The journalist was about 30 years old. Of course, he did not like that a young guy who is younger than him by more than 10 years, behaving so unsuitable. He asked Tatsuya in an aggressive manner.
In the eyes of Tatsuya, looking at this journalist, there was no irritation, no anger, no contempt, no pity. In other words, it was a sight equivalent to looking at someone on the side of the road.
Seeing this view, the journalist did not fall into the frenzy, but trembled.
The journalist looked at Tatsuya like he was a creepy creature belonging to another species. If someone had met a harmless man, but then found out that the man was actually different from him, he would have had a similar view, as the journalist now.
"Those organizations that receive complaints about interrogating students from First High will be denied admission to the Taurus Silver press conference. FLT should have alerted them."
A wave of confusion spread to the press officers gathered here.
Apparently, half of those present didn't even hear what Tatsuya said.
"It's only four days. I think waiting so long will not be considered a violation of the freedom of the press."
The words of Tatsuya did not convince the journalists. But stubborn objections did not follow.
Because before they started swearing, they heard a loud clap.
This clap was the sound of a shot. A scream from one of the female reporters followed.
The reporter that interrogated Tatsuya fell, landing on his ass. Tatsuya noticed that someone was going to shoot, so he pushed the reporter out of the trajectory of the bullet.
Tatsuya stood with his back to the journalist. As if in slow motion, he instantly turned around and caught the bullet with his hand.
After that he pried his left hand open. A pistol bullet fell out of it.
Reporters standing next to Tatsuya froze, looking at this scene. Some of the reporters noticed that Tatsuya was wearing black gloves, but it still didn't explain anything. Even if you wear high-performance bulletproof gloves, they won't catch a bullet.
The crowd of journalists, reporters and operators turned chaotic.
People with panicking cries tried to escape from the killer with a pistol, resulting in them crushing each other. Some stumbled and fell, but the rest, whether they were comrades or rivals, were fleeing and just trampled and kicked the fallen.
The killer didn't even look at the runaway reporters. His bloodshot eyes looked only at Tatsuya.
Clutching a pistol in his hand, he kept shooting at Tatsuya There were sounds of several shots in a row. Tatsuya caught all the flying bullets.
Needless to say, this was not a simple trick.
Releasing the magic of Decomposition in all directions, Tatsuya did not destroy the bullets themselves, rather he dispelled their momentum (vector) moving it forward.
By the way, if you try to Decompose too much, then at the point of exposure, an reverse-acting force occurs. This will not reduce the damage caused by the bullet and would not lessen its momentum.
But from the beginning, it is necessary to mention, that decomposition of the impulse of a flying bullet without application of external influence is not a physical "phenomenon". The
"Information" that the "bullet pulse dissipates" existed not only at the point of impact, but also in the entire surrounding space. As a result, the bullets that flew toward the palm of Tatsuya had already practically stopped.
But the essence of this could only be felt by magicians. Hid amongst the journalists, the terrorist from the anti-magic movement panicked, seeing with his own eyes such a physically impossible phenomenon as a man "Catching bullets".
Even after the shutter stopped moving back (that is, the rounds ended), he still kept Tatsuya in sight and continued to pull the trigger convulsively.
?
Tatsuya did not try to grab the terrorist, though he clearly lost his mind and had plenty of open places to attack. This was because he wanted to show the journalists and reporters that he was being attacked, not the other way around.
Tatsuya’s eyes looked at the clown senselessly pulling the trigger, but his consciousness was vigilant against possible accomplices. But at this point there were no signs of the appearance of other attackers.
Looks like it was a single criminal. Coming to this conclusion, Tatsuya went to this terrorist.
The man released bizarre cry. It is not known whether it was possible to call it a cry, because the people who did not see this man, would confuse it with howling stray dog. or the "Howling of an injured person" *.
[“Loser, Loser, loser, loser” such words were used. But literally it translates to "Losing dog". In English, there is also an analogue with a similar value: "Underdog ".]
Tatsuya made the second step, walking with the usual walking gait.
The man threw the gun at Tatsuya, when the magazine was empty.
Tatsuya did not even shirk, and the gun just flew past him.
Already shouting something more similar to the human language, the terrorist put his right hand in his pocket and took out a short knife.
It was the so-called Bonder Knife, where the grip of the blade was in the hand while the blade protrudes forward out of the fist. Wearing this was completely illegal, but after using a gun it was silly to think about this.
Although he had a short blade, the length was enough to kill a man.
Nevertheless, Tatsuya made the third step, completely ignoring this blade.
Taking another step, they would have been at arm's length between them.
But this last step was made by this man, a terrorist. He poised a stab at Tatsuya's belly.
Although it was a surprise for him that it was not to his face, he dodged the blow, going to the right. At the same time he grabbed the left hand of the man behind the wrist with his right hand and pulled it, returning his body back.
