Published at 26th of March 2019 2:11 am

Volume 18, Chapter 7

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

February 6th. A night had passed since the terror attack.

It was drizzling even before dawn, but Tatsuya went to Kokonoe Temple, as per his routine.

He received a rough welcome from the disciples, as per his routine.

However, Tatsuya broke his regular morning routine today, acting oddly towards Yakumo.

"Please teach me how to break Ghost Walker…"

Although Tatsuya asked Yakumo to teach him, he wasn't exactly Yakumo's disciple.

Yakumo also wasn't paid anything.

Yakumo was basically only accompanying Tatsuya during his practice. Although originally he did it due to Kazama's request, recently Tatsuya's skills had been developing so well that he could serve as Yakumo's practice opponent.

During the Parasite Incident, when Yakumo cooperated to perfect Tatsuya's Far Strike, that was due to the fact that Yakumo couldn't stand aside regarding the parasites. Hence, they shared common interests.

Sometimes, Yakumo would help with the investigations for his own amusement.

Lending his temple's underground facility was also because he had no use for it.

"Tatsuya-kun, I've helped you in various ways, but I have never taught you a technique. I think you understand my reasons for doing so?"

"Of course I understand. I'm not a disciple of Kokonoe Temple."

Yakumo glared at him coldly, and Tatsuya shot back with a blank stare. He knew best what kind of relationship he had with Yakumo. Needless to say, he was well aware that Yakumo wouldn't falter even if Tatsuya asked him to do this. However, this was a necessary measure to catch his opponent who might be able to use Ghost Walker.

Tatsuya wouldn't miss anything once he saw it, Maya had said so herself. Even so, Tatsuya knew that she was overestimating his ability. Considering his current ability, Zhou Gongjin's Ghost Walker was impossible to crack with his own power.

Had Zhou Gongjin not fought with Nakura Saburou prior, Tatsuya would have missed him. He managed to break through Zhou's Ghost Walker because of the blood needles that Nakura Saburou had cast in exchange for his life.

The news didn't reach Lina nor Maya, but there is a high chance that Jiedo Heigu was instructing Zhou Gongjin. Jiedo Heigu was the mastermind of ‘Blanche' and ‘No Head Dragon', according to one of the ‘Seven Sages', Raymond S. Clark's recorded video. Then, Zhou Gongjin who had guided both ‘Blanche' and ‘No Head Dragon', without a doubt, was controlled by Jiedo Heigu as well.

A teacher isn't always better than his student, in fact, there are students who can master a technique better than their teacher. However, Tatsuya was not so naive as to think that the teacher couldn't do something that the student could. At the very least, he thought that he needed to prepare a countermeasure.

Tatsuya threw himself into the fire so readily, yet Yakumo had a rather bland reply.

"Well, you are not a wandering Buddhist monk, nor are you a true shinobi. Currently, you are but an outsider. I can't really teach a technique to an outsider."

"If the way to counter it isn't magic, would it still be counted as confidential?"

Confidential, what a modern word. Yakumo smiled as he heard that, however he immediately wiped that expression from his face.

"As long as I don't directly teach it to you, it wouldn't be counted as a breach… anyways, Tatsuya-kun, do you plan on defeating Ghost Walker without using magic?"

Yakumo's stare penetrated his soul, but Tatsuya stared back at him, not shaken in the least.

"You know my magic is completely one sided, Master. Even if you teach me some complicated combat magic, unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to use it."

"I wouldn't think so, since you're handicapped in regards to Modern Magic. However, in terms of ‘spirit' you are on par with people who are much older than you. I think you have a high chance of being compatible with Ancient Magic."

"The operating principle of Ancient Magic and Modern Magic is the same though."

"The fact that magic rewrites event phenomenon is the same in both Modern and Ancient Magic. However, from our point of view, letting technology rewrite the events for us isn't a 'technique'. Within martial arts hides secrets besides just altering an event, such as control over the 'flow' and 'wave' caused by the 'spirit'. This can allow you to manipulate, disrupt, and terminate."

"…Master, by ‘spirit' you mean a Psion stream, right? ‘Wave' is the Psion wave… And ‘flow' is the channeling of Psions?"

"Hmm, you've learnt well. That's about right."

Yakumo slightly opened his eyes which were sparkling mysteriously.

At that moment, Tatsuya found himself in a dimension without a discernable top or bottom, a foreign and weightless space with no orientation or identifiable directions.

"For us, there is a technique that can manipulate ‘spirit' in the arcane. To realize a technique that can break Ghost Walker, ultimately just needs to manipulate ‘spirit', too."

Yakumo's voice squeezed Tatsuya from all directions.

Without being able to discern a safe foothold in this space, Tatsuya would be unable to avoid an attack.

If you're unsure of your opponent's location, it would be impossible to dodge or even defend yourself.

He was able to see Yakumo. However, he couldn't trust his senses in this situation, thus resisting would be meaningless.

This time, his trust in Yakumo was irrelevant.

