Volume 11, Chapter 15

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

As he ate breakfast while watching the morning news, Tatsuya noticed that he was unconsciously nodding along and hurriedly stopped his head motions. Fortunately, Miyuki’s eyes were drawn to the television, so she remained oblivious to Tatsuya’s odd movements.

“Mechanical failure? But I didn’t see any forecast regarding hurricanes or thick fog.”

Miyuki’s skepticism arose from the news that a small American naval vessel drifted within Japanese territorial waters.

“It’s hard to imagine that machines will have such a large breakdown, so it probably has something to do with the motor. In this age of automated machinery, the chance that this is caused by human failure while moving in the wrong direction is slim.”

Seeing the pose his sister struck as she simply (?) accepted his word as truth while nodding along, he couldn’t help but feel that his soul was being corrupted.

–Of course, Tatsuya was self-aware enough to know that was nothing more than a misconception.

On the other hand……

(Even if this is Oba-sama’s direct order, the execution speed is simply too quick.)

Based on the time that the drifting vessel had been taken under “protection” and cross referenced against the time Tatsuya contacted Hayama, forget half a day, the entire episode from attack to clean-up was completed in barely half that time.

In other words, they were currently embroiled in secret warfare while their fighting strength was highly restricted, but their opponent was a nation’s professional army. This was no militia found in small developing countries, but most likely the elite of the elite from a major superpower.

No matter how capable the Yotsuba agents were, this was an unbelievable operation tempo.

In short,

(By the time I made contact, they had already distributed their assets.)

In regards to exactly what their plans were, that he was not privy to. Maybe this was a natural coincidence, or perhaps they had planned on not interfering in the first place.

Nor was it impossible that they simply wanted to see Tatsuya bow down to them and request for aid.

(Regardless of what it is, it’s not like I feel like I owe them anything.)

No matter what the background was, Tatsuya was satisfied so long as the end result was moving in the positive direction.

Miyuki intentionally portrayed her agreement to the motor malfunction explanation while she sneaked a peek at her brother’s visage.

Her brother didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary from her.

While these small motions that misled her brother strained her, she also wanted to keep a few things from her brother on occasion.

Miyuki deposited the utensils and dinnerware in the kitchen and left the cleanup to the HAR (Home Automation Robot) before heading upstairs to her room to change.

Standing in front of the mirror, Miyuki gave a small sigh.

Miyuki didn’t even need to watch the news to know something was afoot.

As usual, after Tatsuya left for his morning training after breakfast. Miyuki received a phone call from Maya.

The contents informed her that “the USNA troops threatening Tatsuya’s surroundings have been dealt with”.

Still, Miyuki remained unaware of which specific members in the Yotsuba Family conducted the operation. Thus, the only person whom Miyuki conveyed her thanks to was Maya. Despite knowing that these were methods to keep tabs on her, Miyuki’s gratitude was heartfelt.

In addition, Miyuki requested that Maya, who typically did not look upon her brother and herself with favor, to keep all of this from Tatsuya.

(How wily I am…… If Onii-sama knew the truth about this, then he must think I’m a terrible girl……)

On one hand, Miyuki wished to prevent Tatsuya thinking of her as a dolt of a child.

Concurrently, on the other hand, she tried her utmost to ensure Tatsuya didn’t view her as a smart child.

From the bottom of her heart, Miyuki didn’t want to be weigh down her brother.

Yet at the same time, the one thing she absolutely abhorred was for her brother to believe “my little sister doesn’t need me anymore”.

Once she became the head of the Yotsuba Family and was fully independent…… Once he came to that conclusion, her brother may depart from her side.

Even if he wasn’t leaving, he would probably still keep his distance. That, was the nightmare that ever tormented Miyuki.

Miyuki and Tatsuya were siblings by blood.

As she grew older, leaving her brother was a matter of course, just as he would naturally grow apart from his sister.

Miyuki also understood that one day she must marry.

She would be forced to accept someone other than her brother as her husband.

Though this was against Miyuki’s wishes, society and this country called Japan would never allow her not to do this, so long as she was a talented Magician with hereditary genes boasting powerful magical qualities.

This was not something far off in the distant future, but something looming rather closely.

In the modern age, Magicians were required to marry early. This was especially the case for female Magicians, so that they could marry quickly and bear children. The reason behind this was that the sooner a Magician was born generation-wise, the greater the tendency for him or her to wield innately powerful magic. Scientists referred to this as “magic seeping into hereditary genes”. The differences between the greatest Magicians of each generation weren’t obvious, but the average power level was on the rise. Their parents’ generation surpassed their grandparents’ generation, just as they too surpassed their parents. While this would level off sooner or later, everyone was still bound by the overwhelming urge to bring forth the next generation as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t strange for female students who applied for magical universities to suddenly drop out to raise children.

Mutations with unstable life expectancies were not under this restriction, but even now, well into the second or third generations, there was still a duty in the eyes of the public to bear children at a young age. Their mother marrying late and their aunt who maintained her steadfast resolve to remain single were both exceptions, though accepted only because of inescapable physical reasons.

Miyuki was the picture of perfect health, so none of those reasons applied.

Not to mention that she was seen as the next head of the Yotsuba Family, a bearer of exceptional genes.

In reality, she wouldn’t do anything of that nature with any boy save her brother. These were Miyuki’s true feelings. No, the real truth of the matter was that she detested all the other boys except for Tatsuya.

It wasn’t a biological issue, so something like dancing was still acceptable. However, in Miyuki’s heart, the only who was allowed to touch her was Tatsuya. The only who could do as he wished with her was Tatsuya alone.

The reflection in the mirror was that of herself clad in her underwear. As she looked upon herself, Miyuki couldn’t help but think. These fingers and this hair, lips, bosom, the secret places that no one was allowed to see, all were available for Tatsuya to touch if he willed it so. If it was Tatsuya, she was willing to do anything.

--No matter if it was her body or heart, everything that she was belonged to Onii-sama—

This was Miyuki’s truth, a wish that came from the bottom of her heart akin to prayer.

Yet, Miyuki also knew that these feelings would never come to pass. That was what she thought.

(Even if I’m just a lamentable little sister…… No, it would be even better if I seem like an unreliable, lamentable little sister. If this will allow me to stay by Onii-sama’s side forever……)

As she thought this, she also worked hard to ensure she was not resented by Tatsuya

All of this summed up the conundrum Miyuki was faced with.

◊ ◊ ◊

After stepping into the classroom for Year 1 Class E, Tatsuya noticed the atypical atmosphere and swept his gaze back and forth.

He immediately found the reason.

The arrangement of the 25 seats in the class were normally musically arranged with boys and girls mixed together.

Tatsuya sat behind Leo, Mizuki sat to his left – and the source of the turmoil came from one row across from the seat next to the window.

Fuming, Erika sat there looking out the window. Displeasure seemed to ooze out of her very being as she sat in that posture.

(Well…… I guess that can’t be helped.)

Tatsuya had a clear grasp on the source of the displeasure. Based on that adoring look from last summer, it was very hard her to accept what happened last night.

“Tatsuya…… Erika-chan, what’s going on?”

A voice called out to Tatsuya after he swept a quick glance over Erika before sitting down.

While watching Tatsuya’s face, Mizuki kept half her mind on Erika.

Even if it wasn’t 80% or 90% of her attention on Erika, the only thing she could acutely pick up was that Tatsuya knew something.

Based on the looks from Mikihiko and Leo that looked like Mizuki’s own, they also noticed.

However, there were things in this world that Tatsuya was unable to answer even if asked.

At the very least, he couldn’t say “Last night, Erika’s second brother was defeated by Lina”.

“What is going on here?”

In the end, Tatsuya had no choice but to play dumb.

One of his friends’ positive points was that they wouldn’t fuss for too long. Their reasons differed in that this was Mizuki’s nature, while Mikihiko and Leo had personal experiences with “things that they didn’t want other people to know”.

Still, it was inevitable for them to be subtly influenced by this unnatural atmosphere.

The uncomfortable mood continued on, to the point of the rare occasion where the five classmates separated during lunch – the word classmate was used intentionally because Miyuki and Honoka were usually included in the mix.

Any change in the situation came about after school.

Just as he told his sister last night, Tatsuya swiftly negotiated (in secret) with the holder and privately borrowed Pixie.

This was not for amusement purposes, but for an interrogation, except that the storage room belonging to the Robotics Club wasn’t suited for that venture.

That being said, her garb was simply too eye-catching for waltzing around campus. He also wished to avoid any rumors or suspicions (of his interests), and with his objectives in mind, being conspicuous was simply no good.

Thus, Tatsuya first ordered Pixie to change into a girl’s uniform. The uniform was actually a costume for humanoid models that Mayumi borrowed from the Arts Club. There was some concern that the differences in the human skeletal structure and the machine’s design may interfere with changing clothes, but the 3H’s body proved to be more flexible than imagined, so both acts of removing clothes and changing were possible. Though the lines in the lower half of the body were somewhat unnatural, but Tatsuya had already planned ahead by preparing a uniform that was one size larger so this detail wasn’t as obvious. Anyone who passed by along the halls would only assume that she was a female student. –Just in case, it should be stated that Tatsuya had no peculiar feelings while watching a humanoid robot changing clothes.

After all this, Tatsuya brought Pixie to an empty room in the labs and began his interrogation.

Setting aside the awkwardness of hearing a voice reverberate through his head and feeling the mysteriously burning hot gaze that had nothing to do with optics coming from its optics, Tatsuya began his questioning.

The questions he asked pertained to the “vampire incident”. In particular, the victims clearly bore no sign of injury, yet an unbelievably massive amount of blood was missing from their bodies. Questions regarding this mechanic and the motive behind it. These were the topics that drew Tatsuya’s attention ever since he heard about this incident.

“Were Parasites responsible for removing the blood from the victims?”

((YES.))

“Why did you need blood from living humans?”

((Blood loss was not our intent. That is the side effect of failed reproduction.))

“Please give a more detailed explanation.”

((Our reproduction process begins by separating a part of ourselves and transplanting that portion into the body of a potential host. The separated portion will absorb the psions and pushions in the blood to grow, thus replacing the lost blood within the flesh of the vessel.))

“Hold on…… Replacing blood with yourself? As information bodies, you shouldn’t have energy. Where does the energy from the replaced blood go?”

((It is consumed by the body during the assimilation process. If assimilation fails, then it would be transformed into gas and expelled out of the body along with the separated portion.))

“I see, so that’s how it works…… Continue.”

((If entry into the flesh is successful, then we are able to tap into the astral form of the information body.))

“Mutual use of body the information body and the material form, much like the theory behind magic.”

((The astral form is the route that leads to the spirit. Once a connection has been made between the astral form and the vessel’s spirit, then reproduction via assimilation has succeeded. Unfortunately, there are currently no examples of such success.))

“Reason being?”

((Unknown. I would like to know as well. For reason, only that feeling remains in my heart.))

“……How many of your companions are in this country?”

((At the time I took refuge in this vessel there were six.)) “Can Parasites communicate amongst one another?” ((YES.))

“What is your communication range?”

((Anywhere within this country’s borders would be possible.)) “Where are the other Parasites currently located?”

((Locations unknown. Since residing in this body, the link to my companions has been severed.))

Pixie never hesitated when answering Tatsuya’s queries.

There was no way to differentiate expressions on that face, but her cognitive pattern appeared to be in high spirits. This, at least, didn’t seem like a misconception on his part. Exactly how accurately emotions could be conveyed across telepathy and to what degree those feelings could be disguised were both uncertain, but the feeling being sent across seemed like genuine happiness that she was able to assist Tatsuya.

Despite the callousness of this statement, it was undeniably chilling to be perceived in a positive light by a monster. Still, all of this could be relaxed when one recalled that the host was an “object” and not a human being. He made a clear distinction between the two, so this was nothing more than both sides using one another, thus he proceeded without a guilty conscience.

As the two of them sat alone (to be precise, more like one person and one machine) in the classroom, Erika entered the classroom during the lull in the interrogation.

“Tatsuya-kun, may I come in for a second?”

There was no way of telling if she calculated that this was perfect time to make an entrance after eavesdropping or this was pure coincidence.

Given that this was Erika, nothing would be awry even if she overheard anything. Then again, since the question and answer session was done via telepathy, no one could overhear them no matter how hard they tried.

He had no complaints about the sudden request for entry.

Since this wasn’t his room and he wasn’t changing, there was no need to require people “to knock”. However—

“I don’t mind if you want to ask me something, but please rein in that killing intent of yours a little. I’m not entirely blind, you know.”

--He honestly wished she would calm down a little. “Ah, sorry.”

Erika herself seemed to be oblivious to that matter. She blushed in embarrassment after Tatsuya pointed it out.

“No, so long as you understand.”

She truly appeared to be unaware, seeing as how the porcupine-like aura that clung to Erika’s body gradually faded into thin air.

In other words, she had added those emotions into the mix. He couldn’t help but feel that she shared a few points of similarity with his sister, so he had to earnestly suppress the wry grin threatening to leak from his lips.

“Pixie, lock the door.” “Understood.”

Switching with Pixie, Erika stood before Tatsuya.

Despite his encouragement for her to take a seat, she declined to do so. Erika maintained her standing position as she looked down at Tatsuya as he sat in his seat.

Since he understood the feelings running through her, Tatsuya didn’t press the issue.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” “You already know.”

“Just the anticipated conversation?”

“Exactly…… Last night, a brother of mine engaged in a disgraceful performance.”

Erika’s response was within expected parameters, but Tatsuya had more than one answer prepared ahead of time.

“That’s it?”

“At any rate, this comes first.”

I see, so some things come first. Just as Tatsuya was about to say this, Erika continued on.

“Who was the other guy?”

There was no small talk involved as she asked her question directly. Speaking of which, seeing as how she didn’t even wait for an explanation of the opponent involved, she must be very agitated.

“USNA Military, Stars High Commander, Angie Sirius.” In response, Tatsuya’s answer was also decisive and direct.

Maybe it was because she didn’t expect him to answer immediately, a cloud of confusion gathered around Erika.

“So, what are you going to do after hearing that?”

Taking advantage of Erika’s momentary bemusement, this time it was Tatsuya to raise a question.

“That sort of thing…… Do you even need to ask?”

She appeared to be a little shocked at the direct question out of the blue, but she immediately fired back with a fierce look on her face.

“I can surmise what course of action you have in mind, but…… I recommend you give up, Erika.”

“Are you saying that it’s impossible for me?”

This was not the unconsciously expressed fury from before.

Tatsuya didn’t even bat an eyelid as he absorbed this intentional display of wrath.

“It is impossible. Not because of talent, but from a results perspective.”

“……What do you mean?”

The first half of that that phrase was still buoyed by fury, but the latter half was switched for astonishment.

“You saw the news this morning, correct? It doesn’t matter if it was the images or the words.”

“I did. Which one are you talking about?”

“The news about the small USNA vessel left adrift.” “That one…… You can’t mean?”

“How astute of you.”

Upon seeing the change in Erika’s facial expression, Tatsuya’s words were not simple courtesy, but honest praise.

“Though this remains a mere possibility…… But “Sirius” will likely not appear again. Even if both sides remain in a standoff, there is no benefit to be gained here for either side.”

Erika didn’t have an answer or rejection for Tatsuya’s suggestion. “Tatsuya-kun……”

In comparison, she was staring in all seriousness at Tatsuya as if she beheld a completely unidentifiable stranger.

“Who….. What are you……?”

No, not “as if”. She actually saw him as an enigma.

“That sort of thing, at least for my family…… That is beyond the

Chiba Family.” “Is that so?”

Tatsuya wasn’t playing dumb here, but he had no other options at this point.

“Not just our family. This is definitely impossible for families like Isori, Chiyoda, and Tomitsuka. I don’t know exactly how this happened, but the only ones capable of getting that kind of result would be the Ten Master Clans. And even then, only……”

“I believe that’s far enough, correct?”

“A lineage of incredible power. A family whose power base surrounds the capital, or a family who has free reign to act regardless of territory or jurisdiction.”

She couldn’t stop speaking. “Erika, enough.”

“Removing the Ichijou Family station in the north…… Then there is only Saegusa, Juumonji, or…… Yotsuba. Tatsuya-kun, you can’t possibly be……”

“Silence!”

“Ah!”

Erika shut her mouth not because of coarseness of Tatsuya’s voice or the volume, but the intent mixed within.

“Any further would only result in things getting awkward for everyone.”

Tatsuya calmly made that declaration.

Erika was not lacking in experience when it came to walking though the valley of death.

She was not falling quiet because she was overawed by his manner. Rather, her extensive experience told her to do so.

Especially because she was about to recklessly cross over the line. “……I’m sorry.”

“As long as you understand.”

The phrase was similar to the ones before. As usual, his tone was light. However, cold sweat dripped down Erika’s back.

“Erika, even if you wanted to find out who Sirius is, there is nothing for it now. Thus, let’s just end things here.”

“……You’re right.”

She understood that half the reason why Tatsuya changed the subject was for herself, so Erika acknowledged Tatsuya’s proposal.

“Then, let’s hear what else you wanted to know. I assuming it has something to do with the Parasite’s remnants.”

“Spot on, though this doesn’t really merit praise. You wouldn’t be Tatsuya if you couldn’t discern things to this level.”

Finally, she had regained her usual self at least for appearance’s sake, which must mean she was aware of it now.

“Were those words of yours actually praise?”

“At the very least, I’m not demeaning you, right?”

During this acting sequence, Erika was gradually resuming her typical state. This high degree of resiliency was quite admirable.

“It’s not like I planned on leaving things alone. You can count on me to let you know if I hear anything.”

As he said this, Tatsuya directed a look at Pixie that was full of undercurrents.

Erika also sneaked a peek at Pixie before the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in a satisfied manner.

“Definitely, OK? In response, I will also be open about this and not hold anything back.”

It was precisely Erika’s personality to add a corollary to this part of their agreement now.

“Ah, agreed.”

This was appropriate distance when it came down to his relationship with her.

