Chapter 5
On August 14, Tatsuya and the others returned to Miyakijima. It was in preparation for the next day, the 15th, when a group of engineers from USNA aiming to acquire stellar furnace technology will visit Miyakijima.
Looking at the list of engineers provided by USNA through Jeffrey James, Tatsuya muttered, "They are serious about it."
He was muttering in the living room with four people in. His voice reached everyone's ears.
"What is it?"
It was Miyuki who asked that. Lina tilts the cafe au lait mug uninterestedly, and Minami is modest and silent.
"The name of Abigail Stuart is on the list of engineers coming to Japan."
"Is there something wrong with that person?"
Miyuki asked, Tatsuya turned to Lina.
"Lina, do you know her?"
Miyuki, who interpreted the meaning of the line of sight as "ask Lina," redirects the question to Lina.
Lina, who returned the mug to the low table, glared at Tatsuya for a moment and replied, "Yes," pretending to be calm.
"Abby… Dr. Abigail Stuart is a technical advisor to Stars. She specializes in charged particle magic weapons. I've been indebted to her."
"When you talk about charged particle magic weapons… Is that the person who made Lina's Heavy Metal Burst and Brionac?"
When Miyuki asks with her head tilted, Lina, with her eyes wide, opens her mouth flabbergasted.
"How did you understand that with just those words!?"
"'How' you say… I wonder if it's such a difficult reasoning."
Lina sighs loudly at Miyuki, who talks as if nothing had happened.
"Tatsuya isn't the only one here who is not right in the head…"
"…I'm sorry, Lina. I didn't hear you well. Could you please say it again?"
Miyuki gave Lina an overpowering impression, with a pure white like powder snow, glittering, soft, dry and cold smile.
"Hiii!"
Lina realizes that she has made a mistake, she cowers with guilt and fear.
"Oh……"
"Oh?"
Lina feels a cold sweat, and Miyuki strengthens the pressure.
"O……"
"Oh, what?"
"Oh… I said that Tatsuya wasn't the only one who thinks strangely fast."
Lina looks at Miyuki's face with a praying like expression.
"Oh dear!"
Miyuki's smile changed from dry snow to fresh flowers.
"Silly Lina. You shouldn't use "not right in the head", you know? There are other ways you could have said that."
"I haven't improved my Japanese that much."
"Maybe that's the case."
Hearing these words from Miyuki, Lina's shoulders are relaxed. In fact, she felt so weak that she wanted to lie down on the couch right now. However, if she did it, Miyuki would be suspicious. Lina endured through with all her might.
Miyuki turned to Tatsuya without noticing Lina's conflict - or pretending to be unaware.
"Onii-sama. Why would such an important person come to Japan just for the stellar reactor technology? No, why would the USNA government allow her to leave the country?"
"Your suspicion is reasonable, but I don't think you have to worry too much about this."
It was Lina rather than Miyuki who was most surprised by Tatsuya's answer.
"Tatsuya, why do you think that?"
"It would be too excessive. If you want to do something, you can't use an important person like a developer of strategic magic. The cost benefit tradeoff is too low."
"What is this cost…"
Lina seems to feel uncomfortable with Tatsuya's way of thinking, which considers humans as cost calculations. Even at these times, she displays her unsuitability as military personnel.
"It is only a guess, but is Dr.Stuart the type that puts her intellectual curiosity first? Maybe more than her own safety."
"…Yeah, that's true."
Lina's eyes roamed over, and she nodded crisply.
"Abby is a little out of the ordinary… and she's an otaku1."
"Otaku?"
It's still used, but Miyuki tilts her head to words that aren't as popular as early in this century.
"Isn't it a geek?"
In this scene, Miyuki uses "geek" to mean "advanced technology enthusiast." If you were a revered enough researcher to be an adviser to Stars, she imagined that an 'Otaku' would refer to a technical Otaku.
"It's a little different, but… I don't think what Miyuki said was wrong, so it's okay to think like that. Abby is obsessed with immature girls."
"…She is a woman, right?"
