When they returned home, Miyuki immediately dragged Lina to her room in order to prepare for the exams, as she had promised back in the school building.
Lina’s entrance exams into First High were tomorrow. She had less than half a day left to prepare. Tatsuya didn’t think there was any sense in cramming right before the exam, but he didn’t stop them since Miyuki had already made promised and Lina had already agreed. He didn’t have any reason to force his opinion on them.
Instead, Tatsuya headed to the “meditation room” located on the same floor as the training room. It was a room dedicated to using magic by increasing one’s focus through meditation.
The room was isolated from light, sound, and vibrations – all possible causes of distraction. It maintained a constant, comfortable temperature, and noise was kept to a certain level. It was a favorable environment for using magic that required high concentration of the mind.
Therefore, it shouldn’t even need to be mentioned that Tatsuya came to this room to search for Minami. However, unlike his method yesterday, today he wasn’t going to try and force his way through Minoru’s disguising magic.
Tatsuya had already succeeded in finding Minami through Minoru’s Parade – while it was only a short time, he had found her approximate whereabouts after succeeding in canceling Minoru’s Parade. However, he still couldn’t find Minoru’s shelter after searching the area he found in person. There was no reason for him to break through Parade again only to be stopped once more by the local concealment magic built by Zhou Gongjin.
While Tatsuya hadn’t managed to actually find Minami, he had still found vital information:
Minami was still human.
She had no yet become a Parasite.
Tatsuya didn’t know how to prevent her from becoming a Parasite by using the information dimension or if it was even possible, but he at least knew that it wasn’t too late to save her. This fact gave him enough willpower to push through any doubts that he wouldn’t be able to succeed.
Tatsuya sat directly on the wooden floor of the spacious 8 tatami room.
Miyuki wasn’t in his physical reach at the moment so he couldn’t fully use his Elemental Sight to search, but he already knew he was able to find Minami’s Eidos even without taking his sight off of Miyuki after yesterday.
Mobilizing all his free resources to look for Minami, he checked her condition.
“Her physical data is stil human.
Also, her psionic waves don’t contain anything inherent to Parasites.”
With this, Tatsuya was sure that Minami still hadn’t turned into a Parasite.
“There was no change in the information around the coordinates. It’s stil in the Sea of Trees with an error of about 100 meters.
But… the coordinates changed? Did Minoru notice my observation?”
Tatsuya knew that Minoru had detected his initial search through the information dimension, but he wasn’t sure whether he had detected his later observation in the physical realm. The first illusion hadn’t fooled him yesterday because he had seen it before.
“I can stil read Minami’s physical condition even if it’s blocked by Parade.”
All of Tatsuya’s attention yesterday had been directed towards determining Minami’s location, so he hadn’t had detected any other relevant information.
This time, Tatsuya had learned from that and maintained his discipline as he continued to observe. He had come to the conclusion that yesterday he was not sufficiently assembled and calm, so he made sure that he was completely focused today by meditating and calming his mind.
Minoru’s magic was slightly unstable – probably a combination of lingering effects from Cocytus as well as Tatsuya’s attack the day before. Because of this, his Parade was more visible than the day before.
“This is completely different from Lina’s version…?”
While both Minoru’s and Lina’s Parade had the same effect – masking information about the body – the specific processes they used to achieve this effect differed widely.
“Can I disperse it now…? No, I still don’t have enough.”
Tatsuya received a more detailed response than yesterday from Minoru’s magic sequence, but he still didn’t have enough to completely decompose the magic. He needed more detailed structural information.
Tatsuya focused his gaze.
However, Minoru’s magic suddenly stopped fluctuating and regained its stability and the crack through which Tatsuya was able to view the structural information closed.
Tatsuya tried using Gram Dispersion anyway, despite the lack of information.
Based on the new information he gained by reading past changes while the spell fluctuated, Tatsuya decomposed the information body making up the phenomena.
“…it didn’t work?”
Tatsuya still couldn’t decompose a hidden sequence of magic in his current state.
However, he didn’t hurry himself this time. Remembering yesterday’s experience, he decided to temporarily stop searching.