“Then, Tatsuya-kun, sorry for bothering you.”

“Ah, and please convey my regards to your older brother.”

The hand Erika extended towards the door shook for a bit, but Erika quickly left the room as if nothing had happened. Tatsuya had no further remarks for that.

◊ ◊ ◊

After leaving the classroom where she had the secret conversation (?) with Tatsuya, Erika quickly walked down the hall. After returning the sparsely populated experimental building to the main floor, Erika leaned back against the wall of the corridor.

And heaved a giant sigh of relief.

As if finally realizing how deep of a hole she was in, cold sweat ran down her temple.

Thinking back on what happened, she couldn’t help but think she was behaving strangely today.

Normally, she would never do something so silly like stepping on a tiger’s tail.

--Scratch that, rather than calling that a tiger’s tail, more like the untouchable scales of a dragon.

--Thanks to that, she knew clearly.

--She even knew the things that she didn’t need to know. (……How terrible.)

Erika’s lips curled into a self-depreciative smile.

Once she drew back the curtain and witnessed what was going on, a lot of things suddenly made sense.

Originally, Erika didn’t agree with “that person” who even called on her second brother’s assistance to find out about Tatsuya. She thought that, as one of Tatsuya’s companions, she should obstruct such a thing.

She had planned on safeguarding Tatsuya’s secret.

Now, for some reason, she wasn’t just “wanting to protect” but being “forced to protect”.

This was not to say that if Erika leaked the secret that Tatsuya would come down on her with a vengeance.

(I get the feeling that even if I let it slip, Tatsuya would just laugh and forgive me.)

Still, everything had a “what if”, which prompted some serious consideration on Erika’s part.

There was no way she was going to put that to the test.

Just Tatsuya’s ability alone would be incredibly difficult, and on top of that – though that only remained a possibility.

(Ah~~~~ ……I’m so confused. Seriously, I should’ve “let sleeping dogs lie”.)

Why the heck did she say that, Erika wordlessly complained to herself.

Now that she thought about it, there was a sense that she was being led around.

(That’s ridiculous…… That’s pushing it too far no matter how evil

Tatsuya-kun’s personality is.)

Erika resolutely smiled to blow away all those hanging concerns.

She was furiously backpedaling away from the notion that he was capable of doing exactly that.

◊ ◊ ◊

(……Did that backfire on me?)

Tatsuya thought to himself as he kept staring at the door after Erika left.

He had considered the possibility that Chiba Naotsugu’s intervention yesterday was the result of the Chiba Family joining the Saegusa Family, or more appropriately, the recon vanguard dispatched by JSDF intelligence bureau after being goaded on by the Saegusa Family, but this appeared to have nothing do with Erika.

Still, this may be as simple as Erika being not informed. (Forget it. They would catch on sooner or later.)

In the end, Erika had already witnessed all sorts of things. Not only had she seen his powers, but also Miyuki’s “Cocytus”. Based on her outstanding instincts, all of this was simply a matter of time regardless.

(Based on the end result, we still pulled her in anyways.)

This development was not something that Tatsuya planned for in his scenario, but it was fine in his book so long as the result was alright, he thought.

Typically, it was impossible to keep a secret without a few conspirators.

There were situations where the person in question simply could not cover everything by themselves. Strictly speaking, that was because those who sought these secrets acted behind the backs of the person in question. At that time, the ideal scenario was for the seeker to run into a third party that happened to be the conspirator.

Tatsuya unilaterally drew the curtain on this incredibly selfish monologue.

“Pixie.”

((Yes, Master.))

Tatsuya more or less understood that when conversing with Pixie using telepathy, they were communicating with concepts rather than words. The image being sent over was then translated into words by the receiving side.

Even while wearing a servant’s garb, being called “Master” by someone wearing the same school uniform still threw him out of sorts. Still, this was how the other entity felt and once this became a habit during their telepathic communication, there was nothing he could do about it.

Nonetheless, Tatsuya was glad that at least the term hadn’t translated into something like “My Lord” or “Milord”. After all, this was his personal preference when it came down to language.

Since she (?) used a mobile form of telepathy, Tatsuya believed that she was unaware of this. She was probably doing this after reading the behavioral patterns based on the names recorded in the electronic brain, Tatsuya thought as he moved before her.

“Before taking hold of this body, you guys appeared to function like a group towards a common objective. Within your group, was there an entity that served as a leader?”

((There is no one among us who functions in the capacity of a leader.)) “Then how do you maintain group cohesion?”

((Strictly speaking, all of us are not independent bodies. We are both individuals and the whole body. While we possess the ability to think critically, we also share our consciousness.))

“In other words, one mind exists in a state with multiple cognitive processes?”

((Not cognitive processes. I think it would be more appropriate to describe this as an incompletely independent cognitive process in the subconscious being gathered by a higher level of cognition.))

“I understand. However, in that case, if the subconscious has differing agendas, wouldn’t the higher level lose cohesion?”

((Under the condition that the life form is set as the host, then it is impossible to completely avoid being influenced by the host’s most fundamental desires. Our actions are determined when survival instincts and reproductive impulses reach an accord within the consciousness.))

“Life extension and producing more companions. Quite simply really for life forms seeking survival.”

((Indeed. We will abide by the life form’s greatest desire then proceed along with survival and reproducing as our goals.))

“Since there is a unified consensus within the group, does the group provide assistance for objectives that lie outside of survival and replication?”

((Despite achieving general consensus, we still possess individual sense of self that reciprocates the host’s personal desires on our own. However, that is under the condition that the overall objective holds the priority, so I think it’s just as Master believes.))

“I see……”

Tatsuya fell into a reverie after speaking.

One reason that she failed to interrupt him any further could be that she wasn’t human in the first place, or the fact that her host was pure machinery.

“Then, the current you is something that exists outside of the general consensus, an almost heretical existence. If a dissent appeared in your group, wouldn’t you be eliminated?”

((We do not have the desire to root out dissenters. However, once they determine that I may pose an obstacle to their objective, they may elect to launch a pre-emptive attack.))

“I see…… I have one other question. Right now, you said that you are cut off from contact with the rest of your comrades, but can you detect their presence?”

((That is possible if the target shows high activity. On the other hand, my current state is one such that they can also detect my presence if we’re in the same area.))

“Is that so?”

Tatsuya fell into a thoughtful posture before immediately giving new orders.

“Pixie, return to the trailer, change into your original uniform and enter sleep mode. I will find you later.”

((Understood. Executing standby orders.))

Pixie primly, or rather stiffly, bowed before moving towards the garage.

Tatsuya mentally selected the equipment he needed, first returned home, then went to the Student Council to pick up Miyuki.

In the year 2095, the world had grown smaller. However, the gap between Magicians and mundane humans was the exact opposite.

Magicians had received official recognition after early deployment and action in the scattered national territorial disputes and were heavily restricted from leaving the country except on government business. For Magicians, the world had shrank to within the country’s interior.

On the other hand, mundane humans could take full advantage of the advancements in transportation technology. Land, sea, and air travel had all become streamlined and more efficient, so people could freely travel internationally. Now, getting to the other side of the world was a simple matter of one quick flight in a matter of hours, removing the need to switch flights. Compared to one hundred years ago, the world had indeed become smaller.

After experiencing conflicts across the world, every country paid careful scrutiny to potential illegal immigrants who loitered within the country’s borders for too long. In comparison, the current trend was that short stays from foreign travelers were on the rise. This was made blatantly obvious by the sight of foreigners walking along the streets of Tokyo.

On the eastern bank of the “river”, no Japanese person would find it odd for young men of Spanish or mestizo ancestry walking with young women of equally mixed ethnicities at dusk. None of the citizens would have found it strange for the three of them to walk into the large, somewhat out of fashion hospital.

There were beds laid out in the hospital’s basement.

Usually, this would be considered on par for the course, but these beds usually wouldn’t appear in a hospital.

The bedspring wrapped within the black leather was practically useless, so rather than calling this a bed, this was more like a long, rectangular box.

The various beds weren’t arranged in one row or split into two rows of four or five, but a haphazard arrangement of all 9 beds. Atop each bed lay a young male, each with a face from East Asian descent. All nine of them had pale faces as they slept on beds with no pillows without a single chest rising or descending. They appeared to be corpses, or in a near death-like state. The basement only contained the 9 silent young men as well as the three men and women of mixed descent who just entered.

A white male stood in the gap formed by the beds set up with the head facing inwards. Standing in the darkness, he almost seemed like a necromancer.

The mestizo male checked his watch and raised an arm as if waiting for something. After approximately ten minutes, the man looked towards the young woman standing on the other side of the ring of beds. This appeared to be some sort of signal as the woman nodded and raised both hands before her face.

The man repeated the same motion. Between the man and woman who were facing one another, the white male clapped his hands while his footsteps emitted noise.

The clapping continued. The steps continued as well.

The young man and the woman joined the white male in clapping while the sound of their pacing around the ring continued. As the young man and woman switched positions, the white male gave a louder clap.

Before the sound faded, the silent bodies rose from bed. One body, then another.

Eight of those previously in a near death-like state had revived from their black beds.

In the darkness of the basement, there was the sound of an insect’s wings flapping, except this existed in the mental landscape instead of the material world or the Idea.

If translated into a human language— (I/We have finally reawakened.) (My/Our numbers have decreased again.) (Another person/one was lost?)

(Are there enough vessels?)

(Negative. The facilitator has procured them for us just as you see.) (The Chinese spiritualists are quite capable.)

(Ho, at least they surpass me/our levels.)

(The desire for life on the cusp of death. The consciousness has been suspended.)

(But I/we have also learned from this. Now we know how to move from host to host.)

(Even if the vessel is destroyed next time, activities can still resume after a short delay.)

(It should be easy to replace the missing person/one.) (Let’s go reclaim my/our missing companion.) (Let’s find my/our companion.)

--This was the contents of that conversation. This was the conversation held between the three bodies who had come from overseas and the eight monsters who had reawakened from their slumber.

◊ ◊ ◊

After returning home, Tatsuya headed for the phone instead of changing first. Rather than using the telephone with the large screen in the living room, he used the secured line in his own room. Any power usually reserved for external purposes was instead diverted to encryption on the phone that Tatsuya used to call Hayama, the butler for the Yotsuba Family. Right now, he was barely in time for the appointment he arranged ahead of time by mail.

“You’re just on time, Tatsuya-dono.” “Hayama-san, much thanks for last evening.”

Both sides skipped the small talk. Tatsuya was matching Hayama’s tempo. Rather than saying the old butler was in a hurry because of his schedule, Tatsuya got the impression that the old man had something he wanted to say.

“As I said last night, there’s no need to thank me. After all, protecting Miyuki-sama is the second highest priority for us in the Yotsuba Family.”

“Hayama-san, saying you say that so lightly puts me in a small quandary.”

“There are no issues so long as the time frame and opponents are made clear. More importantly, I am different from that person in that I’m not brave enough to tangle with Tatsuya-dono.”

He appeared to have enough time to engage in some small talk.

That being said, Tatsuya didn’t have much time on his end. Though he had specifically requested a secure line, he still wanted to convey critical information as quickly as possible. –In addition, Tatsuya wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Hayama brought up the conversation he had several months ago with Aoki.

“So, what did you need to talk to me about? You could not send this via mail nor was there time to meet in person, so I conclude that this information must be vital.”

“Oh yes, that’s right.”

Hayama’s voice sounded like he just remembered this. However, anyone could have noticed that this was nothing but theatrics based on the voice intonation alone even if they didn’t Hayama’s personality.

“Tatsuya-dono, in regards the to the monster incident, the 3rd Division will be mobilized. I just wanted to convey this to you.”

“Third Division…… JSDF Intelligence Counterintelligence

Department 3rd Division? I believe that interesting unit is affiliated with the Saegusa camp, correct?”

After Tatsuya said this, a chuckling sound could be heard over the receiver.

“I don’t think they would want someone like you from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion calling them interesting, but it is indeed that 3rd Division.”

“My interests do not lie in the direction of eradicating the source. In other words, the Saegusa Family is using the 3rd Division to investigate the Parasite…… No, capture them instead?”

“Though I wanted to say that you are as sharp as always, but we are still unclear on their objective. Unfortunately, it is most likely aligned with what Tatsuya-dono just said.”

How troublesome, Tatsuya thought from the bottom of his heart. This was originally a complicated incident with multiple factions already invested, now a new player had joined the fray. Furthermore, the Saegusa camp had a decidedly different perspective than Mayumi.

“Thank you very much for this valuable information.”

Still, he was not allowed to just reset the board and try again. No matter how difficult it was, reality differed from games, and do overs were not an option.

“I felt that this was necessary after taking Miyuki-sama’s safety into consideration. Please do not forget this, Tatsuya-dono.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Indeed, they could not destroy the world that Miyuki lived in. Though there was no need for Hayama’s extra reminder, Tatsuya accepted the comment without resistance.

◊ ◊ ◊

Seven o’clock in the evening.

All the students had long returned home, and the only lonely souls still occupying the school were a few of the faculty members. The school gates had been locked and, until the next day, access was strictly denied to all but a small group of exceptions. Teaching supplies, products for the campus store, and foodstuffs for the cafeteria were all largely brought through the back door to the underground passage before sundown.

The only ones allowed access were a handful of faculty members, security guards from a contracted security company, engineers working on maintenance that could only be done at night, individuals with special dispensation from the school, and select members from the Student Council.

This power that seemed a mite overkill even for student government was adopted last year while Mayumi was Student Council President. This was a huge help in that there was no longer a need to submit a request with valid reasons to the faculty. This was also especially useful for situations where the reasons could not be stated aloud.

Tatsuya had already made arrangements on the way home before he arrived there, and was now carrying the package that arrived at home on his back before heading for school. From the security guard at the door, he received 3 ID cards issued to visitors that only allowed night time access after a confirmation number from the Student Council was inputted. This was designed so that anyone not carrying a valid ID at night would trigger the security alarm as a suspicious individual.

As to why there were 3 cards, well, one of them was obviously for himself.

The second one was for Miyuki.

Miyuki received the ID card with a satisfied smile.

At first, Tatsuya never planned on bringing Miyuki along. The original plan called for Miyuki to watch the house.

Unfortunately, Miyuki added on a condition when issuing the night time access number.

She said she wanted to come along.

The power to issue access confirmation lay within the hands of Azusa, the Student Council President. However, just as the rumors went, the real power in the Student Council was the Vice President and not the President. Approximately three hours ago, this was on full display in front of Tatsuya.

After failing to convince his stubborn little sister otherwise, Tatsuya was forced to acquiesce.

Miyuki, along with one other.

The third card was handed to Honoka, who met him at the station. This may not need to be said, but just as with Miyuki, no, even before Miyuki, Tatsuya never planned on bringing Honoka along. The reason everything turned out like this was because Honoka was also present when the question about the access confirmation came up in the Student Council Room. Indeed, he could only blame himself for being careless. On top of that, even if he could refuse her, he couldn’t tell her the real reason with Azusa and Isori eavesdropping on them. He still might have been able to deny Honoka’s request, but he could not go through with this after Miyuki threw in her support. Additionally, unlike Miyuki, Honoka received the ID card from Tatsuya with a petrified expression on her face.

The reason he requested the access card was to “investigate the odd behaviors in the 3H-P94 model”. Nevertheless, the real reason Tatsuya wanted to bring Pixie outside was to bait the Parasites.

He knew something after questioning Pixie multiple times, and that was “the Parasites won’t leave Pixie alone”. Although this knowledge was nothing more than speculation, Tatsuya had confidence in that line of thinking. If the general consensus lost contact with a component, they should attempt to recover that piece. Tatsuya judged that in order to accomplish this, they had to make contact somehow.

He had no way of locating the Parasites, though he didn’t need to do that actively. –Until yesterday, that is. Since Pixie had been possessed by the Parasite, he could not wash himself of the whole deal. There was a much bigger problem with handing over Pixie in that state, and when compared to all that, he wanted to wipe out the Parasites even more. He had originally planned on fighting the Parasites again, which was precisely the reason why he asked to train with Yakumo. Pixie was nothing more than the impetus that changed a reactive stance to a more proactive one.

Tatsuya wasn’t planning on taking out all the Parasites tonight. Still, he believed that if they could lure out one or two, then that would lead to clues regarding the rest of them.

After taking into account the danger involved with this course of action, Tatsuya probably should have decisively forbidden Miyuki and Honoka from accompanying him. In all likelihood, Tatsuya was probably numb to the “danger” of too many things.

While strategizing tonight’s activities, he never planned on proceeding alone. Based on his experiences to this point and contemplating the necessity of this move, he petitioned Erika and Mikihiko for support. It was only thanks to their help that he was able to allow Miyuki, who was in the know, and Honoka, who was somewhat of a participant, to come along.

First High’s school rules required students to wear their uniforms before or after class, but this restriction was lifted when visiting the campus at night. On the surface, this was because the ID card had a built in transmitter so there was no need to wear a uniform, but in reality, the underlying intent was to prevent students from wandering around on the streets after hours in their uniform.

This was a matter of risk avoidance – better to have less incidents than more incidents – for the school. Understanding this, Tatsuya complied with that wish and wore the same combat-use jacket he usually wore.

Matching her brother, Miyuki wore a half coat, sweat pants, and a pair of high boots for mobility.

Yet, Honoka still wore her uniform underneath her jacket. This caused one to ponder if she was fully aware of what they were about to do tonight, but Tatsuya wouldn’t be Tatsuya if he did something so blatant like expressing that thought aloud.

“Honoka, did you not go home today?”

Miyuki was the one who gently asked the question on her brother’s mind.

“Eh? No, I did go home.”

Honoka lived alone in a rented room that was much closer to school than the siblings’ residence. It was fairly implausible for her to not have enough time to change.

“Is…… wearing a uniform, going to be a problem……?”

“Well, it’s not going to be a problem…… But it might be a little inconvenient.”

Though scolding words were to be avoided, they were planning on running into trouble tonight. Furthermore, Honoka seemed to have missed that memo.