"Yeah, she's 22 years old… No, I wonder if she's already 23 years old? Anyway, She is a lady in her early twenties."
"So that obsession for immature girls…?"
"Ah, it's not like a lolicon… I think? Anyway, it's not like she has sexually unscrupulous conduct. So, rest at ease there."
"Is that so?"
Miyuki did not pursue further. Looking at her face, one could see that she was not convinced. Even if she asked more questions, she felt that no one would be happy.
The question as to whether there was something behind Abigail's visit to Japan or if she was just coming to see the stellar reactor technology purely for the sake of it was unclear because of the topic of her inclination.
Thursday, August 15, 2097.
This day was never remembered by the world. Tatsuya's meeting with Dr. Abigail Stuart was only occasionally mentioned by later historians as an event in magical engineering.
However, it was a significant encounter for the persons involved.
"Welcome, Dr. Stuart."
"Mr. Shiba, I'm obliged."
When he shook hands with the 155 centimeters tall female scientist, it gave a clear feeling of her lack of physical training. Tatsuya praised her, saying, "So this is the genius who put FAE theory to practical use?"
While shaking hands with Tatsuya, Abigail leaked a sincere sigh of admiration "Is this the genius who solved two of the three great puzzles of weight Systematic magic?".
The "Three Great Puzzles of Weight Systematic Magic" are three subjects that have long been a problem in magic engineering, such as "theoretically possible, but technically impossible". Specifically speaking, "gravity-controlled thermonuclear fusion reactor," "general-purpose flight magic," and "pseudo-perpetual motion by infinite inertia." Of these, Tatsuya has technically put into practical use the "gravity-controlled thermonuclear fusion reactor" and "general-purpose flight magic".
In addition, "FAE theory" or "Free After Execution theory", which is also called "theory of late phenomenon modification" in Japanese, but "FAE theory" is more generally accepted among Japanese scholars.
Specifically, the events that occur as a result of magical modification are events that should not exist in this world, so the bindings of the physical laws are loosened in the immediate aftermath of the modification. Therefore, during an event that is a product of magic, if you make new modifications, you can get the desired result with much less event interference strength than usual."
However, this hypothesis could not be substantiated because the time assumed to be "immediate aftermath " is so short that the expression "immediate" is not exaggerated at all. It was Dr. Abigail Stuart who not only proved the FAE theory for the first time, but also put it into practical use as a magic weapon.
Tatsuya has also succeeded in putting the FAE theory into practical use as the new magic "Baryon Lance" this year. However, this is still only known to the people involved in the Yotsuba family, Katsuto Jumonji who lost to "Baryon Lance", Saegusa Mayumi and Mari Watanabe who were present during the battle.
However, Tatsuya's respect for Abigail did not diminish just because he was able to put it into practical use. Tatsuya's "Baryon Lance" is based on "Brionac" made by Abigail. It's a new magic that only exists because of her achievements. Tatsuya didn't misunderstand that.
"Would you like to see the plant immediately?"
"Yes, by all means."
Tatsuya noticed that Abigail was fidgeting, and gave her wish the highest priority. Skipping the ceremony, he guided her directly from the airport to the stellar furnace plant.
After touring through the plant, Tatsuya once again guided the technicians who came to Japan to a welcome dinner party. The time was already near noon, but when he asked Abigail and others, they said that they didn't have much appetite due to the time difference, so he left it as a light meal.
"Abby, it's been a long time."
Lina was also in attendance at the party. Because of her non-japanese appearance, she was in the middle of the America tech team, but she wasn’t noticed and there was no fuss. Abigail was the only one among them who knew the true identity of "Angie Sirius".
"Hey, you seem to be doing well."
No one tries to break into the conversation between Lina and Abigail. Apparently, Abigail is an extraneous presence in the technical team visiting Japan.
If you think about it, that's not unreasonable. Abigail is only 22 years old at this time. No matter how much of a meritocracy the United States is, it is no wonder that if a young girl in her early twenties is mixed in with a group of people in their forties or older, they will not get used to it. The more intellectually elite, the more the ability of 20 years younger may be recognized rationally but not emotionally. That's the human who is limited to a life of less than a hundred years.