“If I can’t acquire the required information by observation, maybe I can obtain data in another way.”
Rather than continue walking into his current dead end hoping to break through the path, Tatsuya decided to turn back and find a new one.
Minoru and Lina both use Parade originating from the Kudou. Therefore, the Kudou family must have improved the spell after Kudou Ken left for America since Lina’s spell differed from Minoru’s.
If Minoru added the adjustments himself, there wouldn’t be that much of a difference.
Even with his outstanding intellect, he wouldn’t be able to quickly improve the spell.
Therefore, if Tatsuya could learn about the spell from the Kudou family, the probability of him being able to overcome Minoru’s disguise would greatly increase.
Tatsuya stopped meditating, got up, and started thinking about a negotiation plan.
About an hour after Tatsuya stopped pressuring him, Minoru sighed with relief, relaxing. He was in a comfortably reclined on a cushioned recliner, but he had still involuntarily overworked himself. Exhausted, he leaned all the way back in his chair.
Today’s attack hadn’t been the same as yesterday. Minoru had felt a similar pressure at the end, but for the most part, the pressure today had been more creepy – almost sinister. He hadn’t felt attacked, just… watched.
Minoru did not feel any hope from the lack of an offensive attack. There was no way Tatsuya had given up. It was almost worse that he was only being watched – Minoru had no idea what Tatsuya knew, what he was doing. He worried that Tatsuya had found some vulnerability in Parade that Minoru hadn’t noticed. Maybe he had stopped watching because he had found what he was looking for.
Despite this, Minoru was confident in Parade. The spell had been developed by the Ninth Laboratory before being further perfected by Kudou Retsu.
It used to be said that Kudou Ken was a more advanced user of Parade, so Minoru believed that his grandfather had continued to improve the magic sequence to win against his younger brother in skill. Minoru knew his grandfather was very proud of it
– it was the magic he had put his heart into to achieve the point of being called the
“most skilled in the world.” Minoru believed that even Tatsuya wouldn’t be able to find any defects in the magic.
However, Minoru knew that he couldn’t just rely on his belief. His worry came from the fact that even though the chance was incredibly small, the chance that Tatsuya had found or could find a weakness existed. In addition, though his current shelter had not yet been discovered, both Tatsuya and then Ten Master Clans knew it was in the Sea of Trees. He had to move to a new location where he wouldn’t be chased, just in case.
Knowing this, Minoru made a decision to help Lu Ganghu enter the country to gather the attention of the self-defense forces – and, hopefully, Tatsuya and the Ten Master Clans as well.
Minoru chose to betray his homeland to give Minami a choice about her future.
To complete his work, he stood up, walked over to the table, and opened a special application to send an anonymous message.
The soldiers of the platoon of strike infantry from the first division of the national self-defense forces – the Sword Corps, currently stationed at the military base adjacent to the training ground east of Mount Fuji – were currently depressed in their barracks.
The had come to this base on the third of July to arrest the Parasite Kudou Minoru, who had kill Kudou Retsu – a former general of the self-defense forces. They had spent 6 days (including the day of arrival) without any leads and without work, but yesterday, they had finally received information from the Juumonji family that Minoru was hiding in the Sea of Trees. Enthused, the fighters moved to search for the villain’s hideout.
But in the end, they found… nothing.
Not only had they failed to find the shelter, they hadn’t even found a single trace of wheels after a thorough search.
The soldiers didn’t think the Juumonji family had lied, but some at least grinned at the fact that the Ten Master Clans had also been fooled.
After a day of searching for the shelter, the officers came to the conclusion that Kudou Minoru was not hiding in the Sea of Trees, so their mission to capture Kudou Minoru had gone back to the beginning.
Without leads, everyone was ordered to wait in the provided accommodation on the base. They didn’t have any way to leave, but they were at least able to rest. Since as soldier’s, they didn’t drink during the day, most of them simply lounged around, resting from yesterday’s bustle.
That’s why the message that came in the evening caught them by surprise, tensing them in both body and mind.
