Chapter 4
Today was the deadline to turn in the thesis, presentation draft, and materials to the school.
Suzune, Isori, and Tatsuya had no interest in trying to slapdash the job the day before the deadline, so they had produced the data disc the day before.
During the lunch break, they gathered to go over the final checklist that was not directed towards the contents within, but examining the context and manner of presentation of the major points. After passing their inspection, they accepted Haruka's suggestion and Suzune personally handed the data disc to Tsudzura.
"Does Ono-sensei's advice to not turn in the thesis online have anything to do with yesterday's incident?"
After finishing the portion he was responsible for, Isori asked in a blank manner.
"Possibly."
After finishing his task (even the burden allotted to a Year 1 student was by no means light), Tatsuya replied in a whisper to avoid distracting Suzune.
"It would be far simpler to hack from on campus to get a glimpse of the network."
"Even then that's quite challenging."
Isori shrugged at Tatsuya's point.
At the same time, accompanied by the typing sounds on a traditional keyboard — the sound from Suzune's favored traditional keyboard — Suzune turned back this way.
"Was it really a student from our school?"
After finishing her inspection, Suzune organized the materials and joined the conversation.
"No, that remains a 'maybe'."
"Even the uniform wouldn't be that difficult to obtain if they tried."
Hearing Tatsuya and Isori's replies, Suzune fell into thought.
"Isori-kun and Chiyoda-san should have access to the student roster."
Isori was a member of the Student Council and Kanon was the Chief of the Public Moral Committee, so they had the power to review the student roster. Of course, the amount of private information available was zero, so they could only make a cursory inspection of mug shots and full photos.
"Kanon was the only one who got a partial glimpse from the side of the face, so we have to be careful we don't exclude the suspect. Also, with nearly 300 female students on campus, there's no way to identify our target if we can't narrow it down to a manageable number."
Isori wasn't referring to this as a hypothetical situation.
In reality, these were Kanon's words after attempting that this morning.
"Yesterday, the only thing we could say is that one side was chasing the other. Even if we know who the culprit was, the only thing we could do is put her under surveillance, which is the same thing as doing nothing."
Suzune and Isori were aware of what Tatsuya was saying.
Monitoring students that haven't broken any rules — technically, using a flashbang while escaping could constitute a problem — may lead to accusations of stalking.
At this stage, there was nothing they could do except be on their guard.
By the time Tatsuya returned to class, Erika already took over his seat.
"Ah, you're really early today."
She quickly discovered Tatsuya's presence and rose from the chair.
She wasn't impudent enough to keep sitting there. After Tatsuya sat down, she sat on the edge of the desk itself, which was exercising considerable restraint on her part.
"What were you guys talking about?"
Still, just as Erika observed, he was quite early today.
He didn't immediately face towards the terminal, but struck up a conversation with Mizuki, who sat next to him.
The conversation target was Mizuki because she wore an uneasy expression on her face.
"She said she felt someone watching her."
However, the one who answered was Erika.
"Watching her?"
At his renewed question, Mizuki hesitantly nodded.
"Early in the day, I felt an annoying gaze on me. A nauseating gaze that's lurking in the darkness somewhere."
"A stalker perhaps?"
"That is impossible. I'm not a worthwhile target to be pursued."
The likeliest possibility was presented first, but Mizuki shot that one down by repeatedly shaking her head as if to dispel a ridiculous notion.
"I'm not the target. I think I'm just part of a much larger web being cast out."
Her vague words were likely because she wasn't able to express herself very well.
On the other hand, Tatsuya knew perfectly what she was trying to convey.
"In other words, the target isn't a single student, but many students and professors or even the school at large. Is that what you mean?"
"Ah, uh...... That may be my mistake too."
The uncertain attitude was also one facet of her personality. Since they had no evidence, there was nothing for it.
"No, I think Shibata-san is onto something."
Yet, as if to shore up Mizuki's flagging confidence, Mikihiko arrived and spoke in the affirmative.