The man lost his balance and fell.
At this point, finally, a guard working for First High appeared. He slightly opened the gate and climbed into the resulting gap. Naturally, there were no crazy journalists, who decided to take advantage of such a chance to get in to the territory of the school.
The guard rushed into place. Prior to the arrival of the guard Tatsuya stood there, stepping on the compressive bonder knife in the right hand of the man.
Among the concerned media staff, there was a noise of voices trying to understand what had happened.
"Was that magic just now?"
"There is no way."
Talk about this thought was heard from different directions. Everyone was surprised by the fact that Tatsuya caught a criminal without magic.
In fact, he used magic when catching the bullets, but the sensors available to those people were unable to detect the magic of Tatsuya.
This magician was catching bullets, not using magic, and defused a man with a knife without getting any wounds. Reporters, operators and journalists were all frozen and stood there, unable to understand.
Tatsuya took advantage of this hitch, going into the school gates and brought Miyuki and Minami to the car. He seated them on the rear seats, sat down on the driver's seat, and drove away. The reporters reflexively disembarked from the road, letting them pass.
"...Onii-sama, when did you get the right?"
Miyuki had a lot of things to ask, but the first thing she asked was a relatively unimportant question.
There are also other conditions for obtaining driving rights in addition to reaching the age of 18. But unlike in past times, there is now an opportunity to circumvent these limitations. If there is a need to perform work duties, and there is a guarantee from the employer, then, as in the case of the rights to a motorcycle, the right to control a car can be obtained after the completion of compulsory education.
For example, Katsuto got the right to manage a conventional car immediately after admission to First High, under the pretext of the need to work in a construction company managed by the Juumonji family. These rights are only necessary for driving, for passenger they are not needed. However, the certification exam is much more difficult than usual.
Tatsuya did not use this exception. His work as Taurus Silver is a secret (now we can already say "was a secret"), so he could not fulfill the condition of "Employer's guarantee".
He got it right after he moved to Izu. After all, the machine is much more convenient in most cases.
"I didn't even know... You could have told me. Onii-sama is so secretive."
"Ha-ha, I'm sorry."
Tatsuya turned to the cute, resentful Miyuki, and apologized. Of course, he could afford to do this because the car was driving on autopilot. After such a minded response, Miyuki finally felt relieved.
"...But why did you come to pick me up? Why take the risk and appear before the media?"
"Because I thought that Miyuki, as the President of the School Council, would not be able to resist any action. I couldn't afford to burden you with such tedious things."
"Onii-sama…"
Miyuki, as usual, made an enthusiastic face, and on Minami’s face was a completely disappointed expression.
"So, what was your real goal?"
When Miyuki asked about the real intentions of Tatsuya, her voice was still slightly intoxicated with delight. Minami’s eyes opened wide and blinked because she was frightened by the loud sound of a dove.
She did not expect that Miyuki would doubt the words of Tatsuya.
"That hurt. I didn't lie."
Unlike the contents of the phrase, the voice of Tatsuya was cheerful.
"But it's not just that, is it?"
Miyuki also spoke with a smile, but she did not feel deceived at all.
"I had a goal to warn the media. To tell them, that if they will continue to be unceremoniously here and sniff around, then in the future they will not be able to receive important information. Another goal was also to show that I am not afraid of the media. But the main thing was getting rid of the troubles that bothered First High, and thus to reduce the load on the Miyuki."
"... I got it. Now I understand."
Implying in the answer that she "did not understand anything ", Miyuki just gave up.
As expected by Tatsuya, the reporters surrounding First High disappeared. It can't be said that it was "fast", but 30 minutes after Tatsuya’s electric car left, all reporters and journalists had already dispersed.
There were no reporters who pretended to be gone, and hid themselves to catch the passing pupils to pry for information. Therefore, pupils of First High (and working staff) were able to return home safely from school.
After all, the threat of losing the invitation to Taurus Silver’s press conference proved to be effective.
Taking Miyuki to her new home in Chofu, and having received this information from an observer at First High, Tatsuya returned to Izu.
Those who watched First High was not Tatsuya himself. But he had connections with those who orchestrated the surveillance.
Returning to Izu, Tatsuya met with his information provider, who returned before him and waited for him in the villa's living room.
"Hyougo-san, today you have taken good care of various affairs."
"Tatsuya, you have also worked well today."
Hyougo stood opposite of the chair Tatsuya sat on. Naturally, Tatsuya was not going to get up, and Hyougo stubbornly was not going to sit down. In addition, Tatsuya called him "Hyougo-san" Not because they befriended, but to distinguish him from his father, who, like Hyogo, is the butler of the Yotsuba family.
"No, I just took Miyuki. Thanks for the info on the attacker."