The soldiers quickly gathered in the conference hall looking rested but alert – the sudden order gave everyone the feeling that something was wrong.
The commander of the detachment took the podium and asked everyone to sit down.
After an introduction, he came to the main topic:
“About an hour ago, we received an anonymous text message.”
A third of the soldiers present exchanged glances with other, but the commander heard their whispers and paused until the noise died down.
“The intelligence department couldn’t find the source of the message, but the message wasn’t malicious at least. The main problem, however, is the content of the message.”
The commander stopped and looked around for a moment. The atmosphere was filled with tension.
“A sabotage detachment from the Great Asian Alliance has entered Japan. His goal is to murder the Strategic Class magician who escaped to our country, Liu Li Lei. The commander of this detachment is Lu Ganghu.”
This time, the noise in the hall was more audible. Many of the people gathered –
including Chiba Naotsugu and Watanabe Mari – unconsciously muttered the commander of the detachment from the GAA’s name.
The commander of the Sword Corps ordered support in intercepting the sabotage detachment sent by the GAA. They had two goals. First: protect Komatsu base. And second: capture or eliminate Lu Ganghu.
Half of the Sword Corps would depart tomorrow and act separately from the remaining force.
The shipped half included Naotsugu and Mari.
Naotsugu heard on knock on his door as he was preparing for tomorrow’s departure.
His room was small and narrow, and half of it was occupied by his bed and wardrobe.
He walked to the door in just three steps, and, twisting and pulling the doorknob, said
“come in.”
Outside his room was a woman in the corridor from the same squad as him.
“Xu, are you free right now?”
“Of course.”
The visitor to his room was his beloved Mari.
“Sorry to trouble you…”
Mari spoke in an indecisive tone. It was already late evening, and Naotsugu was supposed to be busy preparing for tomorrow’s action.
“Mari, have you finished packing?”
“Of course.”
“Did you just find that bag with a changeable strap?”
Naotsugu teased Mari for her aversion to tidying up.
“How rude. I am a woman,” she responded.
“Sorry, sorry. But, I don’t think there is a rule that one is able to maintain order just by being a woman.”
Naotsugu was still smiling in his apology, but Mari wasn’t angry. While her pride was being insulted, she was willing to accept it – partly because it was somewhat true, and partly because it was from the one she loved.
She knew that she was disorganized, especially compared to other women, but she currently lived in army quarters. She couldn’t afford to be sloppy and make a mess like she did at home, so she kept her clothes washed, her toothbrush dried, and her comb in ready in her bag every day.
Mari was ready to leave at a moment’s notice – as she had to be, due to the nature of the army. That’s why she had prepared so quickly.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” Naotsugu asked.
He stopped his teasing to ask a more serious question. He stopped smiling despite his happiness – while he wanted to see the face of his beloved, his lover was serious. She wouldn’t come late at night just to fool around.
“Xu, I would like to hear your opinion…”
Naotsugu motioned for Mari to sit on the bed before continuing. Mari obliged and sat down before asking about the expected topic.
“Tomorrow’s departure… couldn’t this just be a ploy to divert our attention?”
However, the content of the question went way beyond his expectations.
“…you think the penetration of the Great Asian Alliance might be a hoax?” Naotsugu asked.
“It might be, but even if it is true, why was the information sent here?”
“I don’t know that either – it’s a strange, illegal message from an unknown source, so I don’t know how much we can trust the content of the message, either. …Mari, you think that the message containing secret data was sent in order to stop our search for Kudou Minoru?”
Mari nodded hesitantly to answer.
“I… still believe that Kudou Minoru is hiding somewhere in the Sea of Trees.”
“Even after our searches?” Naotsugu confirmed.
“I don’t think Juumonji would have sent unreliable information, Xu.”
Mari was looking at the floor – perhaps she didn’t have enough self-confidence to defend her opinion while looking Naotsugu in the eye – but her voice was no longer as indecisive. She had grown more confident than she had been initially, even if she was still nervous.
“…the current head of the Juumonji family was your classmate, right? So you know his character well?”