If he knew this was going to happen, he should have explained more carefully, Tatsuya thought with a hint of regret.

“Onii-sama, would it be better for Honoka to first stop by her apartment?”

Miyuki wanted to dispel the glum atmosphere.

“We can wait for her downstairs while Honoka changes.”

Miyuki probably wasn’t doing this to “help her rival”. Most likely, she was presenting a solution to Tatsuya’s puzzlement.

“That’s true. It’s too late for us to visit…… If Honoka is OK with it, let’s go.”

“Of course not! I, uh, would never mind if you came to visit. If you have time, please drop by.”

However, while completely unrelated to Miyuki’s thoughts, this was something that Honoka dearly wished for.

And so, while this drama was playing out, the three of them arrived at the garage for the Robotics Club. The door was locked of course, but things like locks were designed to be easily disabled from within.

Tatsuya pulled out his portable terminal and engaged short range communications before sending out a recognition signal that he prepared ahead of time. The response was practically immediate.

((Did you call for me, Master?))

A simple door’s thickness, even a heavily reinforced armored door that was completely out of place on this flimsy looking exterior, was not going to affect telepathy.

“Open the door for me.” ((Understood.))

Immediately after the response, the door to the garage opened.

Not far inside, the silhouette of a doll wearing a maid uniform dropped into a deep curtsey. Even with a monster dwelling inside, the basic behavioral modules were still active.

Once Pixie raised her head, Tatsuya removed the first thing from the bag.

“Pixie, put this on.”

Even if it was late at night, no, on some level precisely because it was late at night, there was no way they could bring her around like this (in her maid getup). Whatever the case, any reason for wearing a maid uniform was no good. For this operation, Tatsuya first had to prepare a set of clothing for Pixie.

It appeared that orders of this extent did not require a verbal response. All of a sudden, Pixie began removing her dress.

Tatsuya treated this entire process as if it was all a matter of course. This is already the second time he has seen “her” changing clothes after school, and since he had no interest in treating humans and dolls in the same light, to him Pixie changing clothes was the same thing as lifting the hood on an automatic car.

“Onii-sama? Why are you just watching!?”

However, it appeared that it was a little difficult for Miyuki to come around to his line of thinking.

Likewise, Honoka seemed to share that sentiment based on her disapproving gaze.

“What are you talking about, Miyuki? Pixie is a robot.” “A robot that happens to be a girl!”

“No, humanoid actually, and not precise enough to emulate the human body……”

Just as Tatsuay said, the 3H was designed to be a humanoid robot “indistinguishable from human beings after putting on clothes”, but the portions and lines hidden beneath the clothes could not possibly compare with a human female. The “parts” on a doll used for deviant purposes would be a little more pronounced.

The torso gave the impression of “a woman wearing a skin-colored leotard”, but that only extended to the waist. The portion from the waist to the leg showed lines that clearly belonged on a robot, and even wearing tights over that could not hide the fact she wasn’t human. That was the reason why the disguise involved a long dress.

Still, for the two young ladies, subjectivity trumped objectivity.

Miyuki forcibly turned Tatsuya around while Honoka stood protectively between Pixie and the other two.

Though he felt that this was a little ridiculous, it wasn’t like he wanted to peep. Until the moment the two of them gave the OK, Tatsuya obediently kept his back to them.

“Tatsuya, it’s OK now.”

Despite Honoka’s words, Tatsuya checked Miyuki’s expression just in case before turning around.

The clothes that Tatsuya brought included a standard windbreaker jacket with high elasticity as well as knee length skirt that covered the lines.

A scarf was wrapped twice around her neck.

A hat to cover the facial features was not provided on purpose.

The legs were wrapped in a thick pair of leggings and boots, which served to hide the fine details while improving the purchase on the feet. –These were all suggestions he took from the female officer responsible for clothing in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.

Honoka produced a brush out of nowhere and started organizing Pixie’s hair. Pixie didn’t seem to care in the slightest as she stood there without moving. This was declaring that, no matter how she looked on the outside, she was just a doll and not a human. Tatsuya did not have such high demands from Pixie.

As long as she could move about on the streets without suspicion, that was more than sufficient.

On that point, Pixie’s current appearance was passable. “Pixie, follow me.”

As if declaring the onset of hostilities, Tatsuya made this declaration He gave a lofty order as if commanding a slave.

Completely apathetic.

◊ ◊ ◊

Erika stood in front of her brother’s room in a daze.

For her, this was unexpected beyond the unexpected. She couldn’t believe she was still so weak in some areas.

Although she wasn’t nervous when coming to her mother’s house, she still tried her utmost to avoid her father and older sister. There was no conflict with those two, but she also wanted to dodge her oldest brother. Thankfully, her eldest brother shouldn’t have returned at this hour yet.

At any rate, quickly handling the issue and then retreating far away from here to her own room was the best bet, so stalling in the hallways was the worst possible choice.

“Second brother, it’s me, Erika.”

She encouraged herself to strike up a conversation. “Come in.”

There was a tiny delay before a response was heard. The sound was neither displeased nor welcoming.

Instead, the unpleasant aura must already have been retracted. Striking down the urge to do an “about face”, Erika opened the door. “What is it, coming here at this hour?”

Naotsugu sat in a chair at the writing table. He turned in his chair and faced his upper body towards Erika. However, Erika noticed that the bed behind the writing table showed signs of someone just in bed recently.

Although this was the opposite situation from last night, Erika didn’t open her mouth to scold him.

“There’s just a few things I wanted to talk to you about.” Erika’s tone was slightly hesitant.

Her change was brought about by the forced smile that floated across Naotsugu’s face.

“Go ahead.”

Naotsugu’s response was a little half-hearted, almost as if it was like “I’ll listen just because it’s you”. Yet, this didn’t lesson Erika’s load in the slightest, since something else seemed to be on his mind.

“Onii-san, have you heard of a unit called the 101st Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion?”

“Why do you know that name, Erika?”

Erika was a little hurt by Naotsugu’s nonchalant attitude and rallied to utter those words, words that immediately captured all of Naotsugu’s attention.

“Actually……”

Once she got here, Erika was again filled with doubt, but there was no other way to go about it.

“The person Onii-san was protecting is actually my classmate, Shiba Tatsuya-kun. He happens to be one of the soldiers for the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.”

“What did you just say……?”

Erika was trembling with hesitation, if not outright fear, as she said this, to which Naotsugu was unable to hide his shock.

“I’m terribly sorry. Originally, I should have passed this along several days ago when you asked, but because of someone called Major Kazama, I was unable to do so because of a gag order related to classified national security reasons.”

“Major Kazama……? –As in “Daitengu” Kazama Harunobu!?”

“Daitengu?”

This time it was Erika’s turn to tilt her head in surprise at her brother’s words.

For the appropriate Magician, and also to overawe their opponents by bolstering their name, sometimes an exaggerated alias was called for, but “Daitengu” was too unique even for that. It was so overblown that it seemed impossible.

“Does Onii-san know about Major Kazama?”

“Yeah…… In forests or mountainous terrain, he is globally acknowledged to be one of the finest Ancient Magic users. Likewise in the realm of paratroopers, he is still renowned as one of the great commanders in the country.”

Naotsugu’s expression and voice were interlaced with excitement and awe.

“Do you know the about the Vietnamese Conflict? In that war, the South Vietnamese Army that was trying to wage guerilla warfare against the Great Asian Alliance that was encroaching into the Indian Peninsula and the Korean army dispatched by the Great Asian Alliance were so fearful of him that they treated him like Death or the devil himself.”

Upon hearing her brother’s words, Erika knew that he had forgotten everything in front of him and merely sighed as if to say “What am I going to do with you……”

Many were those who martyred themselves on the path to glory by going that extra mile. Maybe one day, this sort of thinking will drive this country to destruction. Even though this wasn’t something that a young woman like her should consider, Erika couldn’t help but ponder this in her head.

“Rumor has it that the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion is under Major Kazama’s direct command…… In that light, all of these rumors that smack of urban legends make sense. Furthermore, if Shiba Tatsuya-kun is a member of that outfit, then that power unbefitting his age could also be explained.”

Just as Erika seemed to be lost in her own world, Naotsugu also appeared to be talking to himself.

Thanks to this, Erika’s attention was drawn back to her original goal.

“Onii-san, I made contact with Major Kazama during the Yokohama Incident. If not for that emergency, I may not have been able to stumble across Shiba-kun’s secret. Even then, I felt that this was a huge secret.”

“Hm~…… The Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion carries all the characteristics of black ops. Having a high school student joined them as an irregular must contain a very special reason.”

“I broke regulations by informing Onii-san about Shiba-kun’s situation, so please keep that in mind.”

“In other words, Erika is telling me to stop poking into his affairs, correct?”

“Indeed. The fallout from poking that hornet’s nest should be something that not only Onii-san, but the Chiba Family as a whole would want to avoid. Likewise, that nest may contain a giant swarm of poisonous hornets.”

“Hm…… That’s true, you have a point there, Erika. However, although he’s a student, I belong to the army. I cannot disobey a direct order.”

“Then, can you pretend to obey orders? If you pretend to be his guard, then under situations where he gets attacked, then you can appear and seize control of the situation.”

“I see…… I understand. Then let’s proceed along these lines.”

……Fortunately, she was able to convince her brother without dropping the name “Yotsuba”. Concealing her uneasy expression, Erika bowed and left Naotsugu’s room without catching his eye.

After returning to her own room, Erika read the message that was flashing on the information terminal atop her desk before murmuring “Aoyama Cemetery, eh?” She didn’t sit in the chair directly and immediately peeled off her clothes and threw them aside. This was not something a young lady should be doing, but she was also taking this opportunity to get rid of the depression she felt while trying to convince Naotsugu.

After putting on the composite rubber under armor with bulletproof, anti-piercing and other qualities, she put on a leather biker jacket and shorts. She wore protectors that did not disrupt her mobility over her knees and pulled a pair of clothes over her hands that had thin, composite fibers over the palm and finger areas. After verifying the contents in her jacket pocket, Erika picked up her weapons and headed for the threshold. The shorts and long rubber boots appearance highly suited her fiery appearance, but her destination wasn’t the night life.

Not far from her, “Erika’s personal guard” awaited her. In this recent “vampire incident”, they were the core elements of the Chiba Family’s personnel and served as Erika’s hands and feet in this operation.

“Come.”

Erika coldly uttered those words.

Yet no trace of displeasure was shown by the men as they followed in her footsteps.

◊ ◊ ◊

Honoka’s place was a single person apartment for rent. The total area was supposed to be 1 LDK, but with a small dining area in the kitchen, the total area was less than 1 LDK.

Even with the living room and bedroom separated from one another, this was something that was absolutely required for young girls. Even if the boy was Tatsuya, she wasn’t willing for someone to open the door and immediately get a glimpse of her bedroom.

In the living room, Tatsuya was enjoying tea with Miyuki. Pixie had been halted from executing her routine behavioral pattern when Honoka frantically prepared tea in time.

The coarse tea that was brought out was likely Honoka’s personal favorite.

Honoka herself was changing in her room. The soundproofing was excellent, but for some reason, there appeared to be some sort of nervous aura emanating from Honoka’s side. Of course, the siblings knew that feigning obliviousness here was what propriety demanded.

When they finally caught sight of Honoka, the siblings just finished the tea.

“Sorry for the wait!”

Full of vigor, Honoka appeared dressed in the pretty much the same fashion as Miyuki.

Her upper body was covered by a large half coat. Beneath the jacket, a sweater with a high collar could be seen. However, the bottom half was not covered by sweats but a combination of mini-dress and thick- soled shoes. Her skirt had a circular hem and her shoes were the type that revealed her ankles due to the heels.

The skirt’s length was perfectly covered by the large half coat, which gave the impression that she wasn’t wearing anything under the coat.

This was a getup that was sure to draw attention – rather, this was a getup that was supposed to catch the eyes of boys.

Still, it wasn’t without any practicality. Honoka’s leggings retained heat very well and the fabric was woven with fibers that improved durability. Tatsuya knew that the same type of fibers were used for jackets deployed in combat operations. After examining her from head to toe, he nodded lightly. “Well then, let’s be off.”

There was no way to tell how Honoka interpreted Tatsuya’s nodding motion, but her smile was fit to melt as she tagged behind him.

In her hair, she wore the pair of crystals Tatsuya brought her. Both Tatsuya and Miyuki as well as Honoka herself missed the brief instance where Pixie was drawn to that flash of light.

“Onii-sama, where are we off to now?”

After getting their tickets and boarding the escalator to the station, Miyuki posed this question to Tatsuya after seeing that no one was about. Miyuki would follow him regardless of where their destination was, but that did not mean she cared not where they were going.

“Aoyama Cemetery.”

Honoka was the same in terms of interest, but her face paled at Tatsuya’s response. Taking the hour into consideration, favor and trust were two different things, but there was nothing to be done. Only a decidedly small minority among young ladies would be able to emulate Miyuki’s ability to not bat an eyelid.

“A test of courage in the wrong season…… could not possibly be the reason. Is it something like ghosts or demons will appear there?” “How astute of you.”

Though carefully controlled, Tatsuya seemed to be slightly pleased after confirming his sister’s speculation.

“Naturally. That’s because it’s something Onii-sama is thinking about.”

In excellent spirits, Miyuki replied back with a smile. This pricked something in the depths of Honoka’s heart. “Um, Tatsuya, isn’t the place closed at this time……?”

Two days ago, she may have endured the pain and wilted.

However, on that evening two days ago, her close friend’s powerful encouragement reverberated in Honoka’s consciousness, no, her heart.

Standing on the higher step of the escalator, Honoka interjected herself into the conversation.

Miyuki wore an “Ara?” expression, but Tatsuya seemed unruffled.

“We should be able to enter, though it’s not like we would be hampered even if we could not enter. So long as we get close, they should come out and meet us. That’s the reason we brought Pixie along.”

The results of Pixie’s interrogation told Tatsuya that the other Parasites were unlikely to accept her current existence.

For life forms that synchronized with other creatures, a Pixie who had lost the drive for reproduction was something to be eliminated.

Since their numbers were so few, they should attempt to retrieve her from that mechanical prison. Once the two fundamental impulses like self-defense and species preservation kicked in, then their plan of action should be quite similar to humans.

“Even if we’re about to get caught, I’m sure Honoka would do something, right?”

Her “Optical Camouflage” ability was not mere rumors but something that Tatsuya had personally witnessed. Tatsuya also knew that this was a powerful, high level technique that was far beyond the USNA military’s support personnel to imitate with their “Dark Curtain”. Honoka was a Magician who could entirely shroud her presence.

That being said, this was just a turn of the phrase for Tatsuya. In reality, Tatsuya never considered the possibility that they would be forced to obscure themselves.

However.

Tatsuya also didn’t fully comprehend something else.

Honoka was going to take that joke of his completely seriously. “Leave it to me.”

Thanks to the titanic misunderstanding Tatsuya created, Honoka was now completely fired up and bursting with confidence as she replied back in a warm tone while patting her chest.

◊ ◊ ◊

Located underground beneath a medium-sized building within a corner of Ichigaya, the JSDF Intelligence 3rd Division set up their headquarters.

If the main office located in the Department of Defense was a façade for the central headquarters for the JSDF’s intelligence work, then this “basement” was undeniably one of the central headquarters hiding behind that mask. Since this was central headquarters, referring to it was “one of the” seemed a little odd, but this was the product of risk management to prevent a crisis like “being paralyzed with the fall of headquarters” from occurring.

Of course, this caused several serious side effects that came with the territory with being an irregular organization and left great flaws.

It was only natural for an intelligence organization to have a side where “the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing”, but this was incredibly blatant here. Lacking initiative was still excusable, but with each department having their own patron, it was also true that each followed their own special interests to the point of disunity.

The JSDF intelligence divisions contained major unity issues.

“The observation target is moving towards the center of the city. Target is accompanied by the sister and two others.”

The sponsor of this basement came from one of the primary financial groups in the field of electronics manufacturing and at the same time was the second largest military supplier in the country. Furthermore, this group was deeply entwined with the Saegusa Family, to the point that the statement could be made that the real patrons of the 3rd Division was actually the Saegusa Family. Currently, they were following the will of the head of the Saegusa Family and not in concert with the Saegusa and Juumonji Alliance spearheaded by Mayumi and company.

“Comparing images on file…… One of them is a Year 1 student at the

National Magic University Affiliated First High, Mitsui Honoka.”

“Classmate, eh. What an odd interest, bringing the sister along on a date.”

The tone that belonged to the man who appeared to be in charge sounded mocking, but from a different perspective, it may have also sounded a little biased.

“The other person is….. No, not a human. Looks to be a Humanoid

Home Helper from the P94 series.”

“A HAR model? Where do they plan on going with that in tow? Have we gotten into the vehicle’s guidance system?”

“Sir, the protection is very stout…… My terrible apologies!”

In response to his subordinate’s practically tearful reply, the one in command did not issue any more reprimands. He understood very well that if the public transportation system could be so easily hacked, then terrorism would run rampant in the streets.

“Chief, the vehicle that the target is on board has changed direction.” “Akasaka…… No, Aoyama?”

The chief murmured as he watched the monitor display the estimated destination for the aforementioned vehicle before issuing new orders.

“Dispatch agents disguised as police to the Aoyama Tunnel. Fake an arrest on charges of the target using magic and capture them.”

Amid the replies of the order being acknowledged and being transferred to various receivers, the chief continued to observe the monitor.

◊ ◊ ◊

Colonel Virginia was stretched out in exhaustion in the rented apartment (more like condominium) fully equipped with furniture that the embassy rented for extended stays.

Though it was only a temporary command center, they had still been breached. In addition, despite the battle had not concluded on a kidnapping, they still put on a shameful display of being left adrift until another nation’s vessel rescued them. This was a huge blow against her record and future career.

Surprisingly, the officers from the homeland stationed at the embassy failed to blame her. This disgrace extended far beyond her alone and included the special forces dispatched as guards for the temporary command center and the navy belonging to the seized vessel (for that matter, the USNA navy’s pride suffered an even more grievous blow than she did), so she knew that it was impossible for them to blame her.

