Chapter 3
Those that prowl in the dark of night are not restricted to those from sinister backgrounds.
That citizens could move about freely without the threat of hoodlums — and completely free at that, was thanks to the tireless efforts on part of the "apostles of order". Tonight, a young man who was (supposedly) one of these pillars of order was grousing to his male companion.
"Seriously, one trouble after another......"
"............"
"Hasn't our crappy luck from last year already come to a close?"
"............"
"Something must have happened. This way, it's really easy to tell if they're illegal aliens or foreign invaders."
"......Investigating them is our job. We're employed because of this rash of incidents, so quit your yapping!"
At the same time as he used his clear and capable voice to advise his superior, who was still softly muttering "Things like this shouldn't be happening at all......", he also sucked in a breath.
"Yes, this is Inagaki."
Hearing a short burst from his ear set, Inagaki immediately replied back in a terse tone.
"......Acknowledged. We'll be at the scene shortly."
After turning off the transmission device, Inagaki swept a severe gaze over his superior, who wore a languid look on his face as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Inspector, 5 bodies. Cause of death is the same as the ones from before. Just as before, there are no external injuries."
Hearing Sergeant Inagaki's report, Inspector Chiba Toshikazu sighed as his eyes drifted to the skies.
"And all their blood must also be gone. ......Seriously, 5 weird corpses every month. There should be a limit to trying to draw media attention."
Without alluding to the victims or murderer, Inspector Chiba Toshikazu was only sighing to elucidate how troublesome this all was. Still, amid the inconvenienced expression on his face, his pupils flashed with the razor sharp gaze of a hunter.
Angelina Shields was currently putting on a performance worthy of being called an exhilarating entrance.
On the first day of her transfer, her appearance alone was such that no one on campus was unaware of her.
Before this, the throne of the most beautiful girl in school belonged solely to Miyuki. This was the combined consensus of the upperclassmen and female student body as well.
However, with the addition of Lina, the title of "Queen" had morphed into "Twin Beauties". Add in the fact that the two of them often moved together, this only served to deepen the impression that "her beauty rivaled that of Miyuki".
The blonde hair that shone luminously beneath the sun and the azure pupils that put even sapphires to shame.
The dark tresses deeper than the night itself and the brilliant eyes that surpassed the luminescence of black pearls.
Miyuki and Lina, equal in beauty, yet diametrically opposed in appearance. Light fairly shone from the school campus that housed the both of them.
Just having that level of beauty was enough to send tongues wagging—
"Miyuki, I'm starting."
"Feel free to begin whenever, I will leave the countdown to you, Lina."
The two of them stood facing each other across a distance of 30 meters.
Between them, a small metal ball with a diameter of 30 cm was placed on a thin rod.
Although there were many similar instruments in the Practical Skills Room, all of their peers abandoned what they were doing and concentrated all their attention on Miyuki and Lina.
No, not just their peers. In the observation stands on the second floor, there were quite a few Year 3 students who possessed the freedom to select their course schedule.
Mayumi and Mari were included among them.
"......Magic Power that can rival Miyuki, do you think that's possible?"
"On some level, she's the American representative to Japan, so this isn't impossible. Nonetheless, it's still hard to believe that someone in the same age bracket as Miyuki can stand up to her Magic Power."
"I agree. Well, seeing is believing. I'll only believe it when I see it with my own eyes."
"We are here precisely to verify the truth of the matter."
The goal of the practical exercise was for both sides to activate their CADs simultaneously, with the winner seizing control of the metal ball in the middle. Not only was this practical exercise easy to manipulate, there was a high competitive feel to it as well.
Precisely because of its simplicity, this was a simple way to determine the difference in power between the two sides.
Since starting this exercise last month, Miyuki had already reached a level that her peers could not hope to reach. The difference between her and the rest of her peers was so great that the instructors had deemed that continued practice against other students had already become meaningless.
It was an open secret that not even the newly returned Student Council members (and Public Moral Committee members) who came to challenge Miyuki upon catching wind of this were her match.
Yet, this Miyuki was about to pit her might against a transfer student.
Given that the upperclassmen completely lost face despite wholeheartedly accepting the outcome (of course, Miyuki wasn't the type to aggrandize her accomplishment and was rather embarrassed over the whole ordeal), Mayumi and Mari had to attend this exercise.
"Three, two, one......"
The moment Lina called out "one", both of them put their hands on the dash board.
"Go!"
The last signal erupted from both of them.
Miyuki tapped the board with her fingertips, while Lina pressed her whole hand onto the board.
Stillness and action, their true colors were reflected in their opening motions. However, this only reflected the physical side of things.
Dazzling arrays of psions were combining and exploding on the Eidos of the metal ball that served as the target. Since it was a light that could not be seen by the naked eye, closing one's eyes served no purpose.
Some of the observers who had not mastered the suppression magic interference techniques pressed their temples and couldn't stop shaking their heads.
The light faded after a brief moment as the metal ball slowly rolled towards Lina's direction.