"Since yesterday morning, the spirits on campus have been thrown into an unnatural uproar. I think someone must have thrown down a Shiki."
Since Erika occupied Tatsuya's seat, Leo didn't keep turning around like he usually did. However, he whirled around after hearing Mikihiko's words.
"Shiki, as in a shikigami from SB Magic?"
Mikihiko nodded at Leo's inquiry.
"It's a little difficult to tell since they used a different type than we do, but there's definitely a Magician of unknown origin snooping around here."
"It's not that rare of an occurrence, is it?"
Erika's skepticism also held merit.
Even though this was a high school, they were still affiliated with the magic universities and had access to many important documents. With so many talented Magicians in its faculty, First High was often the target of individuals who homed in on magic abilities.
"Generally speaking, if they are blocked by the defensive magics hung on the walls, they usually don't come back the same day. But this opponent continues his assault no matter how many times they've been beaten back. The fact that they're searching for something isn't surprising, but this is the first time I've seen such sheer obstinacy since coming to school here."
Mikihiko responded to Erika's rather tactful objection with a confident rejoinder of his own.
"......Mikihiko, just then, you said they used a different sort of magic than we did, correct?"
"Indeed I did."
Mikihiko was quite concerned by Tatsuya's choice of words and nervously confirmed Tatsuya's question.
"Are you saying a shikigami from a different branch of the Shinto System? Or are you saying that it's fundamentally different from this country's Ancient Magic?"
He had no idea that the contents of such a carelessly phrased sentence could be mined from another direction; Mikihiko's expression grew solemn.
"I think that's not a magic spell from our country."
"Hey, are you talking about foreign spies?"
"Isn't that the exact point he's making?"
Leo's wide-eyed stare completely contrasted against Erika's light words, but in reality both of them were on the same wavelength.
"Such conspicuous behavior."
"They're doing whatever they please. What the heck are the police doing?"
Thanks to Tatsuya's words, Erika directed her ire towards the law enforcement.
Rather than being outraged at public officials slacking on the job, she appeared to be scolding her family members instead, which prompted an "Ah?" thought from both Tatsuya and Mikihiko.
Meanwhile, Inspector Chiba of the Kanagawa Prefecture Police — more like exiled from the main office to the Kanagawa Prefecture Police Department — sneezed as if on cue.
"......What's wrong, Inspector? You suddenly look agitated."
Sergeant Inagaki, who was currently investigating the illegal entry incident at the Yokohama Harbor, directed a look at his immediate superior's suspicious action.
"Ah, for some reason I feel cold all of a sudden."
"Are you OK? We're busy enough as it is, don't even try to pretend to be ill."
"What do you mean pretend to be ill, you......"
Inspector Chiba's voice had a tinge of a reprimand mixed in, which Inagaki promptly ignored.
"Inagaki-kun, you should at least respect the chain of command."
At Chiba's words, Inagaki gave him a skeptical look.
"You're in no position to say that" was written all over his face, but the words that came out of his mouth were entirely different.
"Compared to that, do we need to continue taking testimonials? I doubt we'll find any more witnesses even if we go further."
Inagaki had a point there. After many days of recording testimonies, they received no new information on those who penetrated the border.
Chiba wore a self-depreciating grin as he looked at Inagaki, whom he saw more as a partner than a subordinate.
"Of course there are witnesses, it's just that they choose to remain silent."
"Inspector, you mean......"
Inagaki seemed to pick out something from his superior's delicate tone as his eyes sharpened.
"Hey, don't scare anybody."
"I think the Inspector is the terrifying one. Did you notice something?"
"Relax, I didn't do anything off the book. Well, they say snakes go through snake paths, so let's take a look at the snake's den."
Hearing Chiba's proposal, Inagaki wore an unwilling expression.
"Backdoor dealings are still against the law......"
"I think this still falls within acceptable parameters, right? Not like this is the time to worry over small details like that."
