why Lina heaved a sigh.
"This is a report from the other side, but the mobile units don’t have anything worth reporting."
Silvia also concurred with Lina’s assessment, but since there was nothing they could do about the situation no matter how long they thought about it, she progressed to the next report.
"Since we are placed in a situation where we must take care of the deserters first, we’ll just have to leave the other side to other teams. Still, why haven’t we fished up anything?"
The other side referred to the investigation behind the "titanic explosion" caused by Strategic-Class Magic, tasked with identifying the user of what the USNA diplomats and military personnel named the "Great Boom". The mobile units were the intelligence units that had infiltrated Japan ahead of time in universities and high schools under the guise of transfer students or within the major power in the magical devices industry, Maximilian Devices.
"Speaking of which, we haven’t had a chance to speak with Mia in a while."
The name that passed across Lina’s recollection and lips was the other individual from the mobile unit who lived next door by the name of Michaela Honda. Although she was also of Japanese descent like Lina, her appearance differed in that she looked completely Japanese. Currently, she infiltrated Maximilian Devices as a salesperson under the alias Aya Honda.
"Over the last couple of days, she looked like she’s been out late in the evening. Today is probably work related as well."
"We’re the same as well when it comes to being about at late hours…… Plainly, she’s quite diligent even on a Sunday."
Lina and Silvia exchanged smiles. While her job as a salesperson for Maximilian Devices was only a disguise, she appeared to be quite popular among the college crowd as the two of them recalled the last time Mia was grousing about her situation.
"She appears to be headed for First High tomorrow. Something about tagging along when they return the CAD maintenance equipment."
"Eh?"
However, Lina’s smile stiffened when she heard of Mia’s itinerary for tomorrow from Silvia. As Stars’ High Commander, Lina disliked anyone seeing her current disguise as a normal high school student, much like how an elementary child mentally resists any parental visit to school.
"Since she’s scheduled to visit during lunch, would you be able to catch her during lunch break?"
Without any real life experiences at school, Lina wasn’t sure why she was so nervous about this, but Silvia knew much better than Lina herself why this was case when she made this proposal. Seeing Lina avert her eyes in confusion, Silvia smirked in secret.
"Tear!"
Amid the ruckus, a call from behind her prompted Shizuku to turn her head. On the American West Coast, it was Saturday evening on January 28th. At the moment, Shizuku was at a house party being thrown in her dorms.
"Ray."
After verifying the male (more like "boy") waving his arms in an exaggerated manner, Shizuku slightly raised her hand.
His name was Raymond S. Clark.
After Shizuku transferred from abroad, he was the first among the male students to strike up a conversation with Shizuku. Since then, he was the white (Anglo-Saxon was a rare sight on the West Coast) classmate who always stuck with Shizuku for some unexplained reason.
Shizuku thought he was properly gesturing with his hand to come over. Since he surprisingly knew how to keep his distance and wasn’t particularly irritating, Shizuku’s perception of him wasn’t overly negative.
On another note, the nickname "Tear" also started with Raymond. When asked what "Shizuku" meant during her self-introduction, Shizuku had explained that her name referred to the "drop" in either a "teardrop" or "dewdrop", to which the nickname "Tear" was supplied for her. Shizuku wasn’t particularly fond of this nickname, but when she asked her female classmates "Do I look like a crybaby?" and their answer turned out to be "Because you really fit a pearl’s description" she wasn’t really in a position to decline any further. Because she was embarrassed. As a result, since she didn’t dislike the name "Tear", she resolved to leave it be. Somewhere along the way, Shizuku’s nickname settled on "Tear".
Her internal monologue ended there.
"That dress looks amazing, Tear. You’re even more dazzling than usual."
"Really?"
Faced with Ray’s unfazed smile and compliment, Shizuku kept her usual stoic expression. Actually, it was more like she was tilting her head to one side out of amazement.
A mushroom head of black hair that was allowed to grow long waved lightly back and forth.
Ignoring Ray’s eyes that were growing warmer by the second, Shizuku glanced at her own clothes.
The dress was long enough to brush along the floor.
Her back, shoulders, and both arms were revealed.
She also wore a long pair of gloves that seemed a little out of date.
While Shizuku had heard of shops in the USNA that carried the latest fashion, she was surprised to find them more antiquated than she imagined. There were also dresses found all over the place today that mandated a corset, but fortunately Shizuku’s dress was not like that.
"Your suit matches you well, Ray."
Although she heeded the store attendant’s recommendation and bought the dress, Shizuku still didn’t understand which part of her dress stood out, so she replied back with customary phrases. To her, Raymond’s tuxedo was a little out of style (it would have been outrageous on someone from her country), but perfectly matched his appearances that wouldn’t have been out of place on a young noble, so her words of etiquette weren’t forced.
"Thank you! It is my honor to be complimented by Tear."
In addition, Shizuku wasn’t going to object to his obvious pleasure at those simple words. For some reason, Raymond’s honest display of his emotions reminded Shizuku of her younger brother. In terms of race, teenage Europeans should look more mature than Asians of the same age, so even though Raymond was of the same age, he was still a little immature in Shizuku’s eyes.