“I practically know him personally. I don’t know everything – I can’t say what his hobbies are or his favorite food – but I do know one thing for sure: that man will not make irresponsible statements. If he doesn’t know something, he will say he doesn’t know it. If Juumonji said ‘Kudou Minoru hid in Aokigahara,’ Kudou Minoru is hiding in Aokigahara – maybe behind an unknown magic.”
Mari finally raised her head and looked straight at Naotsugu.
“…Xu. I can’t think otherwise.”
“I see.”
Naotsugu met Mari’s eyes with his own before nodding.
“I don’t know the character of the head of the Juumonji family, but if you say so, then the information from Juumonji Katsuto-si is trustworthy, and your idea that Kudou Minoru is hiding behind unknown magic is also likely.”
“Xu…”
Naotsugu didn’t look away from Mari’s eyes full of emotion.
“Kudou Minoru is a magician of the Ninth lab who defeated the elder. Perhaps his knowledge and abilities after becoming a Parasite allow him to freely use all of the secret techniques from the Ninth lab. But…”
“But?” Mari asked.
“But even if this is just to distract us – we still have to appear tomorrow.”
“…because this is an order?”
“Of course, that. But more importantly, if there is a chance that Lu Ganghu has entered the country, I can’t just leave it unaddressed.”
Two years ago, Naotsugu fought against Lu Ganghu right before the Yokohama incident. The fight had ended with injuries on each side, but if Naotsugu had been conquered that time, many other Japanese magicians would have fallen victim to the ensuing assault on the Kanto branch of the Magic Association – possibly including Mari. Remembering this, Naotsugu wanted to avoid this happening again no matter what.
“If he really had entered the country, this time I need to finish him off,” Naotsugu said.
“…I understand. But, if you’re talking about your connection to him, I have also fought him in the past.”
Mari had also exchanged blows with Lu Ganghu – and not just once, but twice.
While each time had ended in a victory for Mari’s side, however, neither time had been her own achievement.
She had been successful the first time because Lu Ganghu had already been wounded by Naotsugu.
And in the second time, Mayumi had been the one to strike the final blow.
Mari also had a desire to stop him, even if it wasn’t as strong as Naotsugu’s.
“I don’t have any personal reason to chase Kudou Minoru. If I hadn’t been ordered by the army, I probably wouldn’t have ever gotten involved in this – so, this new order has a higher priority to me.”
“…yeah. We work on both cases at once, and our priority should fall in stopping Lu Ganghu.”
Around the time Mari and Naotsugu had their conversation in Naotsugu’s narrow room, Kazama called Tatsuya to warn him.
“Tatsuya, I will say this again. I want you to stop doing things as stupid as sending Angie Sirius to school, putting her in the eye of the public.”
“And I will repeat this: our family took care of Angelina Kudou Shields-san, not Major Angie Sirius.”
“…do you really think that such an excuse will work?”
“You think I’m joking?”
Tatsuya was speaking in a carefree tone in contrast to Kazama’s stern voice, so it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for the answer to that question to be “yes”.
“Major Angie Sirius has a rather remarkable appearance – a height of 170 centimeters with dark red hair and golden eyes. Lina’s appearance with light blue eyes and blond hair, while fairly rare and an ethnic peculiarity given her ancestry, is completely different from Major Angie Sirius. And, even ignoring eye and hair color – they have a completely different physique,” Tatsuya continued.
“Angie Sirius is a Parade user! She can take any shape!”
“But has the USNA government acknowledged this? Have they confirmed that Angelina Kudou Shields is Major Angie Sirius?”
“…no, they haven’t confirmed it.”
“Then, has the embassy demanded a citizen of their country, hiding here, be released, or required that we extradite a criminal?”
“…there wasn’t anything like that, either.”
“Then, since Shields-san is not confirmed to be Major Sirius, we don’t have any need to transfer her to America.”
“Tatsuya… do you really intend to start a feud with the army? Is Angie Sirius so valuable to you?”
“Lieutenant Colonel, do not misunderstand me. I have no intention to fight the military.”