"Uh...... Is that so?"
As Inagaki was nodding and looking for a counter argument, Chiba had already taken a seat in the driver's seat of the plainclothes police car parked in the free parking area. After verifying that his partner had climbed on board, Chiba took the car towards the high class residential sector dominated by foreigners.
The destination for the plainclothes patrol car carrying Inspector Chiba and Sergeant Inagaki was the parking lot for a cafe located in the Yokohama Hills area. After Chiba turned off the engine, Inagaki turned a sour face on him.
"Inspector, I have nothing against taking a break here and there, but weren't we headed for the 'snake's den'?"
At his subordinate who was leveling a hard look at him that blatantly accused him of being lazy, Inspector Chiba responded with a regretful expression.
"This is the 'snake's den'."
"Ah?"
After hurriedly catching up to his superior who had already disembarked and was locking the door with a remote, Inagaki looked over the cafe once more as he stood next to Chiba.
At first glance, this was a quiet, peaceful cafe. The quaint windows modeled after a cabin in the mountains had a pair of shutters that were currently open and not trying to hide anything at all.
"Ah, calling him a snake would be disrespectful to the owner. The owner's intelligence network is quite sophisticated and he doesn't have a criminal record either."
"Are you saying he's a big fish that we haven't pinned anything on yet?"
"I think he would prefer the term professional businessman over a big fish."
Inspector Chiba lightly shrugged and opened the "Rotterbart" doors.
Thanks to its proximity to tourist locations, there were quite a few customers present, even though it was already past the time for usual luncheon.
Still, the place wasn't very rowdy.
The mood within the cafe seemed to reflect the owner's personality as each of the customers sat there quietly enjoying their drinks. All present belonged to a slightly older generation. Any assumption that they were all tourists would be incorrect, as the majority of them appeared to be regular patrons who favored this establishment in particular.
Chiba sat in the second chair in one corner of the counter (Inagaki occupied the first) and ordered two cups of coffee from the owner.
The owner appeared to be a businessman on the outside, but Chiba knew very well that he hadn't abandoned his other trade either. Still, the conversation was stillborn before the coffee arrived and just sitting there seemed to be a waste of time, so he took this opportunity to glance around the place.
Off to the side of the counter, a coffee mug that had just been used sat there likely because the customer had just left in a hurry so the owner didn't have time to recover the mug. What a shame that such a wonderful coffee was just wasted like that. As he ruminated over this idea in boredom, Chiba suddenly discovered that while he was fixated on the coffee mug, the customer he thought had departed in a hurry had returned.
The one who sat down next to the counter was a young woman roughly Chiba's age.
He kept his face forward while surreptitiously glancing at the woman's features.
At first glance, she didn't possess incredible beauty. She wore a plain tunic and skirt, but upon closer inspection, she possessed delicate facial features and an outstanding figure.
This gave Chiba the feeling that she intentionally applied a small amount of makeup.
After drinking in these details, he wordlessly shifted his gaze forward.
He should be calling himself out on his idiocy.
His excuse for not asking a few questions in a professional capacity was because of her inconspicuous appearance, but his actions just now were practically outright flirting.
Inagaki's suspicious gaze was starting to hurt.
The owner behaved as his cool appearance suggested and continued to silently prepare the coffee.
Chiba could only sit there and wait for the coffee to be served.
At this time, an unexpected laughter broke the silence.
He could only use his eyes to verify this, but just as he expected, her shoulders were shaking as she bowed her head forward.
"......I apologize. I was still thinking of how to handle a conversation, then you just went ahead and sat there. So it's true that you're not adept at handling women, O heir of the Chiba Family?"
Inspector Chiba was astounded, and not because she was dead on regarding his personality.
Nor was it a major secret that he was the heir of the Chiba Family.
Still, he never tried to proactively publicize his identity or picture through public relations.
In terms of publicized information, his brother Naotsugu far surpassed him.