However, even beyond that, she still had the energy for further rumination.

Yet, she was unable to deny that they had suffered a huge defeat.

It was only after she raised her head at the unexpected ringing of the speaker phone that she noticed it was late into the night.

She even heard the female officer on guard duty answer the phone.

Virginia’s ears detected a sharp intake of breath from the female officer.

“Excuse me.”

The footsteps that approached the room she occupied as well as the voice that requested permission to enter had both been knocked askew out of shock.

“Come in.”

Virginia adjusted her posture and mentally reminded herself to speak clearly. She could not allow her subordinates to witness her weakened state – her brand of leadership involved not investing additional interpretations and emotions.

The door to the room was carefully opened. A tall young woman in full uniform saluted before her eyes. Her guard was selected for martial prowess over appearance or official record and possessed superlative ability and courage. Indeed, Virginia rated her highly enough that she believed that last night’s outcome may have been different had she been present at her side.

Nonetheless – she currently stood there stiffly and pale-faced. Feeling that something was awry, Virginia rose from the sofa. “What is it?”

“Someone has requested to meet you face to face, Colonel.”

“What……?”

Virginia residing at this location was highly classified. If someone from the military (from the USNA military) came to see her, her guard wouldn’t be so flustered. Likewise for anyone from the embassy. In other words, the visitor had broken through the USNA military’s information lockdown and was an outsider who knew that she was here and requested an audience.

Unwilling to even issue orders to her sergeant, Virginia manipulated the remote herself to put on the display from the main living room.

The image that was reflected contained a poor young girl wearing elegant lace with a curious expression on her face.

This utterly astounding sight caused Virginia to freeze for a solid 5 seconds.

“……Who the heck is that?”

Virginia finally rebooted her consciousness and detected the two sturdy men standing behind the young girl. One of them carefully carried what must be the young girl’s coat, so they must serving her, or even guardians.

The person that these people who were plainly no ordinary plebeians were guarding was most likely that young girl of tender age.

Despite knowing that she should be on guard, Virginia could feel her sense of reality being eroded.

“Her name is Ayako Kuroba.”

The sergeant spoke. Even Virginia could not fault her gulping motion after hearing the next few words.

“She claims to be an emissary from the Yotsuba Family.”

“How wonderful it is to meet you, Ms. Virginia. My name is Ayako Kuroba. Pardon my intrusion, but today I come on behalf of the Yotsuba Family.”

The young girl greeted Virginia in fluent English.

However, she discarded any military references to superior officers. Given her perfect grasp of the English language, it was impossible to believe that she was unfamiliar with those terms. In short, this was intentional.

Broadcasting her own name and surname was likely also intentional.

“I am Colonel Virginia Balance, USNA Military Joint Chiefs of Staff. Excuse my rudeness, but I wanted to ask something prior to our conversation.”

“Ara, what is it? I will answer if I am able.”

She was likely younger than Major Sirius, but this young girl far outstripped her at the negotiation table.

Though still immature, she was still superior to the USNA Military High Commander with all of her experiences.

This was no simple girl before her eyes. Virginia carefully engraved that in her heart.

“You said Yotsuba Family…… Are you referring to that “Yotsuba”?”

She spoke in an abstract function just in case that there was an error.

However, in regards to this vague line of questioning, the young girl laughed merrily.

“Indeed, that Yotsuba. Today, I come on behalf of Yotsuba Maya, head of the Yotsuba among the Ten Master Clans with a request.”

Even though she was mentally prepared that this wasn’t a mistake, simply accepting such a boldly stated truth was no easy task.

The Yotsuba of Japan.

For those who walked with magic, this was the untouchable land. Especially for people who wielded magic for military purposes.

They were not like Major Sirius in that one person bore the absolute destructive might to challenge an army.

The existence of the Yotsuba Family lay in the entirely opposite direction.

Right now (at least for now), they were subservient to the Japanese government, but if they suddenly morphed into terrorists, they were held as individuals who could pull the trigger on World War IV.

On the magic side, for such a zealous organization, they were not raised up as something worthy of respect, but of complete and utter fear.

“Request, is it?”

“Indeed. I sincerely hope that you will hear me out.” “What is it?”

It was only now that Virginia noticed that they had not served tea. However, this was far too late to offer refreshments.

Virginia concentrated all of her focus on what the young girl was about to say.

“Then please excuse me. We would like to use Ms. Virginia’s hand to halt the interference on our country’s Magicians.”

“…………”

There was no need to say this, but interference referred to clandestine operation she was in command of. The investigation and protection (in short, abduction) of Japan’s undisclosed Strategic-class Magician as well as his or her nullification (assassination). Of course, she had anticipated that this girl’s “request” – the Yotsuba’s demand. In essence, this was the most likely outcome.

Yet, to hear someone utter a phrase far coarser than “please stop” in their request temporarily robbed her of the ability to respond.

“Ms. Virginia, you appear to be someone who understands what sort of system my country’s “Ten Master Clans” is.”

To put it plainly, if you don’t know then I will tell you. Irked by that tone, Virginia nodded her head at the same time. There was no point in playing dumb.

“Our head, Yotsuba Maya, dislikes your meddling. Your country and mine are allies, and neither wishes to sow the seeds of war.”

“……Is that a threat? You will open fire if we do not stop?”

Ayako neglected to reply to Virginia’s query and once again laughed merrily.

“Ms. Virginia, was last night restful?” “So you were the ones who did that!?”

By the time she caught herself, Virginia had already risen from the sofa and leaned forward.

If the table was any smaller, she may have already seized the young girl’s collar.

“What are you referring to? I only asked because I thought that your complexion was a little unhealthy, that’s all.”

Though her words were out of concern, no trace of that emotion could be detected on her features.

The young girl continued to smile. She made no attempt to hide the face that signified she had complete confidence that she knew everything.

“Ms. Virginia, please calm down. If possible, we would like to form a friendly relationship with you, Ms. Virginia.”

“You dare to say a friendly relationship……?”

Maybe it was only because the young girl voiced it aloud, but Virginia realized that capturing her now at this point in time would pose no benefit whatsoever. This only served to infuriate Virginia further as she sat back down.

“Ms. Virginia is well aware of the Yotsuba’s power. Likewise, we too understand Ms. Virginia’s power very well.”

Her emotions were about as dark as possible, but logic commanded Virginia to listen to the young girl’s words.

The young girl who claimed to speak on behalf of the head of the Yotsuba was not talking about the USNA military’s strength or the might of Stars, but saying she knew about Virginia’s power.

That meant……

“Our head said that if Ms. Virginia can arrange for this incident to end here, we will never forget this personal favor that you have bestowed on us. Also, our head said that should there be an opportunity in the future, we would like to lend Ms. Virginia a hand as well.”

This was certainly a tempting offer.

If she was on personal terms with the “Yotsuba”, then she had more than enough to reclaim her lost position in the military and then some.

She had personally tested their prowess the night before. As usual, the young girl maintained her smile.

After weighing both sides on a scale, logic won. –The side of logic named ambition.

Colonel Virginia, faced with a devil’s contract in the form of a beautiful young girl, decided to sign.

◊ ◊ ◊

Along the way from Aoyama Station to the street side walkway, Tatsuya felt the eyes fastidiously observing him the entire time. Furthermore, it wasn’t just one or two. Based on his conversation with Hayama before leaving the house, Tatsuya had already predicted that he was going to be under observation. That being said, the amount of personnel heartily invested into this venture surpassed his expectations.

They may be aware of the siblings’ connection to the Yotsuba Family or were merely in the guessing phase, but it was also possible that this large force was deployed to ward against the Yotsuba Family from intervening.

In the end, even with the support of the Saegusa Family, Tatsuya did not believe that this national intelligence group would dare incur the wrath of the Yotsuba Family directly.

So they don’t care about the Yotsuba Family…… Internal Affairs,

Public Safety, and the Intelligence Department should have been aware of the incident that embroiled the siblings’ mother and aunt in their youth. Completely uncaring of the fact that they could be drawn into a rampage of revenge heedless of the target, there was utterly incredible that they could have forgotten such a harsh reminder in the last 20 to 30 years. Not to say the might of the Yotsuba Family – “might” that hinted at influence but was more along the lines of violence – was far greater now than it was in the past.

Tatsuya curtailed his train of thought there. New eyes were added to the mix that were observing him.

New, alien, eyes.

Those were the gaze that came from inhuman, monstrous eyes.

For professional intelligence officers, being ordered to observe three high school students and a single HAR model certainly deflated those receiving the orders, but still went along with it believing that there was no other recourse.

With the experience underneath their belt, they also had a side where they were increasingly going easy on the target. There were a few among them who always gave it their all under any circumstance and never let down their guard while diligently handling their task, but despite the similarities between going easy and sloth, they were fundamentally different.

While going easy bears a somewhat negative impression, this was also a matter of pacing oneself. There was no need to invest all 100% when a mere 50% could get the job done.

Compared to the usual 100%, this mission’s difficulty only required 50% of their power to accomplish, so they only used 50%. Though they might be a little slow off the draw in the beginning, in the end, they still managed to accomplish more things. “Habit” was also an ability.

However, it was also true that there were advantages as well as disadvantages.

For the elite intelligence agents masquerading as police officers, shadowing and observation were their most common tasks. They relied on their bountiful experience to selectively focus their attention, hereby creating an opening.

The mission they received was to immediately fake an arrest when the observation target used magic and thus subdue and abduct them.

For this, they were issued measuring devices to detect magic.

However, the change on the device only occurred directly after a cry of alarm put everyone on guard.

--The men’s vision were assailed by a tide of flashing lights. A thoroughly unexpected pre-emptive strike.

A hostile act utterly without precursor.

Their will to retaliate was submerged beneath the roiling waves of those flashing lights.

“Tatsuya-kun, I have caused the people observing us to fall asleep.” “Good work.”

Seeing an elated Honoka report her accomplishment, even Tatsuya found it hard to prevent his face from becoming overly stiff.

The alien gazes were drawing closer. Inhuman…… No doubt about it, it was the Parasite. With them as opponents, human observers were too great a hassle.

Using magic at will on the open streets was illegal in the first place. Anyone who eyed someone else with such dogged persistence could not possibly be the average civilian or real public servants, which only compounded the difficulty because their usage of magic was not authorized. The reason why Tatsuya communicated the location of the observers to his companions was to warn them against using magic haphazardly prior to shaking off their pursuers.

In truth, Tatsuya was going to say it aloud.

Compared to that, however, Honoka’s actions outstripped him in speed.

“Even if we’re about to get caught, I’m sure Honoka would do something, right?”

Honoka had made a rather broad interpretation to Tatsuya’s phrase. In reality, her heart fairly sang that “This is the first time Tatsuya is asking my assistance!”

Since there was always a side of her that tended to daydream, neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki objected to this, but it was even greater today than usual.

As a Magician, Light-based magic was Honoka’s specialty. She was particularly adept at manipulating light.

After inquiring the observers’ location from Tatsuya, she used the magnification of light refraction to verify this before suddenly unleashing a brilliant flare of light before her opponents’ eyes.

Brainwashing magic, the light of “Evil Eye”.

When Tatsuya noticed this, he was seriously getting worried.

Since he had hinted for her to simply “let them sleep”, Tatsuya had allowed her to activate her magic, though to be brutally honest, he wasn’t confident that this was the right decision. Magic that contained hypnotic effects was judged to be the same level as magic that brought direct harm to the physical body and was considered to be an innately vicious magic.

If they had been caught by real policemen, then they wouldn’t just be let off with a warning. Adolescence would not spare them from real punishment – something along the lines of “using magic for community service”.

The magic she used was the same as the leader from the “Blanche” terrorists, but both her speed and accuracy far surpassed him though she had executed it against 4 different people.

Being capable of using “Evil Eye” was something praiseworthy, but Tatsuya immediately felt that they needed to relocate quickly.

“Let’s get out of here before their companions arrive.”

As expected, bringing Honoka along was a complete disaster……

Finally realizing this, Tatsuya quietly informed his other companion.

◊ ◊ ◊

“What a troublesome young lady……”

As she watched the monitor for the observation system along the streets – primarily composed of street cameras, there were also devices to detect poisonous gases, illegal high efficiency electric waves and the psion detectors for unauthorized usage of magic, Fujibayashi couldn’t help but sigh.

“That’s still a wonderful technique. If I recall correctly, she is called “Mitsui Honoka”, correct?”

The voice that came from behind her spoke solely on the meritorious value of a Magician.

In regards her grandfather’s words that bore no ulterior meaning, Fujibayashi sighed again.

“That’s true, Sofu-sama. She is a Year 1 student from First High, Mitsui Honoka.”

“Could the “Mitsui” who excel in that system of magic belong to the bloodline carries the Element of Light?”

“That remains unknown. Should I investigate?”

“Oh hardly, there’s no need to investigate specifically for that reason.”

When asked by his granddaughter, Elder Kudou chuckled happily and shook his head.

“Speaking of which…… Though the outstanding individuals have been called outstanding and the unique have been labeled unique, he certainly has a group of fascinating people gathered around him.”

“Not just on abilities alone. There are quite a few children with interesting personalities as well.”

Casually throwing out those insulting words, Fujibayashi slipped on a pair of thin gloves for calculation purposes before her fingers came into contact with the touchscreen and danced over the controls.

The observation system based on system alone was stubborn in both software and hardware, but in comparison, operation was a piece of cake. Unrestricted recordings could easily be taken advantage of by malicious individuals or those lurking in the depths of the government. Once restricted to being operated by hand, such a ponderous observation system would be too difficult to manipulate.

Including this vampire incident, in order to be above blame for any use of magic, a few actions were required to ensure that select portions of the data were not left for the Saegusa and Chiba Families.

Mayumi was responsible for the leading information control, but with the exams coming up, her task was delegated to Fujibayashi.

However, Fujibayashi’s approach was to exclude all others and operate the controls herself. Unlike Mayumi, Fujibayashi was also working to hide the fact that the daughter of the Saegusa Family’s head was being used as a cat’s paw, since she knew that the head was secretly observing all of this behind his daughter’s back. Knowing the reason for it, so there was no way she could leave this task to others.

Since she was not operating as a hacker and as a legitimate operator of the system, this was easier on her than usual, but at the same time she felt a little out of whack behind the controls.

Still, there was nothing she could do about that.

Since she was figuratively being relied upon and realistically doing her duty, she could go about as she pleased like she typically would.

Not to mention the fact that her grandfather was right behind her.

Both she and the one who sent her (in other words, the one who planned for her substitution) were not expecting Elder Kudou to be observing here.

As to why he was here, Fujibayashi wasn’t going to ask that.

Though he was her grandfather, they were not that close. As a member from the Fujibayashi Family, she had taken heed not to express any close relationship with the elder of the Kudou Family.

In addition, if sparks did fly between the Saegusa and Yotsuba Families, it would be unsurprising for Kudou Retsu to act and put out the flames.

Fujibayashi Kyouko’s grandfather was one of the few privy to Shiba Tatsuya’s real identity.

“Should I say birds of a feather flock together…… Or maybe they’re cut from the same cloth. Regardless, he is definitely a star who is a far cry from being normal.”

“Indeed. Looks like the manipulated might actually turn out to be the manipulator.”

Fujibayashi joined in as she continued to watch the monitor.

If she turned to see her grandfather’s face, then she may have noticed the deeper meaning behind his words.

However, she failed to do so.

Birds of a feather. Centered round the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion headed by Kazama, she was also included among that number. Nevertheless, whether fortunate or unfortunate, her grandfather’s message was not passed along to the granddaughter.

◊ ◊ ◊

Just as they expected, they could not enter Aoyama Cemetery. Still, there was no need to do so.

Along the high wall built after the war (a tactic employed against disrespectful people snapping pictures of the dead), the three fashionable (?) youngsters and one machine were taking a walk at night when they detected auras approaching from the front and back.

((Master, three “Parasites” are coming.)) Tatsuya stopped upon hearing Pixie’s telepathy.

The reason why they used telepathy instead of the body’s speakers was to draw in the Parasites.

He had also ordered Pixie to telepathically communicate with Miyuki and Honoka.

At pretty much the same time Tatsuya halted, the two girls also came to a stop and drew near Tatsuya’s sides.

Though the two of them were unafraid, their faces betrayed their unease.

Tatsuya himself was not be immune to anxiety, so he was not displeased with their attitude.

As prearranged, Tatsuya pressed the button on his terminal that activated the beacon. Through the GPS, he located his position and passed it along to Erika and Mikihiko. Immediately, they would hasten towards here with the members of the Chiba Family in tow. Once they had prepared their ambush as planned, they would start capturing the Parasites.

Still, based on their opponents’ situation, Tatsuya was figuring on waiting for reinforcements.

Tatsuya pulled his favored silver machine from a pocket on the left side. His right hand carried the pistol-shaped Specialized CAD “Trident” as he naturally allowed his hands to drift downwards, waiting for humans possessed by demons to approach.

As if protecting Tatsuya’s back, Miyuki stood there with her back to him and a terminal-shaped CAD in her hand. Pressing her right hand to the bracelet-shaped CAD worn on her left hand, Honoka stood at Tatsuya’s side as she altered between looking forward and back.

Seeing these trustworthy silhouettes around him, Tatsuya unconsciously smiled.

In a thoroughly unexpected area, his anxiety eased.

The source of his anxiety was that he was worried about putting these two girls in danger.

Once he realized that there was nothing to worry about for these two, his anxiety dissipated.

Settling himself, he directed his gaze toward the area illuminated by the street lights.

Three figures walked towards them. Their footsteps were free of hesitation. Just as Pixie had said, the Parasites appeared to have found Pixie’s location.

Neither side fired the first shot as both sides shrank the distance between them even further.

When they came within range of identifying their clothing, the two of the Parasites came to a halt.

The last remaining one continued to plod forward towards Tatsuya.

As their features became less murky, the sense of awkwardness grew steadily.