By the information about the attacker, he meant the case where the terrorist shot at Tatsuya. To be honest, Tatsuya was informed in advance by Hyougo that among the crowd of the First High reporters, murderers could hide.
"Everything went well?"
"Yes. Although it was unexpected that he was the only one."
"To make sure Miyuki did not get wounded by stray bullets, we had taken care of them in advance to reduce their number... Were these actions unnecessary?"
"Reduce the number? Got it... No, I think it was reasonable."
"Thank you for your praise."
Hyogo bowed, putting his hand on his chest.
"It seems that because of the shooting on Tatsuya, the media staff has gotten excited. There were reports that they have begun to see hints that there could be a connection between that armed terrorist and the anti-magic movement."
"It seems that it was expedient to give him a shot."
"For people who do not deal with weapons, the scene in which they see a man shooting is quite shocking, even if the victim is their sworn enemy. And this time, because of the fact that Tatsuya-sama was catching bullets and leaving them in the same form, the impression was even stronger. I suspect that the effect of this will begin to spread gradually."
"Would it have been better if I was injured?"
"Probably, yes. However, Miyuki-sama would be saddened if Tatsuya-sama shed blood, so stopping the bullets was the best solution."
"Really. There would be a reverse effect if Miyuki lost her head and her magic got out of control."
Tatsuya sarcastically chuckled, saying this, but Hyougo bowed, pretending not to notice it. Like these two said, Tatsuya deliberately gave the terrorist a shot at him. Although the terrorist was not a fake in itself, but before the plan of attack was known, two people were preparing to play that role.
"The original plan was to let them know that if they were close to magicians, they could be attacked by supporters of the anti-magic movement."
"I think this warning was received. I am also thinking of preparing a few reports that Anti-magic is a hateful terrorist for all."
"I'll leave it to you."
"As you wish."
Hyougo bowed again, putting his hand on his chest, and his face looked happy perhaps from the fact that he enjoyed this backstage work.
In addition to the villa where Tatsuya lived, the Yotsuba family had another property in Izu. It was a small separate house from which it was possible for Miya to rest and not disturb her.
Among the Yotsuba, Miya was the only owner of magic with unique properties. Even if she was overloaded with the use of magic and could not fully work as a magician, it was still expected that all sorts of vile hunters would try to kidnap her for this unique skill.
In fact, there were as many as three attacks to kidnap Miya, and all of them were repulsed, so the construction of the house was not an unnecessary concern. However, after Mia's death, the house was abandoned and only occasionally visited to maintain order.
Although all this time Tatsuya resided only in the villa, the possibility of using that house after a long time was also considered.
Yuuka did not find any problems with the furniture, appliances and other accessories.
"Thank you for your work."
Tsukuba Yuuka, the eldest daughter of the Tsukuba family, one of the side branches of the Yotsuba family, nodded generously.
"If the luggage is transported, can you take the case?"
It was the evening of the day when Tatsuya dined with Maya, discussing how to react to the information War announced by the two Clarks, Edward and Raymond. It goes without saying that Yuuka visited this little house not for entertainment, but to complete the task entrusted to her by the head of the family Yotsuba.
The work entrusted by Maya to the Tsukuba family was to erect a
"cleansing from people" barrier, which should keep the media from approaching the villa where Tatsuya resides. Such spells are a specialty of ancient magic, and modern magic was not initially focused on such activities. But among all families with a familial relationship with the Yotsuba, the Tsukuba family was best specialized in Mental Interference Magic. Using such conditions to activate the magic where duration is increased by decreasing the power, you can build barriers no worse than those of the users of ancient magic.
They arrived at the observation house in the evening, so when the installation of the barrier was completed, it was already dark. If you can use magic, it doesn't mean that you can see in the dark. Night vision is a magical ability.
"Madam, a suspicious person has been found."
"Uh, where?"
That's why Yuuka didn't notice that man.
"...Oh, I see. Looks like he's watching the villa where Tatsuya-san is located."
A suspicious man was dressed in a dark blue jacket and trousers, which was poorly distinguishable in the dark, and had binoculars hanging on his neck. Even at the place where he stood, one could come to the conclusion that he, as Yuuka said, came to watch the activity of Tatsuya.
Yuuka’s subordinates spotted this man with the newly created barrier. This barrier, created under the guidance of Yuuka, interferes with the idea that people can recognize the existence of the villa where Tatsuya is staying in. The principle is the same as that of
"Ghost Walker" used by Zhou Gongjin and Chen Xianshan. The eyes see something, but the consciousness thinks it doesn't see it.
And how does that affect the person who was watching the villa right before the barrier was erected? He'd think the villa was suddenly gone.
No wonder he may accidentally stop hiding his presence.
Conversely, if this person did not even flinch, it would mean that he has the skills to hide his presence from Yuuka and her subordinates.