"Ah, I lost again."
"Fufu, I'm ahead by two rounds now, Lina."
Lina loudly proclaimed her unwillingness to accept defeat while Miyuki smiled slightly while secretly heaving a sigh of relief.
Based on their reactions, it was blatantly obvious that the victor of this contest (not that this was a real contest) was Miyuki. Despite saying "ahead by two rounds", this phrase that was normally reserved for the victor didn't leave an indelible impression of an overwhelming victory, more like—
"......They're truly neck to neck."
"In terms of Activation Speed, the transfer student is actually faster, isn't she?"
"Hm, but Miyuki wins in interference strength, so she seized control before her opponent's magic was finished. Initiative versus power...... Rather than calling this a pure contest of strength, this is more like a tactical victory."
In Mayumi and Mari's eyes, in terms of single systematic processes, the two of them possessed equal Magic Power.
—Afterwards, the same exercise was repeated four times, with both sides splitting the result 2-2, so the day ended with Miyuki still ahead by two rounds.
Noon in the neighboring cafeteria.
Since Lina was sitting with them today, it couldn't be described as their usual arrangement. Since transferring a week ago, she had been tugged this way and that and sat with a different group each time for lunch.
By maximizing her networking possibilities, she could be said to be a model transfer student. In terms of eating with Tatsuya's group, this was actually the first time since the first day of her transfer.
"You're quite popular, Lina."
"Thank you. I'm glad that everyone is so nice."
At Erika's undisguised praise, Lina opted against replying with meaningless, embarrassed humility and came back with an uncaring attitude.
There was no way to tell if this attitude was her personality talking or simply her cultural background, but Tatsuya and company (Erika excluded) found this to be a refreshing change of pace.
"Still, Lina was surprisingly capable. Though I knew that anyone selected to study abroad definitely has the skills to back it up, I seriously can't believe you can match Miyuki to that degree."
"No, I think I should be the one who is surprised."
At Mikihiko's praise, Lina widened her eyes in disbelief.
—Speaking of which, at least when compared to Miyuki, Mikihiko found Lina easier to talk to. When speaking to Miyuki, Mikihiko still spoke formally while he could speak more casually with Lina.
"I used to be undefeated in high level competitions like this, but I can never seem to beat Miyuki, and when against Honoka, I may win in overall skill but I still lose in complexity of design. As expected of the Japan, one of the strongest magical countries."
"Lina, practical exercises are just that and not a competition. I believe there's no point in dwelling on victory or defeat."
"Magic competitions are very important. While these are only practical exercises, I believe specifically choosing highly competitive subjects where victory matters is the only way to improve."
Faced with Miyuki's humble deflection, Lina charged forward with her counter argument, completely unafraid of any potential clash.
This was just the way she was, which was a refreshing change of pace in its own right.
"The will to compete is very important during contests, but surely there's no need to carry that beyond the event itself, right? Practical exercises are ultimately only practice and are fundamentally different than practical skills examinations that determine personal skill."
"......True. Maybe Tatsuya is right. I might have been a little too excited."
"Excitement isn't a bad thing. Miyuki has also become more motivated with a new opponent taking the field, so on that point, I should thank you, Lina."
Lina was frankly nodding her head in assent to Tatsuya's words in the beginning, but now she turned an incredulous expression towards him.
"It appeared! Tatsuya-kun's sis-con commentary!"
To one side, Erika gave off an "Ah ha" comment while pretending to sigh.
"Ah...... Oh, so that's how it is...... Tatsuya and Miyuki are on very good terms."
Swallowing a more impolite outburst, Tatsuya seemed to feel that the gaze Lina sent his way was rapidly dropping in temperature.
"Speaking of which, Lina, although this isn't really major......"
Detecting the atmosphere heading in a wonky direction, Tatsuya changed the subject.
"What is it?"
She sent a chilling gaze his way, but it was bereft of any condescension, so this was probably an act to parallel Erika's practical joke.
While this was the result he was hoping for based on his observations, there was no guarantee he was correct. Still, this was Tatsuya, and Tatsuya was not so tender that he would shut his mouth and retreat from just this.
"If I recall correctly, isn't 'Angie' the usual nickname for 'Angelina'?"
This was not supposed to be a groundbreaking question.
At least, that was the case for Erika, Mizuki, and Honoka, who were sitting at the table with them.
Yet, for one brief moment, Lina's expression definitely faltered.
"No, you remembered correctly, but the nickname 'Angie' isn't as rare as you think. For comparison, I had a classmate in elementary school called 'Angela' who was referred to as 'Angie'."
"So that's why Lina prefers to be known as 'Lina' and not 'Angie', eh."
Tatsuya nodded his head in comprehension.
He never gave a hint that he discovered how badly Lina faltered just then.
First High did not have any student dorms.
Since there were only nine magic high schools in the entire country, it was inevitable that students from abroad would be present.
Thus, while student dorms didn't seem to be entirely out of the question, in this day and age, besides a few specialized boarding schools that viewed student dorms as an integral part of the curriculum, facilities such as student dorms were no longer in service.