The source of this awkwardness was swiftly unraveled.

That was because the information presented by the eyes was different from the information relayed by the skin.

He wore a plain windbreaker coat and striped pants. The coat was unable to hide the physique and the face was not covered. Eyes, mouth, ears, hands, and feet all did not exceed normal parameters. Despite being plainly human in appearance, there was no aura of humanity. So this was what a demonic aura truly was.

As Tatsuya carefully scrutinized the target, the gap between him and Parasite continued to close, until they were close enough to hear each other’s voice and see each other’s expression.

“Shiba Tatsuya, we need to speak with you.”

Since Tatsuya was not planning on speaking, it was within his scenario for the other side to initiate communications. This was a stable situation for a conversation (wording was another problem altogether), so everything was still within expected boundaries.

Still, the other side calling out his name came as somewhat of a shock. “What should I refer to you as?”

In reply, this was how Tatsuya responded.

No words came from the open mouth belonging to the man possessed by the Parasite. This sort of blank staring was actually quite human- like, Tatsuya thought. The personality may have been taken over, but the emotional base remained unaltered.

Maybe, using the term taken over may be erroneous. Based on the information he got from Pixie, Parasites only carried the original consciousness. Put it another way, this was as far as their emotions could develop. It was possible that the Parasite’s sense of self had not taken over the human host, but had merged with the human to create a new personality. Tatsuya renewed his own understanding.

“Marte.”

In regards to the contemplative Tatsuya, the Parasite gave this concise answer. In regards to how to refer to him, he had replied to this question with his own name. Tatsuya knew enough to know that this was either the Spanish or Italian word for “Mars”.

That made sense. Though they had a fluent grasp of Japanese that may be misleading, closer inspection revealed that their facial structure was that of Caucasians. Having never lived out of the country, Tatsuya only had a theoretical grasp, but the man before his eyes appeared to carry distinctive features found on Latinos in America. His name was a call sign, no, there was an 80% or 90% chance that was a call sign, so referring to oneself as Marte wasn’t surprising.

However, Tatsuya was unaware that there were Planet and Satellite Classes within the organization called Stars. He assumed that the title of Stars was the literal definition of a “fixed star”. Thus, he only understood that “Mars” referred to the Planet-Class Magician “Marte” within Stars, and not the host’s jealousy, obsession, and envy that came within someone from the Planet-Class who trained to be a substitute but still failed to be one of the Stars.

“So, Mr. Marte, or should I refer to you as Senor Marte? What do you need to talk about?”

There was no deeper meaning behind that question. For Tatsuya, “Marte” was nothing but a simple label.

Which was why he found his opponent being enraged by this mere words, he only though this was because the man had been cut off.

“That’s Mister, Boy.”

After being referred to as “Boy” by the Parasite named Marte, Tatsuya felt that the man’s attempt to ridicule him was a clear sign he was losing his composure.

“Well, what is it?”

In order to continue biding time, Tatsuya didn’t care that he had to continue this provocation, but since his comrades were getting fidgety, he elected to push the conversation forward.

“……Shiba Tatsuya. We bear no ill will towards you all.”

For “Mr. Marte”, it appeared that calling him by his full name was more appropriate than referring to him as “Boy”.

Still, that detail was unimportant to Tatsuya (he never anticipated any overtures toward politeness).

“That’s a little too vague for me to understand. Who is this we you speak of? Who are you referring to and what do you mean by ill will?”

Compared to that, what the other side was trying to convey was far more critical.

“—From this point forward, we Demons do not plan on any hostile action towards you Japanese Magicians.” (So they call themselves demons......)

Not devil, ghost, or specter, but demon. This was how they saw their own existence. Since he never heard that term from Pixie, they must have discussed beforehand to decide a term that humans can refer to them as.

Tatsuya wanted to break into a wry chuckle because he knew that there were people who referred to his Decomposition Magic as “Demon Right”. The primary reason for that was because he usually activated his Decomposition Magic at whatever his right arm pointed to, but he was not endeared to the Parasites because of this.

“So? Is there anything else?”

In regards to the short comment from the Parasite known as Marte (the self-proclaimed Demon), Tatsuya also had a few things he wanted to say.

But first, it was probably best for the other side to finish speaking first.

“As the price for keeping us from seeing you as enemies, we hope that you will turn that robot over to us.”

Tatsuya must have imagined Pixie’s body shivering. After all, a robot had nothing to do with biological reactions.

“……I say, Mr. Marte. Please elaborate a little more on that. Even if I gave her to you, why do you want her? I can’t answer that if you don’t explain it clearly.”

“I don’t think I need to explain, do I? You are the ones who should have no reason to protect that robot.”

“We will decide whether there is a reason or not.”

Marte frowned upon hearing Tatsuya’s response. After considering that his physical appearance and age were different, that displeased expression wasn’t that strange any more.

“……It’s in order to free our companion trapped within that robot.”

Hearing this, Tatsuya intentionally tilted his head. “So a robot can’t be a host?”

Marte’s expression grew solemn.

“I don’t know how you guys think, but we are life forms. Furthermore, our connection with each other far surpasses you humans. In regards to saving a companion who is a life form but trapped with a lifeless vessel, is that something that is beyond you humans to grasp?”

However, both the voice and tone were both reined in. “No, I can understand.”

Tatsuya answer was just as decisive. Yet in this instance, Marte’s answer was much like what he learned from Pixie earlier and could not rouse Tatsuya’s interest. From another perspective, that also meant Pixie’s words were trustworthy. The question and answer phase could stop here, Tatsuya thought as he continued to speak in order to buy time for the trap to be prepared.

“But, how will you go about that?”

“Destroy the body. Once the host has been lost, then another host can be found.”

“I see…… So that’s how it is. Pixie, do you wish to be freed from there?”

((I do not, Master!))

Tatsuya wasn’t seriously asking. Even if possessing a lifeless body, once it has expressed a desire for self-preservation, Tatsuya wasn’t going to agree to have it destroyed. Within the three fundamental processes of all robots – they were forbidden from harming humans, obeyed humans, and were able to defend themselves so long as the first two were not broken – the 3H was a viable tool.

Except, the telepathically expressed rejection was fiercer than he anticipated.

((I am myself. My only wish is to something possessed by the Master. That is who I am.))

Not only did she possess the original self-preservation instinct, she had her own will to boot.

((No matter what I was originally, from where my core desires came from, all of these things are no longer important to me. I loathe the idea that I will no longer be myself.))

Pixie’s telepathy was sent not only to Tatsuya and the three Parasites, but to Honoka and Miyuki as well.

Honoka bit her lip.

Miyuki’s lips turned into a grin. “There you have it, Onii-sama.” “Quite so.”

A grin also appeared on Tatsuya’s lips.

Amazingly, a wry chuckle was not bubbling up at that unexpectedly passionate speech.

For reason, Tatsuya didn’t plan on avoiding the thoughts projected from the demon dwelling in the robot.

“Then, I think you can already guess this side’s answer…… Before giving a decsivie answer, I have two or three questions I would like to ask.”

“You are more foolish than we imagined, Shiba Tatsuya. We are disappointed in you…… Very well, ask your questions.”

“You said earlier that you bore no ill will towards Magicians, correct? Why did you say Magicians and not humans?”

There was no answer to that question.

No, he had asked that question with a mocking smirk on his face.

“If we agreed to your condition, then you Demons would no longer stand against Magicians. Then, what about humans who aren’t Magicians, what about them?”

“…………”

“After destroying Pixie’s body, what kind of host are you looking for? No, there’s no need to answer. I already know.”

“......So you are a little clever beneath that stubbornness.”

Marte shrugged at the steely gaze in Tatsuya’s eyes and the two girls who fell into combat stances.

“Cannot understand. We already said that we will not fight you, so how are you still dissatisfied? Just as we demons cannot coexist with humans, you Magicians are also an alien existence to humans.”

“Huh?’

Tatsuya emitted a false sound of surprise during the Parasite’s sudden speech.

However, that speech was nothing more than inflammatory remarks.

Tatsuya would never believe any words uttered by that false tone was worth considering.

“My host is also a Magician.”

As he said this, he patted his chest in an exaggerated manner.

There was a chance that the man was someone who worked as an inciter prior to being possessed by a Parasite. In that case, the call sign “Marte” didn’t suit him. The name “Mercury” was far better for him.

Completely heedless of Tatsuya’s cold gaze, the Parasite’s speech grew in fervor.

“So I know as well. How Magicians are treated by humans.” “How are they treated?”

“For humans, Magicians are both tools and lab experiments. Humans will never care about the Magicians’ feelings. They only use them as tools because of magic and lab animals in order to create more magical power.”

Though he felt like he had heard this speech somewhere before, Tatsuya still decided to allow the Parasite to finish.

“In regards to the humans who only seek to use you, what reason do you have to protect them? You have no such duty. You have your own will and dreams, do you not?”

Tatsuya locked his eyes on Marte’s face after he finished his speech. No matter how earnestly Marte stared at Tatsuya,

Tatsuya only replied with a “ha” of a sigh.

“Hardly, the ones being used aren’t just the Magicians.”

In response to the host with the malicious Parasite, Tatsuya spoke in a tone that had profound meaning.

“How should I say this......? I feel like I’ve heard those lines from a book somewhere.”

Then, his lips turned into a mocking smile.

“To see humans as nothing but foolish…… You are the true fool.”

Fury flickered in the man’s eyes.

Was that the Parasite’s emotions or the host’s feelings? Bulling over whatever Marte wanted to say, Tatsuya continued.

“You will not harm us Magicians. That sounds all well and good, but you have already harmed my companions. My friends, who are Magicians. In regards to this, you have failed to utter a single apology, so where do you suppose I will dredge up the reason to believe your words about not harming us? There’s no difference between this and respecting the human rights of Magicians. Not to mention using these empty words to swap with us as if trying to con us out of something. Even shamelessness should have a limit.”

After speaking this long wind of words, Tatsuya seemed to become bored and once again fell into a mocking smile.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you our earlier answer yet. The answer, is no.”

“Boy……”

“Please don’t say you’ll regret this or something clichéd like that? I would be too ashamed to be your opponent.”

Killing intent filled Marte’s eyes as he waved his right arm.

A small dagger appeared from his pocket. Based on the buttons on the hilt, this was no ordinary dagger and must carry some sort of contraption.

The other Parasites held similar daggers in their hands. Seeing this, Tatsuya chuckled coldly.

“Well, that’s easy to understand. Then, allow us to simplify things as well.”

Tatsuya sneered theatrically.

“Throw down your weapons and surrender quietly. You will not suffer should you do so. I guarantee you all a happy life as experimental animals.”

“You…… wretched hound of the humans!”

The Parasite who had possessed the body of the human was in turn consumed by the strong “desire” in the human host.

Possessed, being possessed, ad infinitum.

Most likely, the Magician known as “Marte” must have fiercely hated the humans who controlled him prior to his possession.

That was the natural conclusion one arrived at after hearing the fury in his roar.

Without any Activation Sequence, the precursor for magic appeared. So it was true that Parasites did not need Activation Sequences or incantations to cast magic.

However, on this point, Tatsuya’s side was pretty much the same.

Faster than the Parasite’s magic could materialize, Tatsuya’s “Decomposition” shattered the information bodies that were trying to change reality.

The ability that dominated all Magicians, the power to decompose the information bodies.

That magic, “Gram Dispersion”, was just as useful on the spells of inhuman creatures.

Soundless and without light, a silent means of attack and defense.

Yet Marte, who planned on using magic first before attacking, was completely befuddled when the magic unexpectedly fizzled.

Tatsuya was not going to miss that opportunity.

He fired at the joints of all four limbs and Marte rolled on the floor.

Even with a Parasite possessing them, there was no way for them change the structural composition of the human body. Even if they felt no pain, the limbs were rendered immobile once the joints were severed.

Tatsuya pointed his empty left hand at the Parasite on the road.

If the human vessel was destroyed, they will fly away seeking a new host.

They would also self-destruct and flee if frozen by Miyuki’s magic.

Parasites didn’t need Activation Sequences, so even an immobile body was probably still able to cast magic.

In order to completely nullify a Parasite, he needed to deliver direct harm to the mental information body.

Tatsuya tightly clasped the compressed block of psions in his palm. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that he would succeed.

Regardless, there was no hesitation in Tatsuya. If this didn’t work, then they had to wait for the sealing specialists who understood Ancient Magic to arrive.

Right now, hesitation held no merit for him.

Imbuing the concept of “Rejection” inside his hand, Tatsuya’s left hand stabbed towards the Parasite.

The compressed block of psions shot forth like a cannonball towards the Parasite’s chest.

Not the brain, the heart.

This was the result based on the information he received from Pixie and after a lengthy discussion with Yakumo. They did not attach themselves to the human body’s organs, but to the human spirit. In that sense, there was no different striking anywhere on the body. Given that, he might as well seek the deepest connection and aimed for the heart that provided fuel for all cellular activity.

The result was far more dramatic than he imagined.

Like a shrimp leaving the safety of the ocean, the Parasite’s body started to violently spasm.

Bouncing like crazy.

The body that the Parasite had invaded was rejecting it.

Tatsuya’s will had been injected into the Parasite and was rejecting the Parasite just as the Parasite was rejecting it.

“Onii-sama!”

Alas, they did not have the leisure to savor this.

Forced into a corner, Miyuki called out.

However, Tatsuya’s “eye” never left Miyuki’s side.

The moment danger approached Miyuki, Tatsuya would notice even without her calling out.

Exactly what was before him when he turned around,

Next to where Miyuki had frozen not just the four limbs and clothes of her opponent, but also used Zone Interference to forestall her opponent’s magic, Honoka was under siege from the small blades connected to some sort of device. Serving as her shield, Pixie was weathering the blows on her behalf.

“Honoka!” “I’m fine!”

As if rejecting Tatsuya’s offer of support, Honoka replied back in stiff tone.

A powerful light dwelt in Honoka’s eyes.

That burning light that dwelt there declared that she was not going to a stumbling block.

That light was in Honoka’s eyes, Just as it was in her hair decorations.

Tatsuya felt the psion waves spike dramatically.

That was the harbinger of a massive increase in mental energy. Not magic.

This was something more direct, the interference of the mind. Immediately,

A furious psychic blast was released from Pixie.

As a price for its lack of fine-tuned control, the coarse form that was released carried the furious might to batter all phenomena. Even Miyuki’s erected Zone Interference was shaken.

Among the currently living Magicians, even the Zone Interference belong to one of the very best, Miyuki, had been shaken.

Tatsuya formed a new psion bullet and shot it into the Parasite that was fighting his sister.

Once again, the dance from the rejection effect occurred. Yet now, Tatsuya and Miyuki’s attention was no longer there.

Pure motion alteration interference strength – so called “psychokinesis”, had just been released at that very spot.

Honoka, who was still in a daze from the sudden release of powerful psion waves, and Pixie, who stood there in a protective stance.

Of the Parasite who stood against them, it had long been blown out of sight.

◊ ◊ ◊

Shocked beyond words by the display on the monitor, Fujibayashi only recovered her wits once she heard the delighted chuckle from behind her and turned around.

“……Ho, never thought that I would witness something so fascinating here.”

Behind the swivel chair, Elder Kudou coughed as he spoke with a tone that seemed to be looking for excuses at his granddaughter’s glare that he was not acting his age.

“Did the 3H release that last burst of psychokinesis? I never heard that we have already developed robots capable of using psychic powers.”

Fujibayashi was sitting in front of the control panel for the psion wave detector. There was no way to hide the readings displayed on the monitor in front of her.

“……I never heard of it either. From a technological standpoint, I thought that was impossible.”

“Indeed. With the current technology, neither magic nor psychic powers can be manifested by machinery alone. In other words, there is something other than machinery inside that 3H.”

“…………”

A light sound that could be interpreted as either a sigh or a sob leaked from Fujibayashi.

“Is there a monster on that robot?” “…………”

“Though I have received reports on the Parasites, I didn’t hear about this detail.”

“We have not received a report about this either. This was only spoken of in private conversations.”

“No, no.”

Elder Kudou waved his hand as if to comfort his granddaughter, who had replied back in a stiff manner.

“Kyouko, I am not scolding you. That was not my standpoint from the very beginning. I am just highly interested.”

Fujibayashi’s poker face caved in.

The source of her fluctuating emotions lay directly before her gaze.

It had been a very long time since she saw the shadow of ambition flitting across her grandfather’s face.

“I never imagined that robots could be used in this way……”

◊ ◊ ◊

The usual Fujibayashi would have already noticed.

However, right now she was acting in the capacity of an operator and not a hacker, so today she could only manipulate the system according to the rules. Under those conditions, even the “Electron Sorceress” would be hard pressed to catch observers who were acting beyond the system’s defensive capabilities.

The observer who had just beheld the scene, Yotsuba Maya, removed the display monitor from her eyes before leaning back deeply into the chair and closed her eyes.

This lasted approximately 10 seconds.

After placing the display monitor back into a drawer in her desk, she picked up the bell and softly shook it. The crisp sound reverberated in the room that she alone inhabited.

“Did you call for me, madam?”

Opening the door, Maya’s butler and confidante, old Hayama, appeared.

“Call Aoki here for me please.” “Understood.”

Respectfully bowing, Hayama the butler once more left the room. This time, a short moment elapsed.

Though there was no sound of any footsteps, an anxious presence drew closer before the sound of knocking could be heard.

“Come in.” “Excuse me.”

Hayama replied in a solemn voice.

The anxious presence came from his side.

The one who came in was a butler far younger than Hayama (though still older than Maya) in his prime.

“Sorry for calling you so late, Aoki.”

“No problem at all. So long as the madam gave the summons, I, Aoki, will immediately be at your side even if I was on the other side of the world.”

Aoki had not learned how to perform Flash Step – in short, no one had accomplished instant teleportation – so “immediately” was physically impossible, but given that his exaggerated fashion of speaking was typical for him, neither Maya nor Hayama paid any extra attention to it.

“Though this is very sudden, there is something I wish to have immediately.”