"Grab him. Not to kill. No serious injuries."
"Understood."
The magicians accompanying Yuuka, dissolved in the darkness, leaving one of them as her guard.
"In any case, Tatsuya-san certainly noticed him..."
Yuuka looked at the villa where Tatsuya was located. The bright light from the windows made the villa noticeable in the dark.
Tatsuya hardly did not notice that someone was peeping. It seems that he left that man because he came to the conclusion that there would be no real harm from him. Or he thought that even if he catches him, then the follow-up action on the issue can be a troublesome affair.
This man hid on the land belonging to the villa. All surrounding areas were the property of the Yotsuba family (more precisely the real estate company, which was secretly managed by the Yotsuba family). But there were no fences there. Even if the offender is apprehended under the pretext of an unlawful invasion, he can pretend that he has not noticed and in retaliation accuse the apprehenders of unnecessary measures.
"... Looks like he's decided to throw those difficulties at us."
Tatsuya should have noticed not only a suspicious person, but also Yuuka's group. He thought he didn't have to get his hands dirty.
Yuuka deeply sighed, remembering the face of her not-so-sweet distant relative.
"Head-sama, the construction of the barrier has been completed without delay."
"Good work."
After completing the interrogation of the suspicious person, Yuuka returned to the small house and called Maya with a report.
"After that, we discovered a suspicious type, watching Tatsuya-sama.
We caught him and interrogated him."
"And?"
Maya slightly rounded her eyes, and the corners of her lips slightly raised, forming a smile.
"Did you determine his affiliation?"
"He is an agent of the Tomita family."
"Tomita of the hundred families... I think they are on a special account with the Magic Association, aren’t they?"
"Yes. The observation of Tatsuya-sama was conducted on the request of the Magic Association."
"Clear..."
Maya nodded with a charming smile on her face. Yuuka felt a chill on her back, but she somehow managed to keep her face calm.
"According to the agent of the Tomita family, he had no intention to cause harm. Apparently, the Magic Association thought that Tatsuya-san would try to hide somewhere."
"Clear."
"We still have the agent. What do we do with him?"
"Let him go. No need to erase memory."
"...Will that be okay?"
"Yes. The Yotsuba family never abandons their people. It is necessary to remind the Magic Association about this."
(...Too impertinently), Yuuka unwittingly thought. At least she didn't say it out loud.
If we remember the circumstances of Tatsuya until last year, it is quite a good impression.
No, it's not just the past. Yuuka believed that the duel with the head of the Juumonji family was a battle that he had to go to alone as the one who would become the husband of the next head of the Yotsuba family. But at the same time she felt that not taking any measures against the Military Intelligence Department was quite brutal on the Yotsuba’s part.
"You wanted to say something else?"
"Yes, but it does not apply to the task."
Yuuka answered Maya's question immediately, as if she were not thinking of anything superfluous. Because of such abilities, Yuuka was in the first place among the four candidates for the right to be the next head of the family.
"I don't mind."
"My mother is worried that the seal on Tatsuya-san has disappeared."
"'Worried' is a rather discreet description, isn't it?"
Even if Maya was joking, Yuuka couldn't refute it.
Touka, Yuuka's mother, is proud of her magical powers. Of course, this kind of pride is present in every magician, but Touka is a special case. Knowing this, not only Maya, but anyone could guess that the destruction of Pledge made Touka hysterical.
"Does the head think that this is not a problem?"
Instead of arguing, Yuuka directly asked about Maya's intentions.
"That Pledge was annulled? Hmm, I don't think there's going to be a problem, but... There's nothing to be done about it, right?"
"Nothing to be done?"
Maya's response surprised Yuuka.
"I knew it could be dissipated in theory. But who would have thought that Tatsuya-san would be able to do something that could be dangerous for Miyuki-san?"
"Yes. Really."
According to the system of Pledge itself, it was expected that, when destroying the magic itself, the spell supporting Miyuki would receive seriously damage. Therefore, it was really unexpected that Tatsuya went to that much risk.
"In addition, we will not be able to re-impose Pledge on Tatsuya-san."
Yuuka had nothing but to admit to what Maya said.
Pledge places a heavy burden not only on those who use it, but the person who maintains the Magic Sequence. Not just in a case where there is a recoil from Pledge being dispelled; in a situation where Pledge acts, it keeps the magician from losing control of their magical skills on a daily basis.
The current Tatsuya can now use magic that would have before reduced the magical skills of Miyuki.
"When we cannot do anything, can we only run away from reality?"
This comment by Maya was an acute criticism, hidden under the guise of reproach to Yuuka and her mother, who had gone beside herself because of the destruction of Pledge.
"True... I think you're right." Yuuka answered, realizing this. She answered not because she had no choice because she was submissive, but because she understood the meaning of the expression "escape from reality."
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