In the modern age, HAR (Home Automation Robot) has already entered the mass market, purchase of daily items can be done online and delivered directly to the door, so students can freely live on their own without discomfort, making student dorms a redundant facility. Owing to the above reasons, most of the students who were unable to return to their family homes largely chose to rent housing close to the school. As a transfer student, there was nothing odd in Lina renting an apartment. Her house was only two bus stops from school, which was considered close proximity thanks to modern public transit. The reason that she did not rent a personal studio or a one room apartment and instead chose a small, family-sized apartment was because Lina wasn't living on her own.
"Welcome back, Lina."
"Silvie, back already?"
The moment Lina opened the door to the apartment, Warrant Officer Silvia, who was serving as her support on this mission, immediately greeted her as if she had been waiting for her arrival for quite some time.
"It's quite late now, isn't it?"
Lina smiled wryly upon hearing this after taking a roundabout way home and walked towards the dining room in her uniform. There was,
"Mina, you're here."
A young woman wearing a tense expression greeted Lina. She was standing in front of the table and had probably just conversed with Silvia.
"Yes, sorry for bothering you, Major."
The woman called Mina replied back in a stiff tone. With a perplexed smile on her face, Lina took a seat by the table.
"Please sit, Mina. Silvie, could I trouble you for some tea?"
Normally, Silvia would completely ignore the chain of command and fire back with "Given that you're a girl, you should fix your own tea". However, she wasn't someone who couldn't read the atmosphere.
"Is milk tea OK? Mina, would you like a cup?"
"Ah, OK, sorry for the trouble."
Silvia's question seemed to terrify Mina, but at least she loosened up a few degrees as she replied back.
The woman's full name was Michaela Honda, or Mina for short. She shared Lina's Japanese-American heritage, but unlike Lina, Mina could fully blend in based on her appearance. Perhaps her skin tone was a little darker? This degree was not enough to raise eyebrows in Japan.
She was one of the spies who had entered Japan ahead of Lina's group. That being said, this wasn't her original occupation either. Her true identity was a magic researcher attached to the Department of Defense who specialized in Release-Systematic Magic. She was a talented woman who participated in last November's black hole experiment in Dallas. She volunteered for this mission in search of an alternate breakthrough for "annihilation reaction energy conversion" after the debacle at the Dallas Research Center.
Like many magic researchers, she was also a Magician. Unlike the fake students who came this month under the guise of mutual research, she had infiltrated the magic universities under the identity of a salesperson and engineer from the Japanese branch of Maximilian Industries, "Mia Honda". Speaking of which, her current housing was directly next door to Lina's rented apartment. Despite not being combat or intelligence personnel, she still served as support and was concealed enough to serve as an active asset for this infiltration mission.
"Do you have any clues?"
Lina's initial question was posed for Silvia, who had just sat down after setting down the cups.
"I've gone over the publicized information, but so far I haven't found any new data."
"I see, looks like there's no way to get results quickly from that direction."
This time she turned towards Michaela.
"How about your side, Mina?"
"Nothing here either...... Sorry."
Michaela had somewhat relaxed a little before curling up again out of anxiety.
It wasn't Lina's intent to make everyone so high strung like she was a strict person. However, ever since the end of last year, Michaela had always been extremely nervous around Lina since day one. Rather than saying (because) there was a divide between researchers and combat personnel, the more likely cause (reason) was because Lina stood at the pinnacle of USNA Magicians as "Sirius" despite her youth. Simply telling her to relax wasn't going to achieve anything. Even though it had already been two weeks since that day and they were now able to have some degree of interaction, this was only restricted to everyday conversation. In the short term, Lina herself knew that it was impossible to achieve the same degree of an easy working relationship she had with Silvia.
"How's your side Lina, did you get closer to the target?"
Hearing Silvia's question, Lina's expression seemed to be enveloped in fog.
"I feel that I haven't gotten closer at all."
Lina sighed and wore a bitter smile on her face.
"I haven't gotten a single piece of critical information and it seems like they've already seen through my disguise."
"......What are you talking about?"
"Tatsuya asked me 'isn't Angie usually short for Angelina' and almost scared me half to death."
"Couldn't that be a coincidence?"
"I have no idea. I'm such a failure. So I guess I'm really not cut out for this (type of work), eh?"
Lina kept sighing deeply. Silvia filled her cup with milk tea again. Noticing that Silvia and Michaela were sending worried looks her way, Lina managed to find her second wind.
"Don't worry about it, my opponent is only a high school student after all. He shouldn't able to discern my identity as Sirius. Even if he suspects something, there's no way he'll stumble onto something concrete."
It didn't take a genius to tell that these brave words were only empty talk. In the beginning, Lina had already been tasked with identifying their target under any circumstances, so saying "not getting identified" was just empty talk. Silvia was well aware of this, but decided to abstain after considering that this would damage morale too badly. In addition, nor could she say that their opponent was no ordinary high school student.
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