Tatsuya immediately answered, but after a short pause, he added:
“On my side, at least, there is no hostility.”
Later that night, shortly before the date would change from July 10 to July 11, Lina was still in Miyuki’s room.
Lina’s home was on the same floor as Tatsuya and Miyuki, but it was in a different apartment. There was a separate lockable door with a separate bathroom, toilet, living room, and bedroom.
Despite this, Lina remained in Miyuki’s room.
This wasn’t because Lina’s room hadn’t been prepared.
As could be deduced, they were preparing for Lina’s entrance exams tomorrow.
Lina sat at the table Miyuki usually used. Miyuki sat next to her like a tutor.
“Isn’t it getting late?” Miyuki said.
After Miyuki said this, Lina weakly fel onto the table, face down.
“I’m…tired…”
Lina moaned this statement and held her head face down in her arms, which were folded on the table.
“You’re exaggerating.”
Miyuki smiled slightly at Lina’s seeming exhaustion.
“I’m not exaggerating! I categorically affirm my fatigue!”
Lina jumped from her chair and protested in a manner that contrasted her statement.
Miyuki bent her head from Lina’s belligerence.
“I thought this was normal behavior before an exam…”
Lina’s face turned noticeably pale.
“This… is normal for you…? Really…? Maybe it’s because you’re special, Miyuki…”
“What is special about this…? After al , we only spent five hours studying…”
“If you only look at the time after the fact, it doesn’t seem significant, but ordinary people can’t maintain their concentration for that long!”
“Onii-sama is much more amazing.”
“Tatsuya is far from ordinary! Can’t you cite other examples?”
“Other people with whom I study?”
Lina touched on a slightly sensitive subject.
“Of course I can. Honoka, Shizuku, Minami-chan…”
Miyuki stopped suddenly. Lina’s faced turned into an expression of guilt and she hid behind her hand.
While she didn’t know the details of what happened, she knew that something troubling had occurred, and tried to avoid the topic despite being interested. She was aware enough not to force her way into someone else’s business, but Lina thought that she had accidentally stumbled onto a minefield with her careless tired statement.
“Hey… what happened the day before yesterday?”
Lina could have just returned to her room and acted as if nothing had happened, but Lina dared to ask the question, believing it would be best if she knew the situation.
“I’ve never seen Tatsuya’s face like that before – the face he had when he contacted me the day before yesterday. Miyuki, what happened to you?”
Miyuki’s eyes quivered, but after much hesitation, she nodded, deciding to talk to Lina.
“The day before yesterday, I was really shocked, but… everything is in order now, thanks to Onii-sama’s support.”
Miyuki said she was fine, but Lina didn’t believe her completely – if she was fine, why did she react so much after thinking about Minami?
The topic had a deep imprint on Minami’s mind. She had paused for so long that there was clearly pain.
However, her statement hadn’t been entirely a lie. Miyuki had been able to overcome herself and speak with a kind smile that hadn’t felt forced or fake.
“Do… you want to listen?”
Miyuki was interested in telling Lina everything.
So, Miyuki spoke, telling Lina all the details from when Minoru abducted Minami, and after that, she added Tatsuya’s opinion on Minami’s reason to the story with which he had reassured Miyuki.
“I… think Tatsuya is correct, at least somewhat,” Lina said after she finished listening to Miyuki.
“What Onii-sama said – do you mean his words about Minami-chan’s feelings…?”
“Yes. I don’t know what kind of person Minami is, but I can understand Tatsuya’s words in that he doesn’t want you to kill a person you know. If Tatsuya thinks that Minami had the same motive, I’m sure he’s correct.”
In Stars, Lina had to eliminate combat magicians who had committed serious crimes, and among the targets were former colleagues from Stars.
Lina had experienced how difficult it was to aim a weapon – whether guns or magic
– at a comrade and pull the trigger. She was certain Tatsuya understood this, as well as Minami, at least hypothetically.
“…thank you Lina.”
“You don’t need to thank me for that.”
Lina averted her eyes from Miyuki’s intent gaze, confused, as her cheeks slightly reddened.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login