“As you wish.”

Aoki was the financial manager who was responsible for overseeing all of the Yotsuba Family’s assets. He believed that being able to deliver on these demands was the very purpose for his existence, so while there were a few problems with his personality, his abilities in both the legal and illegal fields were undeniably outstanding.

“Swiftly purchase the rights for the 3H-P94 on lend to the Magic University Affiliated First High. Money is no issue. Do this by any means possible.”

Maya saying “money is no issue” wasn’t surprising, but she rarely said directly “by any means possible”.

“If that is too difficult, find a way for the current owner to be unable to transfer ownership rights. In particular, do not allow the other families from the Ten Master Clans to get ahold of it. Do not be concerned about the price involved for this task.”

This was the first time in Aoki’s recollection that she even handed out specific instructions in the event of failure.

“Understood.”

For an instant, Aoki wavered there, but that failed to extend to his voice as he bowed respectfully.

As Aoki frantically left, Maya turned towards the waiting Hayama by her side and gave him a searching gaze.

“……Don’t you have something to say?”

Yet in the end, Maya was unable to pierce Hayama’s poker face and urged him to speak.

“I know it is not my place……”

He was still going to ask despite knowing this, so Hayama started speaking while bending at the waist. Though this just the customary phrase that observed decorum, that particular tone told Maya that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

“Shouldn’t you be a little more prudent about using “Hlidskjalf”?”

Even so, she couldn’t tell him to recant those words – or suggestion. The honest suggestion was just as bitter as she anticipated, but Maya failed to frown or become enraged.

As the operator, Maya – along with the other 6 operators who also had access rights – knew that there was more than just mere benefits better than anyone.

“—That is a product of pure science. Furthermore, at least when compared with magic, the risk of those black boxes is still lower.”

“Maya-sama, I wasn’t referring to that.”

Hayama decisively cut short the twisted counter argument that she herself knew rang hollow. Maya wore an expression indicating she wished to change the subject.

“Furthermore, when it comes to black boxes, we don’t even know where the real Hlidskjalf is located. Just because it has not lied to us yet does not guarantee that will not happen in the future.”

Hayama’s opinion definitely had a point.

Likewise, Maya was conscious of the danger even if he hadn’t pointed it out.

“That’s true…… Hayama, let’s proceed with your idea. Recently, I have been too reliant on that ability to gather information.”

“It would be a shame to abandon such a useful function. This is only a foolish thought on my part, if it’s Tatsuya-dono, he may be able to figure out where the real location of Hlidskjalf is. Once connected to the real one, complete dominance of Hlidskjalf may also be possible.”

Hayama’s words completely caught Maya by surprise. In order to fully comprehend his meaning, Maya contemplated this for a while before finally shaking her head.

“It’s still too early.”

As to what exactly was too early, the answer left that to one’s imagination.

Hayama bowed deeply before leaving Maya and quitting the room.

◊ ◊ ◊

“What a mess……”

In response to the words that involuntarily slipped from Tatsuya’s mouth, Miyuki raised her head from where she was taking care of the dazed and fainting Honoka.

“Now that you mention it…… That’s kind of true. Onii-sama, should we leave here for now?”

Since the response was so natural, Tatsuya was practically on the verge of nodding.

(……No, that’s actually OK.)

If he continued to believe that it was natural for someone to grasp the situation that quickly, sooner or later he was due for a comeuppance. However, right now there were other things to worry about.

There was that gigantic psychic blast from just now. That reaction was undoubtedly noticed throughout the Aoyama and Akasaka regions. Soon, unwanted guests would arrive in droves.

The Parasites that had been struggling furiously a moment ago had now quieted down in exhaustion. Just in case, he had bound their wrists, but as to what practical purpose that served, even Tatsuya didn’t know. At least, so long as the vessel wasn’t destroyed, they weren’t able to flee the host’s physical flesh, but their opponent could still “self-destruct” as a last resort.

(That’s true…… If only we had some sort of technique from Ancient

Magic.) “Tatsuya-kun!” “Sorry we’re late!”

Speak of the devil, scratch that, just as he thought about that person, their voice rang out. About time they arrived.

Still, Tatsuya wasn’t going to scold them for being “slow” since they were also using their methods to search for the Parasites. It’s not like they were being lazy about it, so there was nothing to complain about.

Indeed…… There was nothing to complain about even if they arrived at a time when all the violence had ended, Tatsuya mentally stressed to himself.

“Um...... Tatsuya? Why do I get the feeling that your expression is a little terrifying?”

“My attitude is just a little belligerent.”

“No, I don’t know about belligerence, but somehow I don’t feel that’s the reason……”

After sweeping an over the strangely (?) petrified Mikihiko, Tatsuya began conversing with the extra individual who was not planned to appear.

“Leo, so you came as well.”

“Ah, since I just recovered, might as well add me to the mix.” “Don’t force yourself. Now, Erika……”

“Hm? What’s up?”

As he spoke to Erika, who was watching the captives with a solemn gaze, Tatsuya unexpectedly spoke in a calm voice.

“Although we are forced to leave this area as soon as possible, can you prepare a way to transport these three?”

Seeing that none of them made any heart pounding actions, Tatsuya relaxed a little and began talking about the things on his mind. Tatsuya casually glanced around him to find the two motorcycles that the three of them arrived on. –As to who sat with who, Tatsuya wasn’t able to see that.

“Eh, why?”

Reacting to Tatsuya’s words, Erika took on a perplexed expression. “What do you mean why, Erika?”

Tatsuya wasn’t the one who said that. Unable to hide his agitated visage, Mikihiko quickly interrupted their talk.

“Did you not feel that shockwave? After releasing such a ridiculous amount of magic, I doubt the ones arriving here will be normal policemen.”

“Though I really want to say that I’ve resigned myself to that from that start…… That would trouble Tatsuya-kun’s group.”

Besides from a few looks snuck in between, this was the usual Erika. At the very least, neither Leo nor Mikihiko noticed anything different.

“So, will it be OK if we carted them to storage shed at Miki’s house?” The “storage shed” that Erika spoke of was obviously not a literal storage shed. It was not one of the Chiba Family’s facilities, but transported to a restrictive field operated by the Yoshida Family specifically designed to seal the Parasite.

“Will that be alright, Mikihiko?”

“Eh? Of course. Now that you mention it, that was our job all along.” Our referred to Ancient Magic users.

He probably meant sealing demons was the mission of the onmyoji (the Yoshida Family were of the Shinto sect and not actual onmyoji).

“Then Miki and I along with Leo will take over here. Tatsuya-kun, you guys should get going first.”

“Why? During that time, I can wait here.”

I’m just a tagalong!? Ignoring Leo’s furious roar for the moment, Tatsuya asked in amazement.

Erika seemed to have a hard time finding the right words. “Tatsuya, well, uh……”

Tatsuya followed the stammering Mikihiko’s gaze.

Ahead of him stood Pixie was a slightly ripped dress as well as Honoka’s figure with several large rents in her halfcoat.

“……I’ll call the car.”

“I think that would be best.”

And thus, Tatsuya left the scene to Erika’s group.

◊ ◊ ◊

The siblings’ home was within the zone of automated control, but Honoka’s apartment was just outside the area for automatic vehicular control. After using the information terminal to summon the automatic car, there was no way to take Honoka home. In the end, the four of them got on the light rail at the station.

Even with their rather shocking attire, thankfully they did not receive any undue attention in the city.

At least, not any more than anticipated (when accompanied by Miyuki, being completely inconspicuous was frankly impossible).

Tatsuya’s group got into a section with four seats on the train. “Um, Tatsuya-kun……”

Since the act of boarding the train was so very natural, it wasn’t until after the train departed that Honoka had a question. Even if they were going in the same direction, they couldn’t get off halfway between stops……

“I’ll take you home.”

Upon hearing him utter the words she earnestly wished him to say but was unable to ask him do so, even the multiple instances of Honoka trying to be polite were unable to hide her radiant expression.

There was no way to alter seating arrangements in the cabin that the four of them sat in.

Miyuki sat next to Tatsuya, with Honoka sitting directly across from him.

Tatsuya glanced over at Pixie sitting diagonally across from him (for some reason, she was being treated as a customer rather than cargo), before turning his eyes back to Honoka since she had fallen quiet from the beginning.

“…...Onii-sama, it’s probably about time to say something, otherwise

I don’t think Honoka can hold it in any longer?”

Seeing Honoka’s anxiety spike after Tatsuya looked at her, Miyuki spoke up from his side.

“Ah, my apologies.”

Tatsuya appeared to be unaware. After being pushed into a tight spot by his sister, Tatsuya acknowledged his error with an apologetic look on his face.

“Thank you for all of your hard work tonight, you three.”

The words of praise were only the icebreakers, and proof of this was that Pixie had been included within. Still, this may be because he taken into consideration that Pixie had also contributed quite a bit, but given that Tatsuya didn’t differentiate between humans and robots, this sentence clearly wasn’t given too much thought.

“So, Honoka. How should I put this……? Are you feeling a little strung out?”

There was no need to say this, but the next line was obviously an inquiry. Though somewhat confused at the sudden question, Honoka still shook her head.

“Really…… Pixie, if you are exhausted…… That phrase seems a little out of place. Do you notice any of the psions or energy reserves that make up your body being consumed?”

((Consumption is within naturally recoverable parameters, Master.)) “I see……”

“Onii-sama, is something lingering on your mind?” “Not to the point of lingering……”

After shaking his head at his sister, Honoka once more looked towards Honoka.

“Earlier, when Pixie released that powerful burst of psychokinesis…… Honoka, do you have any idea what happened?”

“……No, what are you referring to?”

Honoka’s eyes were filled with unease as she asked this.

True, the inferences behind this line of questioning was anxiety inducing.

That being said, of course Tatsuya had no intention of fanning the flames of uneasiness.

“I would like you to calm down and listen to me carefully.”

The fact that this had descended to the point where an intentional icebreaker was required troubled Tatsuya himself to no end.

“The instant Pixie released that burst of psychokinesis, psions were provided for Pixie from Honoka.”

“Eh?”

Honoka’s jaw dropped at Tatsuya’s words.

“……So Honoka was providing energy for Pixie?”

“No, it didn’t feel like that.”

In a rare showing, the voice Tatsuya used to answer Miyuki’s question was not filled with confidence.

“This is similar to the process where psions are inputted into the CAD in order to deploy the Activation Sequence. Might have been something like priming…… Or maybe even resonance.”

Honoka darted a fearful look at Pixie.

Pixie – the 3H-P94 unit with a Parasite on board, paid little heed to that. That being said, there was no way to tell the real situation since there was no change in expression.

A Magician transferred psions to a machine.

This phenomenon itself was perfectly familiar to Tatsuya, no, to modern magic users as a whole. However, that was a phenomenon that occurred with machinery constructed according to the systems developed by magic engineering “to do it this way”. That function was not installed on the 3H.

Robots do not have powers beyond those granted to them by humans. By themselves, they were unable to learn new functions.

This phenomenon…… Must have not have been caused by Pixie’s

“mechanical body”, but by her “real body” instead. Any other explanation was too outlandish.

It was perfectly natural for Honoka to feel uneasy and afraid.

“Mizuki did say this before…… That there is some sort of connection between Honoka and Pixie. Furthermore……”

Suddenly, Tatsuya stopped speaking.

Faced with her hesitant older brother wearing a bitter expression on his face, Miyuki responded with an alarmed look.

As if needled by an unspoken question, Tatsuya’s face seemed to give up the struggle and continued speaking.

“……Furthermore, the medium involved appears to be Honoka’s hair decorations.”

“Huh?”

Honoka was wavering between surprise and fear earlier, but now she was entirely astounded.

Astonishment was not restricted to her alone.

Miyuki was also scrutinizing the rubber bands holding Honoka’s hair with great attention.

“To be precise, it should be the crystal within. As to how this occurred, I have no idea……”

Honoka caressed the crystals in hair decorations with both hands.

This was an unconscious reaction that didn’t have any ulterior motive involved.

However, Tatsuya’s hypothesis was immediately proven by the ensuing reaction.

On Pixie, in the middle of the torso area, a spiritual light emerged.

The light was not blinding. From a visual perspective, the strength was about the same as a lantern.

Still, given the suspicion about their mutual connection, this coincidence was a little too perfect.

Tatsuya and Miyuki’s eyes both fell upon those hair decorations. Honoka covered her hair decorations with both of her hands.

This was as if she was terrified that they would be taken away from her.

“The cause can be set aside for now…… A method to control that needs to be found first.”

Tatsuya spoke in a tone that one used to comfort wary little animals. Wariness turned into surprise as Honoka returned his look. Tatsuya’s eyes drifted from Honoka to Pixie.

“At any rate, bringing Pixie back looks to be the right idea.”

◊ ◊ ◊

The high school force led by Tatsuya and company were not the only ones active tonight. The Saegusa and Juumonji force were inactive since Tatsuya had neglected to inform Mayumi and Katsuto about this action, but the many people in the Chiba force were activated on Erika’s orders. In spite of this, the sole reason that Erika’s group was the only one to arrive was because they were the strongest unit of those mobilized tonight. Erika, Leo, Mikihiko. Though their individual assessment was not spectacular, their combat capabilities towered over their peers. This was not just restricted to high school students, but adults as well. Even excluding techniques associated with weapons, their individual prowess was still in the top tier.

However, since this was an independent action, they were stuck in a situation where they had to guard the bound Parasites while awaiting evacuation…… Except unwanted guests found them before their getaway vehicle.

“Hey, what are you guys doing!?”

Two young men wearing police uniforms parked an automatic vehicle (equipped with a motor) near the streetlight before running over and shouting out a question.

Seeing these two, Mikihiko revealed a harried expression and Leo pouted in irritation, whereas Erika remained silent but retaliated with a belligerent gaze.

“What is this!? You guys should be high school students. What the heck is going on here!?”

Seeing the two men lying on the ground with their wrists bound behind their backs, the taller one shouted shrilly. In truth, this was probably a policeman’s natural reaction upon finding citizens bound at night while lying on the ground.

“No, that’s just……”

Feeling that this was a legitimate question, Mikihiko was frantically looking for excuses.

“Aren’t you guys the ones who should be saying who you are?” However, Erika’s riposte bulled right over that question. “What did you say!?”

“Hey, Erika!”

Faced with unexpected resistance, the men’s rage seemed to intensify while Mikihiko turned an “unbelievable” look at her.

“Mikihiko.”

A hand reached out to grab his shoulder.

When Mikihiko turned his head, he found Leo standing there with a highly entertained smile.

“Didn’t you hear me? I will ask again. Who are you?”

Erika snorted at the intimidating glares shooting out from beneath the police caps.

“Don’t you know? There shouldn’t be any policemen in this area because such an order was given. That idiot older brother of mine can’t possibly slip up at this juncture.”

There was no evidence to support Erika’s words.

If faced with real policemen, this wasn’t a joke that should be bandied around.

In spite of this, the young men in front of her blatantly faltered. “What nonsense is this?”

The faltering was wiped clean in an instant, but Erika didn’t miss that brief second. It wouldn’t have mattered even if there hadn’t been a reaction.

That’s because her words were not just bravado.

“If you wanted to disguise yourself, you should have chosen to be plainclothes detectives. In that case, hearing you out wouldn’t have been an issue.”

Erika was highly exaggerating about the hearing you out part.

The taller young man was about to explode at her, but his colleague stopped him. They switched places and the slightly shorter man stepped forward. Of the two, this one was shorter but far bulkier, and the intimidation factor was a lot higher.

“Looking for an excuse to flee is useless. You are suspected of assault. Let’s take a walk.”

“Hey~. So you’re playing it out to the end.”

Nonetheless, Erika was completely fearless. She continued to level a dismissive, challenging glare at them.

“Alas, I captured these two on the spot during an attempted rape. I believe this constitutes a citizen’s arrest. Thus I am waiting for the real police to show up. There is no room for counterfeit policemen to appear here, un-der-stand?”

Mikihiko could only watch in admiration at his childhood friend reply so flippantly with a very logical argument. Even someone knowing this was a con would be misled. –Which was why he was a beat slow in detecting the hidden presence around him.

“Miki!” “Mikihiko!”

Without a sand – that was not an exaggeration, there literally was no sound – a black shadow attacked from above his head. The attack came from the wall surrounding the cemetery, and by the time Mikihiko realized this, it was already too late to meet the attack.

Mikihiko felt the blow land on his shoulder.

After being knocked flying the sudden attack, he subconsciously took action to recover himself.

Leo raised his arm to the level of his head and to meet the oncoming downward swing of a rod. Just the sound alone was enough to tell the might behind this strike and a normal person would undoubtedly suffer broken bones from this, but Leo took the blow as if it was nothing. Not only that, as his opponent touched the ground, he immediately retaliated with an iron fist of his own that fairly severed the air around him.

“Tch!”

Unfortunately, his fist barely brushed against the ambusher’s body before being retracted.

In the flickering street light, Mikihiko say an arc of lightning.

That man was apparently wearing a coat that shocked an opponent with high voltage electricity on contact.

Pressing his fist, Leo leaped back a step.

He saw the man wielding the rod prepare to pursue. “Leo, get out of there!”

Mikihiko took the opportunity to swing his left wrist down. He used his customary hand to grab the fan-shaped CAD that fell out of his sleeve.

Just as Mikihiko was about to release magic to support Leo against the man attacking him, an object came flying from the flank to strike his CAD.

Though the CAD didn’t fall, the spell had still been interrupted.

The object that had interfered with Mikihiko’s spell traced a loop before returning to its original position.

He finally realized that it was a boomerang of some sort, which would then automatically return to the hand of the thrower. Of course, it that was just a simple boomerang, there would be no way for it to return once it came into contact with the target. This must be some sort of magical weapon.

After taking an unexpected jolt of electricity, Leo rolled back on the street to avoid the downward blow of the rod before pulling back and resetting his posture.

Mikihiko didn’t have the leisurely time to worry about Leo. There was more than one enemy.