Besides criminals or those affiliated with the police, anyone able to tell that he was Chiba Toshikazu on sight would have to hail from a select group of the world's population.
Namely, people who wielded magic in live combat.
"You are......"
"Pleased to meet you, Inspector Chiba. You may call me Fujibayashi Kyouko."
This time Chiba was truly struck speechless.
The daughter of the Fujibayashi Family renowned for their prowess in Ancient Magic and granddaughter of Kudou Retsu, one of the elders in the Japanese magic community, stood before him smiling without reserve.
It had been a long time since Tatsuya's party of eight had passed through the school gates together.
"Tatsuya-kun, have you finished all the preparations for the Thesis Competition?"
Even though the eight of them hadn't congregated recently, the one who first asked this question for some unknown reason was Honoka, who attended the Student Council with Miyuki and departed with Tatsuya on a daily basis.
"I can only say we've finished this stage. Right now, we still have to worry about the minute details like preparing the models for the presentation and assorted adjustments."
"Sounds tough. Speaking of which, Mizuki's helping out with the model production, right?"
Erika didn't belong to either the Student Council or the Club Activities Group, yet was still curiously well informed as she shook her ponytail back and forth as she looked towards Mizuki.
"Ah, yes. I'm helping out a Year 2 senpai. Even though I'm not really doing anything."
"We left the model entirely to Isori-senpai, so it makes sense that Year 2 students make up the bulk of the production personnel."
"Hm~, so what does Tatsuya do?"
Leo took this opportunity to ask Tatsuya, who had voiced his support for Mizuki.
"I perform calibration for the magic techniques used during the presentation."
"......Isn't it usually the other way around?"
"Really? In terms of producing objects, I think Isori-senpai's several leagues ahead of me."
"Well, Kei-senpai does fit the 'alchemist' impression more than a 'magister'. I guess this is the right tool for the job."
Seeing Tatsuya tilt his head, Erika wryly smiled and expressed her agreement.
"Alchemist? RPG?"
Shizuku continued to keep her head tilted to one side.
"Using that as an analogy, what class would Tatsuya be?"
Suddenly, Mizuki sprouted this question.
"He would be a mad scientist of course." [Erika] "That's not from an RPG." [Shizuku] "Then, maybe a sage dwelling in the remote lands far removed from civilization that imparts a secret technique." [Erika] "A martial sage then." [Leo] "An evil wizard scheming to conquer the world?" [Erika] "I think a Demon King would be more suitable." [Mikihiko] "No, no, no, after defeating the Demon King, turns out I'm the real man behind the man~. Doesn't he fit being the Final Boss who bars the main character's way?" [Leo] "How come everyone doesn't think he fits the hero?" [Honoka] "Forget it, Honoka. I do give off an evil vibe after all." [Tatsuya] "Onii-sama, strength alone is the true justice." [Miyuki] "Oh snap, as expected of the Demon King's sister!" [Erika]
......And thus, a vibrant discussion began.
Even though they were walking along and bickering as students do, Tatsuya never let down his guard.
After reaching the intersection that leads to a few small stores, Tatsuya turned to face the direction where he felt someone watching him.
"Want to head over there?"
In response to Tatsuya's suggestion to take a detour and incur more time spent to handle the pursuit,
"Agreed!"
"Tatsuya will probably be very busy starting tomorrow."
"Indeed. Let's grab a cup of tea."
Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko's responses seemed a little too eager. They likely each had their own agenda in mind.
Tatsuya feigned ignorance and pushed open the door that led to the "Eine Brise" Cafe.
Unfortunately, their usual two tables that seated four people each weren't available to be joined together, so the eight of them crowded around the counter and the table that stood closest.
The ones next to the counter were Tatsuya, Miyuki, Honoka, and Mizuki (In order of seating, there was Mizuki, Miyuki, Tatsuya, and Honoka).
At the table, Erika sat with Shizuku while Leo and Mikihiko shared the other side.