(……No, it’s not that Ray is immature, it’s because Tatsuya is wiser than his years.)
After turning that over in her head, Shizuku once again looked at Raymond.
"Are you alone?"
"I don’t plan on accompanying any woman besides Tear."
Speaking of which, tonight’s party wasn’t the type where those without a date couldn’t attend.
"I wasn’t referring to girls."
At the moment, Shizuku followed her own curiosity and clarified Raymond’s misunderstanding.
And thus, Raymond became flustered in a very interesting way.
"Eh? Uh, yeah, if you mean by myself then I am alone…… I think?"
Shizuku really wanted to tell him not to ask her, but managed to bite her tongue.
Seeing the boys behind Raymond making all sorts of elaborate hand gestures (Shizuku was unaware of this, but they were urging Raymond on), there was no need to state that he was blatantly lying. In spite of this, Shizuku didn’t have the heart to berate him.
"Um…… Tear, in regards to the thing you asked me about before."
Maybe it was because he detected that the atmosphere was rapidly turning for the worse, Raymond made an obvious attempt to change the subject.
"Ray."
This was exactly what Shizuku wanted, but she felt that this wasn’t the right place to have that conversation.
"Let’s move somewhere else."
Hearing Shizuku forcefully call out his name, Raymond could only shut his mouth and repeatedly nod his head at her proposal.
Even though this was a house party, this was the place selected as a residence for the young lady of the Kitayama Family. In comparison to the typical house party that could be found anywhere, it was much more luxurious. The party extended beyond indoors all way into the yard, but given the hour, most of the attendees had already departed.
Shizuku wore a knit overcoat over her dress as she walked beneath the wintry sky filled with stars. For a Japanese female, her height wasn’t overly short, but by American standards she was positively "petite". The American coat she wore extended from her shoulders all the way to the waist, but there was still a small, sneaking suspicion whether it could block the cold.
She manipulated the CAD in her handbag and created a warm temperature area around her surroundings. Along the way, she also incorporated Ray into the field as well. The warm temperature area would also help contain the sound of their voices.
"Thanks, Tear…… Magic is certainly a convenient thing."
"This level of magic isn’t all that rare."
In terms of compliments, Shizuku felt that it was a little overblown, but Raymond emphatically shook his head.
"Tear, you just came to this country, so you might not have noticed, but for us, magic isn’t something that can be used like this. It is practically impossible to see magic used in the everyday setting within this country. Magic is used to exemplify one’s power, it’s an object to demonstrate one’s knowledge, and even to exalt one’s status."
"So you think it would be a waste, right?"
"Hahaha…… Well, pretty much."
At Shizuku’s blunt assessment, Raymond laughed so hard he bent at the waist. Still, this uproarious laughter seemed slightly unnatural.
"Besides military purposes, this country’s magic research is reserved largely for fundamental research. Social services and daily activities are looked down upon as unworthy. If there’s massive profit involved, that might not be the case. Because of this…… No, sorry. We didn’t come to talk about this."
Although he usually looked to be carefree, he also had his own worries.
Shizuku wordlessly waited for him to continue.
"Then, let’s get back on topic."
Raising his head, Raymond’s expression was so sharp he seemed like another person altogether.
"First, the 'vampire' incident is indeed true."
He, Raymond, was the "knowledgeable student" she told Honoka about as well as the source of intelligence she promised to Tatsuya.
"Although the cause remains unclear, I have uncovered all the related information."
"Go ahead."
"Of course. This is highly classified information, but last November in Dallas, they conducted an experiment based on string theory to create and evaporate a miniature black hole."
"String theory?"
"Sorry, I don’t know all the details."
"That’s fine. And then?"
Surely she could get those details if she asked Tatsuya, right? Shizuku thought as she encouraged him onward.
"The specifics of the experiment remain unknown, but what is known is that these 'vampires' materialized after the experiment was conducted."
Shizuku pondered this for 5 seconds before opening her mouth.
"So Ray, you believe that there is a causal relationship between this experiment and the appearance of the vampires, correct?"
"Earlier, I said that the cause was unknown."
Here, Ray stopped momentarily to organize this thoughts.
"I believe that it was the black hole experiment that summoned the vampires."
There was no way for Shizuku to divine exactly where Raymond got this information and what was the basis for this belief. Still, within this brief exchange, Shizuku clearly understood he had a special power to uncover the buried truth. Whether this was his personal ability or came from an organization was unimportant to Shizuku at this point.
"……I see. Thank you."
The important thing was that his information was trustworthy.
"You’re welcome. After all, this is Tear’s request. If there’s anything else I can do for you, you are always welcome to discuss it with me."
In the eyes of a bystander, it was obvious what Raymond was trying to do. As for Shizuku herself, she believed that "he was only curious about her right now". –Whether this dullness was a natural trait or something acquired from her recent friends was anyone’s guess.
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