He heard the “Psh” sound of compressed air being released and two connected cannonballs that looked like soda cans from a while ago came flying towards him from the street.

Mikihiko used the seal of the wind to meet the cannonballs.

The cannonballs stopped in mid-air. However, in the next instant, a net was deployed from the cannonballs and rushed towards Mikihiko. On the eight points of the octagon, there were miniature rockets to replace the arrested momentum.

What the hell is that!? Those were Mikihiko’s undisguised feelings.

The speed wasn’t all that impressive, but he had no idea what trickery lay within that net. Mikihiko used a “Leaping” spell to dodge the net.

Unfortunately, there were shadows waiting for him in the sky. The human silhouettes hurtled round throwing weapons. Like a game of chess, this was the perfect arrangement.

Any normal Magician would have been “checkmated” right there.

Yet, the current Mikihiko was a far cry from normal. He had already recovered the strength that earned him a reputation as a child genius and had even progressed further.

In mid-air, Mikihiko used the air as a jumping board to “Leap” again and avoid the attacks of the three round projectiles and their master.

Still in the air, Mikihiko looked down upon the head of the man wielding a thin, long object – most likely a whip of some sort.

Finally, it was Mikihiko’s turn. He extended his bent leg.

His foot came into contact with the man’s forehead. The action itself became the “seal” to activate magic.

Through the point of contact between foot and forehead, a web of lighting spread out and encapsulated the man’s body.

Once more stepping off the wind, Mikihiko landed on top of the wall. There, he looked for Leo and Erika’s figures.

Leo had recovered from that early surprise attack. Facing the opponent wielding the rod, he was engaged in a fierce battle using his bare hands. The reason why he had not suffered any injury from the electric attack was probably because he wrapped himself with something. The other man also had a certain degree of skill, but in terms of speed and power, Leo was superior.

The problem was Erika.

The two who first struck up a conversation weren’t very adept at acting, but their fighting skills were quite capable.

No matter how he put it, Erika actually had to defend against their attacks. They must be wearing special armor beneath their uniforms, though the uniforms themselves may also be custom made.

Still, durability alone was insufficient to stand against Erika’s sword strikes. Each time they came into contact with Erika’s sword blows, something would flitter off the surface of the clothes. Warily, Erika continued to slowly press her attack forward.

If the weapon she held was any longer, then she probably wouldn’t need so much time. Unfortunately, the weapon she had today was a short rod that could morph into a wakazashi. Erika was avoiding dust that was most likely some sort of poison, so there was no chance she could close into close quarters.

Thanks to him seizing a higher vantage point, Mikihiko finally noticed something.

The three of them were being slowly pulled away from the bound Parasites.

In addition, the distance between the three of them was also growing. If this continued, the captives may be taken away before support arrived.

Even if this was pushing it a little, they had to take care of this quickly.

The next instant after he made up his mind, no, it was likely their enemy had also judged that they couldn’t hold out much longer.

In terms of timing, Mikihiko’s assessment and their opponents’ judgment were of an accord.

The enemy was one step ahead.

They heard the sound of something falling to the ground.

Leo kicked aside his opponent while Erika unleashed a chain of razor sharp blows to pull away from her opponent.

“Get down!”

The same time that call rang out, a cocoon of air wrapped around Erika and Leo.

That was the defensive barrier Mikihiko had devised.

The explosive that had fallen from above detonated before coming into contact with the ground and unleashed a thick smoke that obscured the street lights.

The sound of heavy metallic objects falling continued.

Mikihiko called the wind to blow apart the smoke. They immediately found out what had happened.

Metallic arms trailing down from the sky grabbed the Parasites’ bodies and swiftly retracted. The source of the lines came from a pitch black flying ship hiding in the night sky that had appeared at some point in time.

The silence of it all was astounding, and there was no sign of magic being used. Without a sound and any sign of magic waves, none of them had noticed the unidentified flying ship flying overhead.

The body of the captives vanished into the ship.

Mikihiko saw Erika ready herself to slash upwards. Though her slashes were not the same level as Strateigc-Class Magic, she might be able to shatter the fuel compartment and cause a crash.

“Erika, stop!”

However, thanks to Mikihiko’s intervention, Erika reluctantly stood down. She also knew very well that it would be a catastrophe if the flying ship crashed here.

While their attention had been drawn away by the flying ship, their ambushers’ shadows also disappeared. Needless to say, the counterfeit policemen’s party were of the same affiliation with the flying ship.

“What a headache……”

Mikihiko nodded as if in complete agreement, to which Erika responded with a particularly brilliant smile.

“So what are we going to tell Tatsuya-kun?” Mikihiko was asking Leo for help.

Leo shrugged when Mikihiko looked at him.

“It’s already so late, I don’t think we should trouble him, right?” Leo shrugged again at Mikihiko’s gaze.

“Ha, you’re right. At this hour, might as well tell him tomorrow.”

Their hollow laughter was mixed into the slight wind that blew towards the center of the city at night.

◊ ◊ ◊

“We have captured the specimen.”

This was the headquarters of the JSDF Intelligence Department 3rd Division located in the basement of one of the buildings in Ichigaya.

Upon hearing the report from the deployed stealth airship, the assistant director in charge of this entire operation – this department did not employ the JSDF’s ranking system and used entirely falsified ranks – nodded as his expression seemed to sigh in relief.

“Though there were a few surprises, we still accomplished our objective.”

When the agents disguised as policemen had been knocked unconscious by mere high school students and a HAR, the first thing that flashed across his mind was “demotion”. Now that he may have avoided ruining his superior’s mood, the assistant director could relax.

He knew very well that the “specimen” they had captured was the “vampire” that disturbed the peace, but he was unaware that the real identity of the vampires were actually Magicians who had been possessed by monsters called Parasites. Nor was he aware that one of the captured vampires was a retired soldier from the USNA born in Mexico and that the reason for his retirement was that he lost his magic due to an injury suffered during training. The assistant director had simply been ordered to capture a specimen of the vampires.

The reason why they were observing Tatsuya was because the higher ups told him there was a higher probability they would come into contact with the vampires if they shadowed Tatsuya’s group. Though as to why a high school student, despite being known as Magician larvae, would have a link to vampires, that reason was beyond him. His subordinates being instantly nullified immediately dispelled the preconception that they were just high school students, but the mystery in regards to why high school students were so strong only deepened. Still, it looked like they would no longer have to trouble themselves with ridiculously strong high school students. That was the reason why the assistant director could breathe a sigh of relief.

Their task was only to temporarily “safeguard” the specimen. Any procedures beyond that were done by his superior, the director. One of the tricks to the organization’s continual survival was not questioning their superior’s tasks. The request for obtaining the specimen didn’t come from the government but from their sponsors, and the assistant director was somewhat aware that the real client was that particular family from behind their sponsor, but he really didn’t want to know.

“As ordered, transport the target to the “icebox”. Just in case, up the dosage.”

After ordering his subordinate to use low temperature anesthesia used to induce hibernation on Magicians to nullify the Parasites before moving them to the facility, the assistant director returned to his seat to report to his superiors the result of his mission.

◊ ◊ ◊

“That damnable Koichi, still so enamored with intrigue. It’s practically part of his personality now.”

Just listening to the words may give the impression that this was a complaint, but after hearing her grandfather utter this phrase in a highly entertained voice, Fujibayashi pretended not to hear anything.

The sudden intrusion of the 3rd Division’s stealth craft shocked Fujibayashi, but she dealt with the after effects as swiftly as usual. She immediately used the flying ship’s wireless signal to pinpoint the organization it was affiliated with.

Likewise, infiltrating the connection to the basement in Ichigaya was just business as usual. As expected of someone whose talents earned her the name “Electron Sorceress”.

“Sir, what is Saegusa-san’s goal here?”

She chose to the word “sir” and not “grandfather” here to observe protocol while on the job. Kudou Retsu understood this, so he didn’t make a point over the formal reference of “sir”.

“I’m not privy to what Koichi is thinking. Though I do have a few guesses on worst possible scenarios.”

That being said, he had no intention of playing along with his granddaughter’s speech pattern as Elder Kudou continued to speak as if addressing kin.

“Worst, eh……?”

“Hm. Kouchi knows that Maya is interested in the Parasites, so he may have wanted to seize control of it.”

“The lady from the Yotsuba Family has expressed interest?”

“In the Yotsuba Family, the side branch Kuroba Family is responsible for gathering intelligence. Furthermore, the Kurobas apparently adopted assassination against the Parasites and investigated quite a few things afterwards.”

“A side branch responsible for gathering intelligence…… The Yotsuba

Family is certainly unique.”

“Well, the 28 families were originally just like side branches for the development and research of Magicians. Indeed, no other family besides the Yotsuba Family has adopted the side branch system.”

Elder Kudou wore a self-depreciating smile as he probably recalled his own origins. Fujibayashi made no attempt at any third rate words of comfort and merely waited for her grandfather’s next words.

“Setting that aside…… Knowing that the Yotsuba have an interest in the Parasites, Koichi would then act. That guy will want to surpass the Yotsuba by any means possible. How tragic it is that the demon from 30 years ago has still not been exorcised yet……”

In Fujibayashi’s eyes, the way Elder Kudou said this was as if he himself was revisiting the past. Knowing that wasn’t a very pleasant recollection, she used a slightly stronger tone to recall her grandfather from his memories. “So what are we going to do?”

“What do you mean by going to do?”

“I believe that allowing the Intelligence Department 3rd Division to go rogue isn’t a wise course of action.”

“That’s true…… If they were able to handle it any better, leaving them alone wouldn’t be a problem.”

As Fujibayashi predicted, Elder Kudou had returned from the world of his memories and his mind was fully focused on the present.

“Kyouko, can you anonymously leak some intelligence to the Yotsuba?”

“I think I can.”

“Then that should be enough. Maya will think of what to do from here on out.”

Saegusa Koichi’s plot would be foiled by the Yotsuba. Knowing the backstory, Fujibayashi felt that this was a cruel punishment. Still, Fujibayashi had no intention of disagreeing with her grandfather’s proposal as she immediately turned back to the controls.

◊ ◊ ◊

After seeing Honoka home and returning Pixie to the original garage, by the time Tatsuya and Miyuki arrived home, it was already late into the night even though the date hadn’t changed yet.

That being said, for the siblings’ age, this wasn’t a particularly late hour. Though they had not engaged in full scale combat, the nerves were still stimulated that there was no sign of sleepiness.

“Onii-sama, it’s Miyuki, can I bother you for a moment……?”

It was a rare occurrence indeed for Tatsuya to be in his own room studying a subject other than magic instead of being in the lab in the basement after eating dinner and taking a bath. The primary reason why he let Miyuki into his room was because neither of them could sleep.

At this time, Tatsuya appeared to be trying to use the books to lull him to sleep. Though it wasn’t entirely appropriate for siblings to visit the bedroom (pretty much a private room) at this hour, Tatsuya felt that speaking with Miyuki might improve his mood a little.

“Sure, come in.” “Then, I’m coming in.”

Tatsuya naturally leaned over the monitor that served as the table’s surface as he heard the sound of a door closing coming from the entry way.

“……So, what is it?”

The voice was neither high nor low and was just a simple question being voiced.

In spite of this, an unnatural lull still manifested.

Miyuki didn’t immediately reply to her brother’s question as she obediently sat on the bed.

Even so…… A series of questions started churning through Tatsuya’s brain.

--Not too long ago, his sister still favored pajamas.

--Was her current appearance the result of Shizuku’s recent appearance taking root?

Right now, the pressing issue was the style of Miyuki’s pajamas. Objectively speaking, she was currently wearing a nightgown.

Technically, she had a small jacket draped over the outside and the gown was neatly fastened.

However, from the chest to the knees, the barest hints of snowy white flesh could be seen through the thin layer of silk, filled with mesmerizing temptation.

(Thankfully I’m the only one who saw that…… Isn’t she a little lacking in the self-consciousness that young ladies usually possess?)

As her brother, Tatsuya was highly concerned about his sister’s lack of wariness, --yet whether this was truly right or wrong, there was unfortunately no judge present to determine the outcome.

On the other side, Miyuki appeared to be highly pleased with her brother’s blank stare and an embarrassed smile graced her face. Still, that visage swiftly altered to one of seriousness.

“Have I interrupted Onii-sama from studying……?”

“Hardly. Miyuki, you know that such things are not necessary for me.”

Anyone else would have felt a surge of disgust at those words, but there was no sign of envy, amazement or praise from Miyuki as she took those words as perfectly natural.

Tatsuya rose from his position before the table and walked to the bedside before taking seat beside Miyuki. Of course, there was a definite distance between them. Yet, from the side and not the front came a look that clearly said “Did you have something to say?” that urged Miyuki onward to voice her hesitant, stuttering question.

“Onii-sama…… Miyuki is really conflicted right now.”

“Conflicted?”

Despite knowing that something was on Miyuki’s mind, this was still a sudden question.

Tatsuya repeated part of Miyuki’s sentence and kept his eyes fastened on her, yet she failed to raise her eyes to her brother.

“Right now, I completely don’t understand, what magic is….. What we Magicians are……”

Bemusement covered Tatsuya’s face.

He was completely not expecting such a profound question. Rather than belonging to the field of magic studies, it may be more appropriate to say this came from the realm of psychology.

While he didn’t feel that he was unable to question, Tatsuya didn’t have an option that was appropriate enough to answer Miyuki’s question.

“What makes you think that?”

Regardless, Tatsuya prompted her to continue speaking.

“From a fundamental perspective, magic and super powers are one and the same. Onii-sama knows this better than anyone else when it comes down to theory or practical application.”

“I think knowing that better than anyone else may be a stretch……

But go on.”

“Parasites – demons also know how to use magic. When comparing the magic they use with the ones we cast, there is nothing different besides the procedure.”

“True.”

Miyuki’s hands were tightly clasped on top of her knees, but she suddenly twisted around towards Tatsuya. Placing her hands in the space between Tatsuya and herself, she leaned forward towards Tatsuya.

Her eyes were filled with unease.

“I have been wondering whether that’s…… the result of demons possessing Magicians. Was the demon using the Magician’s mind to cast magic?”

Terror lay in the depths of that unease.

“Yet, after seeing the power Pixie used and Onii-sama’s ensuing explanation, I have found that I am in error.”

“Are you referring to the psychokinesis from that time?” “Yes.”

There was another lull until the conversation resumed. Miyuki was afraid of verbalizing the rest. She was terrified of the idea that her theory would be reinforced if she transformed her speculation into words. That was the feeling Tatsuya got from her.

“Telepathy is the ability to communicate from one consciousness to another. The original Parasite that is akin to a spirit form was capable of this, so that’s nothing surprising. When I heard that she used psychokinesis to create facial expressions, I also thought nothing of that matter.”

Tatsuya felt that Miyuki’s face was getting closer.

The wavering emotions in her eyes were becoming more obvious.

“Yet, that burst of psychokinesis…… While rough in design that definitely still was Move-Type Magic. And that magic was activated after resonating with Honoka, right?”

“……Yes.”

Tatsuya answered with some hesitation. Though that answer was a little dubious, Tatsuya was practically certain that the phenomenon between Honoka and Pixie was nearly as those who with close blood ties, much like the “resonance” rarely observed in Magicians who are identical twins – a phenomenon that occurred when the magic calculation area of one of them is stimulated, the other one’s magic calculation area becomes more active as well.

“3H…… As a machine, it does not have the power to wield magic.

However, Pixie’s psychokinesis was not the power of the host, but a power that came from the monster, the Parasite.”

Miyuki lowered her head when she finished. Immediately, she brought her eyes back to him as if she was about to break into tears.

“Since magic is practically the same as psychokinesis, does that mean demons have the same power that we Magicians do?”

Tatsuya finally understood the root of his sister’s unease.

“Why is magic called magic? ……Could it be that our power originated from them?” Miyuki’s face drew even closer.

She was close enough that he could feel her breathing. At this time, Tatsuya stood up from the bed.

Superficially, he looked to be avoiding Miyuki, but the reality was far different.

Kneeling in front of Miyuki, Tatsuya caught Miyuki’s eyes. “Miyuki….. You’re overthinking this.”

Miyuki rotated her soft, flexible body and used her arms to support her leaning body. She took in Tatsuya’s gaze – and stored it within her heart.

Gently taking hold of his sister’s shoulders, Tatsuya gradually shifted his sister’s leaning body to the proper position bit by bit.

“While magic is referred to as the “law of demons” in Japan, the word magic in English contains the connotation for “ability of sages”.”

Miyuki gave a small “ah” sound.

“As to where the power of magic came from, that is currently unknown. Magic Sequences rewrite other information bodies to bring about phenomenon alteration, and though we understand this system, exactly why is this change possible and why the magic calculation area in the human subconscious is able to do so are still enigmas.”

Tatsuya wore the confused expression of a master berating a student making a mental error despite being more talented than himself as he smiled.

“For that matter, we cannot even guarantee that magic is something created by Magicians. It would be too great a leap in logic to say that since demons can use magic, then there must be a connection between Magicians and demons.”

“That’s true……”

“Furthermore, the real identity of the Parasite could be said to be independent information bodies that originated from the human psyche. Since they came from the human consciousness, then its power should come from humans. It would be far more appropriate to say the power of demons come from humans instead of saying that the power of Magicians come from demons.”

“I see…… Onii-sama is completely right.”

The anxiety in Miyuki’s eyes faded away into nothing.

Tatsuya got the impression that Miyuki seemed to have understood a tad too quickly, but this was still more constructive than doubt, so there was no reason to ruin her mood.

“You were thinking that you are kin to demons and not humans, and that is why you couldn’t sleep, right?”

Tatsuya’s words did carry any inflection that poked fun at his sister.

However, as if a button had been pressed, Miyuki blushed even more furiously than usual. Frozen to the point that she forgot to even cover her face, Miyuki rebooted and swiftly turned to face the wall.

Splayed out over the bed in an odd position, she faced the wall without budging an inch.

There’s no need to be that embarrassed…… Tatsuya thought to himself, but he did acknowledge that his sister’s current state was adorable.