From an outsider's perspective, Tatsuya would undoubtedly be the scoundrel with a harem of several beauties serving him.
"Ah~, welcome, welcome. Seems you're just as popular as usual, Tatsuya-kun."
Eh, forget outsiders, even the owner of the establishment who was familiar with their group cast a cold gaze from the other side of the counter.
"I'm sure the owner would be just as popular if you would just shave off that beard."
Tatsuya intentionally retaliated with the taboo (?) word popular.
"That's true, Owner. That beard is a darn waste and makes you look rather old."
Thanks to Mizuki's innocent (?) nature, she naturally provided supporting fire.
"Old, eh...... Mizuki-chan certainly doesn't hold anything back."
His beard definitely qualified as a mess. The owner sighed deeply while gently brushing his beard in order.
Despite the gray coloring, the owner wasn't nearly as ancient as Mizuki made him out to be.
More like he was quite young actually. Certainly he wasn't yet 30 years of age.
His hair color and beard were both gray, likely due to genetics. After all, the owner was a quarter German ("Eine Brise" meant "slight wind" in German, which warmed Leo's heart enough to make him a frequent patron).
Still, the only feature that marked his foreign lineage was his hair color, as his pupils were black and his face was thin and angular in the Asian fashion. Even though he had the gentle aura of a handsome male, the owner seemed to be very particular about his appearance and took great pains to cultivate his beard and hair to create a more masculine image.
Nevertheless, Tatsuya and company felt that the beard didn't suit him very well, but the scent of coffee more than compensated for that. Of course, all eight of them ordered coffee.
"Eh...... So you're appearing in the Thesis Competition."
While the water was on the broil, the owner inquired the reason why they hadn't frequented here recently and responded with an appropriately exaggerated nod.
"You're quite capable despite your Year 1 student status."
The owner's feelings weren't just idle talk to pass the time. Speaking of which, even though the owner didn't have any magic talent of his own, the very fact that he opened a store on the road to the magic high school implied that he knew a few details regarding the world of Magicians. Occasionally during their idle conversations, he could surprise Tatsuya and the others with news or trivia that they didn't know about before.
"It's Yokohama's turn to host the event this year, right? My old house is in Yokohama. The setting will be in the International Conference Center like usual, eh? That's quite close to my house."
The owner continued to speak as he used this opportunity to pour the coffee from the kettle into the mugs.
"Where's your old house in Yokohama?"
Mizuki asked this question as she took the coffee for four people from the owner on a tray in place of a waitress.
"There's a cafe called 'Rotbart' halfway up the Yokohama Hills."
"So your old house is also a cafe."
"Indeed. If you get a chance, make sure you stop by. I would love to hear an unreserved opinion on who serves a better cup of coffee between my father and I."
"Owner, you're a heck of a salesman."
Shizuku returned the tray in place of Mizuki and offered a direct retort that caused both sides of the counter to burst into laughter.
By the time Tatsuya's mug was down to its last third, Erika had already drained her cup in one gulp and silently placed the mug back (a sign of excellent upbringing on her part) and rose to her feet.
"Erika-chan?"
"I need to use the restroom."
After replying to Mizuki, who had raised her head in question, she lightly walked towards the back of the store.
"Oh!"
Afterwards, Leo immediately pressed a hand to his pocket and stood up.
"Sorry, phone call."
Leo stepped outside after dropping that line.
"Mikihiko, what are you doing?"
Tatsuya's gaze returned from Leo's oddly polite behavior to rest on the notebook (more like a small journal) that lay open next to Mikihiko's hand.
"Uh, well, there's a few things I have to write down so I don't forget them."
As Mikihiko replied back, the hand holding a pen never stopped moving.
"You'll be discovered if your movement is too obvious, so make sure to dial it down."
After Tatsuya said this and swept a razor sharp glance behind Mikihiko's back — and not his surroundings — he kept his back to the counter and continued sipping his coffee like nothing happened.
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