"Dr., I would like to introduce you. This is my fiance."
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Stuart. My name is Shiba Miyuki. I am honored to meet you."
It can be said that it is a natural concern for the host that Tatsuya and Miyuki, who somehow felt the atmosphere of being convoluted, moved to follow.
"Nice to meet you, Princess of Yotsuba. I have heard rumors about you."
Abigail does not seem to be overwhelmed by the beauty of Miyuki. It seems that the relationship with Lina has made her resistant to beautiful girls. However, other technical team members visiting Japan did not do so. Miyuki, Lina, and the two beautiful girls in the world gave off a void area, and for a different reason than before, the table with Abigail was surrounded.
A blank area is formed around Tatsuya, Abigail, Miyuki and Lina.
"That's better for me."
Abigail smiled at that and
"I have a message to Mister"
She talked to Tatsuya with a meaningful tone.
"What is it?"
"I heard that they've found the person you were looking for."
Tatsuya didn't move his expression, but Miyuki, who was listening next to him, stared at Abigail with a surprised face. Even if he didn't say his name, Tatsuya and Miyuki knew who it was.
"I heard that they were in Los Angeles."
As Tatsuya speculated, Minoru was on the west coast of USNA.
"But apparently, when I left Boston, the person you were looking for had already left Long Beach in a small cruiser."
"Do you know the cruiser destination?"
"I haven't heard that much."
"Is that so… Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Until the end, Abigail didn't ask who Tatsuya was looking for.
It was past 5 pm when Tatsuya returned to his villa on the west coast of Miyakijima after meeting all the quota of today's schedule following the welcome party. Miyuki attended only the welcome party.
Tatsuya greeted "I'm home" to Miyuki, and left a thin and light bag with Minami, who was behind Miyuki ?as Minami wouldn't move unless he gave the bag?, and settled down on the sofa in the living room.
"Are you tired?"
Miyuki puts a cold drink in front of Tatsuya.
Tatsuya reduced the contents of the glass in half and returned it to the table.
"I'm not that tired, but… USNA technicians are tough. Jet lag normally remains on the day of the arrival."
"Well, it's a daily occurrence for people that stay up all night."
Lina broke into the conversation.
"More than that, what are you going to do now? It seems that you succeeded in making him come out of hiding as planned, but… you haven't been able to track the ship, right?"
When Lina asked Colonel Balance to search for Minoru, she used a code known to be deciphered by the Seven Sages on purpose.
She knew it would be cracked by Raymond that is close to Minoru, and used a normal code.
At Tatsuya's instructions.
Its purpose is exactly what Lina has just said.
Knowing that they were being searched, Minoru escaped from his hideout.
However, as Lina pointed out, the whereabouts after that have become uncertain.
"Will Minoru-kun come back to Japan…?"
Miyuki mutters with a voice that can't hide her anxiety.
Tatsuya predicted that Minoru, who had left his hideout, would return to Japan.
"I think returning home is a dangerous bet for Minoru-kun."
However, as Miyuki says, if Minoru enters Japan, many magicians, including the ancient practitioner magician who advocates "eradication of malignant spirits", will aim at him. This time Yakumo will also be on the side of eliminating him. Minoru should be fully expecting that.
"Minoru will come back."
Tatsuya's answer was an affirmation.
"Minoru won't abandon Minami, just as we won't abandon her. In this regard, I trust Minoru."
Tatsuya's words had the power to make them believe those predictions would be prophecies.
"That's right… Minoru-kun tried to save Minami-chan by abandoning himself. Regardless of the pros and cons of the means, he will not run away as it is…"
Miyuki's lines were directed at herself, but the words pierced deep, deep, in Minami's chest.
Neither Tatsuya, Miyuki, nor Lina were aware of this fact.
Rather than being careless, rather than being insensitive, it is probably the limit that comes from lack of experience.
Tatsuya is 18 years old. Miyuki and Lina are 17 years old.
No matter how powerful you are
Even if it's an individual that can single-handedly use magic that removes nations.
They were still immature high school students.
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