“In that case……”

He stealthily moved his lips next to Miyuki’s earlobe as he spoke softly.

“Until you fall asleep.”

She was so adorable that it roused Tatsuya’s mischievousness. As expected, Miyuki’s body gave a huge start.

It was as if she was ready to fly to the ceiling. “Should I stay by your side?”

Miyuki slowly turned her head around, blushing the entire time. As she watched Tatsuya with abashed and tender eyes, she spoke in a feathery tone.

“……Can you hold my hand?”

Overdid it, Tatsuya thought.

Tatsuya had no authority to deny her.

Until Miyuki fell asleep, Tatsuya sat on the bed tightly clasping Miyuki’s pearly white hand.

Fortunately, Miyuki immediately departed for dreamland.

His sister’s happy, slumbering face was Tatsuya’s greatest reward. Even so, it was hard to hide his mental exhaustion.

Carefully walking away and turning off the light, Tatsuya left Miyuki’s bedside.

Silently closing the door, he walked towards his own room. Halfway back, Tatsuya realized something.

Even Miyuki, who had received higher education as a Magician, had thought that there was a connection between Magicians and demons instead of focusing on magic alone.

She took Magicians for something inhuman.

If someone well versed in magic like Miyuki thought so, then those who were unfamiliar with magic and were not Magicians themselves could hardly be faulted for seeing Magicians as demonic.

It would hardly be surprising if they thought Magicians were not quite human, or frankly “something inhuman” altogether……

◊ ◊ ◊

The next morning.

When Tatsuya got to school, he immediately dragged Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko out of the classroom. Though he saw that Mizuki watched them with nervous eyes, he never gave her an opportunity to rescue them.

Their destination was the roof.

Not only was it the coldest time in the morning, not a single person was on the wind-exposed rooftop. Tatsuya didn’t want to stay too long himself.

“You guys have something to tell me.”

The three people on the rooftop weren’t intentionally keeping quiet. However, seeing that their friend had specifically called them up here and spared them the small talk, no one could knock Tatsuya for losing his patience even if his tone was a little anxious.

The three of them glanced at each other and all wore resigned expressions. As their expressions clearly showed that they had given up, they wordlessly determined who was going to be their spokesperson with high speed.

“Tatsuya, um, actually……”

The one who spoke with trepidation, or maybe in a self-defeating manner, was Mikihiko.

“Are you saying that you guys let the Parasite get away?”

Though Tatsuya jumped the gun because he wanted to get this over with quickly, he couldn’t help but sight when he saw Mikihiko raise his head in shock as if he had heard of something impossible.

“I’m not going to be upset if that’s all it is. Although it’s going to be a little difficult to recapture….. But there’s nothing to be done if it already got away.”

Though he didn’t hide his disappointment, this wasn’t a completely unsalvageable situation. Just as Tatsuya expressed his stance and was about to return to the warm classroom,

“No, that’s not it, Tatsuya!”

Mikihiko frantically grabbed a hold of him.

“Yeah, it’s not like they got away….. Well, technically they did get away……”

Based on those mutually exclusive words, his friends hadn’t gotten to the important part, so Tatsuya turned his gaze on to Leo.

“They were taken by someone else.” “Were they that strong?”

Tatsuya’s reaction to Leo’s answer was a little different than the usual approach to this situation.

However, the detail that Tatsuya cared about the most was precisely this one.

They had been in the same close for almost a year. In Tatsuya’s eyes, the three of them had the power now to match any frontline combat Magician and maybe even the members of the Independent Magic- Equipped Battalion.

Of course, they still couldn’t take on Kazama or Yanagi (without “Trident”, even Tatsuya couldn’t defeat them), but they could definitely hold their own against the rank and file.

“While it was unfortunate that we failed, but from a strength perspective, they weren’t particularly capable opponents.”

“They did have exceptional gear. That’s the first time I ran into someone wearing a jacket that could numb an enemy on contact.”

“They also had durable armor that scattered dust on impact. If only I had a longer weapon yesterday.”

“No wonder.”

That sort of equipment was certainly unique, but then again, that made it easier to identify the enemy.

“In the end, they even got on a black airship and fled. That was frustrating.”

“OK, we should be thankful that nothing more serious happened.” Hearing Tatsuya’s words, or more like after hearing Tatsuya’s words,

Erika couldn’t help but turn a “Hm?” look on Tatsuya. “Tatsuya-kun, don’t tell me you already know who they are?”

“Sort of. I never made direct contact with them before, but I think I can guess.”

“Who are they?”

After considering the nature of the answer, it wouldn’t be strange that saying something and not saying something both held merit.

“JSDF Intelligence Department Counterintelligence 3rd Division. With that sort of interesting equipment and even a stealth airship for transport, it must be the 3rd Division.”

Tatsuya’s answer was very direct. Nor did there appear to be any sign he was holding back. It may be that not only Erika, but even Leo and Mikihiko had become embroiled in his affairs.

“Does…… Tatsuya know that because he’s a member of the

Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion?” “Ah?”

Even so,

“I don’t recall telling Erika the unit I belong to……”

At someone pointing out something they didn’t remember, Erika shook her head.

“……I see, you heard from Miyuki.”

“After seeing something like that, there’s no way I wouldn’t ask.”

The item Erika was referring to was probably the Movable Suit. Despite uncovering Tatsuya’s identity, Erika still hadn’t connected Tatsuya to the “Scorched Halloween” yet.

“Since we were engaged in full blown combat with the invading force, a clearly differentiated chain of command couldn’t be avoided. Still, I do hope you will keep that a secret.”

“I know. I don’t want to be arrested for espionage.”

Compromising the National Secrecy Act was synonymous to being suspected of spying. The majority of the citizens protested that this invasion of privacy in the latter half of the previous century, so Japan had since returned to being a normal country.

“Hey, since you know who our opponents are, you wouldn’t happen to know where they carted those guys off to, right?”

Erika’s mood rebounded quickly as she asked in a hopeful voice. Unfortunately,

“Without knowing their objective even I can’t be sure.” Tatsuya frankly shook his head. That was how reality was.

“True…… Our opponent is a government organization, so they must have multiple hideouts.”

“That’s because there’s a budget, though it’s not inexhaustible. Still, they’re probably like a wily rabbit that has three different hiding holes.”

Just as Mikihiko said, this time their opponent was a government organization. In terms of fighting assets at their disposal, they were on a fundamentally different level than foreign forces that had illegally invaded their soil. They had always enjoyed home field advantage, but this time that was transferred to the other side.

“Meh, it’s not like we have to worry too much. This wouldn’t have ended even if you guys had taken care of the interlopers from last night. We also know that the Parasites are onto Pixie. We just have to lay a snare that cannot be stolen from us next time.”

Tatsuya wore an evil smile as he reassured the three of them. –Despite the kind words, Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko all backed away fearfully from that expression, but Tatsuya seemed not to care.

“Let’s table this here. Hurry back to the classroom before we freeze here.”

Though no one present would feel that this chill would be anything serious, at the end of the day, cold was cold.

None of the three raised any objection as they followed behind Tatsuya going indoors.

◊ ◊ ◊

Coincidentally at the same time that Tatsuya and Erika’s group were having a chat on the rooftop, Colonel Balance also received a phone call on her end.

“I’m terribly sorry for bothering you so early in the morning, Ms. Virginia.”

“It’s you again.”

The image that appeared on the screen was the face she saw yesterday. The 15-year old young lady who claimed to be the spokesperson of the Yotsuba, Kuroba Ayako. This morning, she was still wrapped in silk and lace.

“School…… No, excuse me.”

Except while she was fulfilling her duties, Colonel Balance was pretty much a moralist. That was why she was on the verge of telling off a young girl who plainly was of the age that she should be in school but was evidently engaged in non-school related activities this morning.

“Thank you for caring.”

Keenly discerning what Virginia was thinking, Ayako revealed a perfectly polite smile.

“Still, Ms. Virginia need not worry. I have long since obtained the necessary credits to graduate.”

Since Virginia was not aware of the Japanese middle school system, there was no way for her to judge if Ayako was lying.

“No, I was the one who said something pointless. So do you have news on your end?”

Colonel Balance was only observing the forms by asking this question. She honestly was not expecting to receive any worthy intelligence on the first day.

“Indeed. Actually last night, the JSDF Intelligence Department Counterintelligence 3rd Division captured a Parasite. Right now, we have confirmed that one of them was a former Magician of the USNA military. The head told me that I should bring this to Ms. Virginia of this and I have done so.”

“Bring this” via phone was a slight problem. Still, Balance wasn’t planning on wasting breath on that, since the information that was just provided to her far outweighed that.

“Are the Parasites on the move again?”

“Family members have reported that Parasites who have lost their vessels found new hosts. These should be the people who captured one.”

At the same time she said this, Ayako transferred encrypted documents to Colonel Balance’s terminal. After reading the table of contents for the documents that automatically decrypted themselves, she verified that one of the contained personal information with a picture attached.

“There are 3 captured Parasites. Among them, this is the only one we have currently identified. If you wish, I can also inform you of the location they are being held captive.”

Just looking at the table of contents was not sufficient to clarify why this retired Magician was so important, but leaving him alone was not an option for Colonel Balance.

“Please do so, Ms. Kuroba.” “Understood.”

The young lady in the picture bowed as the information was sent over. Without losing decorum, Colonel Balance gave a simple thank you before hanging up and immediately examined the documents.

Colonel Balance’s expression turned dark.

She turned towards an encrypted line specifically prepared for her and swiftly sent out a message.

The message contained orders to prepare for mobilization tonight. The recipient of that message was Major Angelina Sirius.

◊ ◊ ◊

The first subject of the day was General Studies. Students were allowed to read and work on problems, though some students chose to listen to music in order to enhance their studying.

Tatsuya had always allowed the text to scroll on its own, so today he brought his earphones. He would listen to the synthesized music while thinking about questions that had nothing to do with school.

It was true that he heard about the Counterintelligence 3rd Division’s name and unique features from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.

Yet, this wasn’t like it was incomprehensible for a branch of the Intelligence Department.

Within the Intelligence Department, they were the division that had the closest relationship with the Saegusa Family. They were a detachment that had participated in this action as the hands and feet of the Saegusa Family. To be precise, they should be a unit that had mobilized with the Saegusa Family’s support in the background, which was how Tatsuya speculated this opposing force to be.

Still, this turnout felt rather surreal to Tatsuya.

He was working under the assumption that this incident happened under the Saegusa Family’s orders.

Using a stealth airship as the centerpiece to forcibly take the Parasites seemed a little too violent.

Tatsuya wasn’t that familiar with the modus operandus of the head of the Saegusa Family, Saegusa Koichi, hence why he was unable to discern the Saegusa Family’s motives. However, if this sort of high stakes gambling was the Saegusa Family’s style, they would have conflicted with the Yotsuba Family a long time ago.

So in the end, who was it that plotted this sequence of events?

There was also the possibility that this wasn’t the will of the Saegusa Family and simply the Counterintelligence 3rd Division going rogue.

(Given that the army has disobeyed their hidden backer and acted on their own…… Then his motive must lie around some goal that is connected with the army’s existence.) Then what is the army after?

As the violent organization dedicated to protecting the country, the army’s sole purpose was to directly meet another country’s direct overture of violence.

The nature was too complex to explain in one or two sentences. However, from the surface, the army’s intent was glaringly obvious. The army’s sole goal is victory. All other goals were secondary to that.

There were many paths to victory, and failing where they were supposed to fail was also a form of victory.

No matter what, everything was fine as long as they won.

Anything after winning was the business of politicians. The army only had to worry about how to seize victory.

Thus, the army would pursue power.

An intelligence unit that believed itself a cut above the norm and going rogue would undoubtedly pursue strength as its goal.

Thinking along those lines, a chill ran down Tatsuya’s spine.

It couldn’t be that the 3rd Division was trying to harness the Parasites

– the demons for military purposes?

That was far too dangerous, Tatsuya couldn’t help but think.

One of the key indictments that painted Magicians in a negative light within the USNA was the accusation that Magicians summoned demons to this world. Though the agitators blamed military ambition as the reason behind summoning the demons, the slander here was obvious. However, using Parasites for martial purposes would only give more ammunition to the anti-Magician faction.

(No, the end result would be the same if the Ten Master Clans were plotting behind the scenes.)

Regardless of whether the Counterintelligence 3rd Division went rogue or were operating under orders from the Saegusa Family, Tatsuya’s renewed consideration placed them both at the same degree of risk.

A mere pup like him may have no business doing so, but a warning shot needed to be fired across the Saegusa Family’s bow.

Though this was definitely going to inconvenience Mayumi as she was preparing for a test, he really needed to find some time to talk. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he used his personal terminal to send set up a meeting with Mayumi.

--Though his brain may say that this would inconvenience her, Tatsuya really didn’t care that this would make it tough for Mayumi.

After sending a message to Mayumi in the middle of class, he got a reply back within one minute. Although the message was flagged as “urgent”……

(Isn’t that person supposed to be a test taker?)

There wasn’t too much time until the test began. Though there was no danger of her failing, he still couldn’t help but think “Is this really a good idea for a test taker?”. Oh well…… Any further thought on this matter was minding someone else’s business. Since she could reply to urgent messages immediately, she must have no complaints on the matter.

After ruminating over this, Tatsuya opened the mail.

The message Tatsuya sent over was “Can I see you within the next two days to talk about something?”

Mayumi’s reply was “Come immediately to the Student Council Room.”

Even though she was able to freely come and go from school, she still came to school often.

Furthermore, her current location was not the classroom or the library, but the Student Council Room.

……Is this really a good idea? Test taker? Tatsuya thought from the bottom of his heart.

Since Tatsuya was the one who reached out for a meeting, of course he was the one who wanted to handle the situation as soon as possible, hence why Tatsuya was walking directly for the Student Council Room.

Though this was bona fide ditching school, cheating the monitoring system was difficult but hardly impossible.

Tatsuya used the ID card that someone he didn’t now set up for full access and opened the door. Probably because this was still class time, Mayumi was the only one in the room.

After exchanging greetings – Mayumi thought that was enough whereas Tatsuya had to consider for a moment about the right attitude

–Tatsuya sat down across from Mayumi and immediately conveyed what had happened.

“……This is the situation. I think that airship belongs to the

Intelligence Department Counterintelligence 3rd Division that is rumored to be connected with the Saegusa Family. As to exactly why they wanted to capture a Parasite, I have no idea. However, it is extremely dangerous if they plan to use the Parasite for military purposes. Though I do not know if they can be completely destroyed, sealing them would probably be the best bet.”

“Counterintelligence 3rd Division? Though not an adult, even I as a member of the Saegusa Family do not know about this. Tatsuya-kun, I’m amazed that you are in the know for something like this.”

“I would greatly appreciate it if you would not ask me for my sources.”

“……Well, Tatsuya-kun seems to have a lot on his plate so I won’t ask. Compared to that, can you tell me why you went after the Parasite alone?”

“I felt that if senpai’s side also sent men, they would be too wary to come.”

“Is that all there is?”

Mayumi watched Tatsuya playing dumb with a highly displeased expression on her face.

“I’ll let it go for now……”

Yet, before the completely unperturbed Tatsuya, she was about to shrug her shoulders but stopped the motion halfway.

“Tatsuya-kun wants me to try and persuade my father, correct? So that the Parasite captured by the Intelligence Department can be returned to Erika-chan and her group.”

Though this hardly mattered, at some point Mayumi started to refer to Erika as “Erika-chan”, something that would have prompted a highly unwilling look on Erika herself is she were present (Mizuki was allowed to do so, but no one else). Then again, he could never get used to Mikihiko being called “Miki”, so this must be what it means by “what goes around, comes around”.

……Tatsuya shook his head to dispel the random thoughts and replied with “I didn’t ask you guys to return it” in response to Mayumi’s question.

“I’ll be blunt. If the reason for keeping the Parasites turns out to be something other than experimentation and that their usage as military tools is discovered, hereby having a negative effect on Magicians, I will ensure that the organization responsible pays dearly for this.”

“Quite the terrifying declaration.”

Though the voice contained some degree of surprise, her gaze seemed to signify an unspeakable hatred that sort of talk.

“After taking into the consideration what is happening in the USNA, such a threat is necessary.”

Mayumi also knew that discrimination against Magicians was growing worse day by day over there. If a similar situation broke out in the much smaller Japan, things might turn into bloodshed at a much faster rate.

“……I understand. I will talk to my father, but I cannot guarantee anything, so please don’t be too hopeful. After all, unlike Juumonji- kun, I’m not the heir to the Saegusa Family.”

Mayumi’s last words threw Tatsuya for a loop. “……What?”

“No…… It’s just that it’s surprising that the Saegusa Family turned out to be so patriarchal.”

“What is Tatsuya-kun’s family like?”

This may be because she was shy or simply being sulky. Tatsuya was a little unclear about the meaning behind Mayumi’s reaction.

Still, there was no reason to answer. After reflecting briefly, Tatsuya approached Mayumi’s question in a state of mind much like someone playing a penalty game.

“Our father’s influence isn’t something that is a part of our lives, since he currently moved into his second wife’s condo.”

Mayumi’s eyes started drift all over the place.

Seeing such an innocent side of Mayumi that was so easily flustered by something like this, Tatsuya couldn’t help but think that she’s not that much older than we are. Though she often acts like an adult, she definitely couldn’t be called a “mature woman”.

“The only difference is that she’s not a lover but a second wife now.” “How mature.”

“That’s just giving up. And if being an adult means “giving up”……

Then I don’t even want to think about it.”

Tatsuya answered Mayumi with a completely defeated tone.

Even a bad premonition will occasionally miscalculate.

In regards to Tatsuya’s theory about the JSDF Intelligence Department using the Parasite, that was sadly not going to happen.

Still, it was hard to say whether this constituted being “fortunate”. The next morning.

“The Counterintelligence 3rd Division’s espionage detention center was raided. The captured Parasites have been executed.”

That was what was written on the message Mayumi passed along.