In front of an opponent who could decide his life or death, a strong sense of danger forced him to concentrate on his power.

Tatsuya focused on his body, his consciousness divided within.

His blood flowed as usual, and the sensation he felt was similar to a free- fall, but not quite the same. His head could feel gravity properly, and his feet were firm beneath him. Tatsuya's body was seized by a Psion wave before instincts kicked in, breaking away from the illusion of that non- oriented dimension.

The rest of his body could feel gravity acting on it again.

His legs were properly positioned, and his head faced the sky.

"Master, just now…"

"I didn't tell you anything. Well, well, I certainly don't expect that you would break through that illusion with your own strength."

Yakumo kept his mysterious expression while facing away from Tatsuya.

"Even Kazama-kun wasn't able to break through that at first."

"Was that Ghost Walker just now?"

Yakumo acted like he wanted to divert the conversation into idle talk, but he still answered Tatsuya's blunt question with "It's different".

"Ghost Walker is a technique that can affect ‘a squadron of troops'. What I showed you was a mere individual illusion technique."

Then, Yakumo wore a mischievous smile on his face.

"In the first place, it's hard to put you under an illusion, even for me. I managed to do it because I twisted it a little bit."

Yakumo didn't say what kind of twist he had applied. Tatsuya tried to ask him, but his attention was diverted to Yakumo's next sentence.

"In a general sense, that technique you just witnessed could be considered a primitive version of Ghost Walker."

Tatsuya concluded that Yakumo's slip of tongue just now was his answer to his request, ‘please teach me a way to counter Ghost Walker'.

Tatsuya still didn't know how to make use of the mechanism he had just figured out from that illusion, but if that was a primitive version of Ghost Walker, he had a good start. From here on, he could only practice on his own.

"——Master, thank you very much."

"I told you I didn't really teach you anything. More importantly, let's start sparring."

Yakumo prompted the usual routine of theirs. "I'm under your guidance."

Tatsuya bowed as he spoke, and took his stance as usual.

◊ ◊ ◊

After all that happened, Tatsuya returned from his sparring with Yakumo to his daily routine.

As usual, he went to school. However, since he had received an order from Maya regarding the terrorist, he was also waiting for information.

Even so, his life passed smoothly until the lunch break.

Since Miyuki and Honoka's cold war had been resolved, Tatsuya and company were once again seen having lunch at the canteen. Today, as per the norm, the other members were making sure that Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku had their seats.

Just as they started their lunch, a large TV started to display urgent news.

"The Terrorist's criminal statement?"

Mikihiko muttered with furrowed eyebrows. In the meantime, the newscaster started reading a statement from his paper.

——Yesterday, the ones who struck the hotel in Hakone was us.

——We will wage a holy war in order to annihilate this demonic power called magic from Earth.

——Yesterday's attack was targeted towards the ringleaders of Magicians in this country, the Ten Master Clans.

——However, the despicable Ten Master Clans managed to escape while using civilians as their shields.

——We will continue to fight to liberate humanity from the control of these mutants who claim to be Magicians.

——Until the Japanese banish Magicians, victims will continue to fall. To summarize, the content of the elaborate statement was as such.

The caster then proceeded to conclude the damage status of yesterday's terror bomb attack.

Amongst the 89 guests of the hotel, 22 are deceased, and 34 were injured.

He mentioned that 33 people were saved, 27 of which were Magicians.

The caster added that no Magicians were killed or injured. He also included that the magicians should've prioritized saving human lives over escaping, and the casualties could've been kept to a minimum in that situation.

"What do they mean by saying that we should have prioritized saving the lives of others over our own."

Erika spitefully rebutted the politician covered by the news. Not that she was complaining to the TV —— she knew that the display was not a communication line —— it didn't have a two-way communication function.

"There are some professions where you must protect others first, but it's unpleasant to have that kind of ideology shoved down our throats."

Mikihiko had an unusually strong tone, showing that he couldn't tolerate the newscaster's stance.

"The terrorists consisted of about 50 people, right? How can they expect the Ten Master Clans to prevent something like that? Do they actually think we're some sort of super humans?"

Leo's face showed how appalled he was by the caster's comments.

"Helping each other is necessary in times of distress, yes, but they can't just shift the priority of people's lives around to get a heartwarming story. He implied that our lives, Magician's lives, aren't as valuable."

Tatsuya didn't stop at irony, he actually went on to criticize the newscaster with his flat tone.

The group fell silent, most likely wanting to avoid adding any more comments. They just continued to listen to the broadcast quietly.

The remarks from the politicians were full of terrorist-blaming. If they tried to blame the Ten Master Clans on their own at this moment, the fallout would've played directly into the terrorist's hands. Even considering just adding the politicians who were critical of the magic community, their forces had been increasing steadily due to the attack.

However, the words blurted by the newscaster a short while ago in his justice-laden tone, would reverberate in the future. When that happened, the terrorists would definitely capitalize on the magic-hating politicians. Not just Tatsuya, but the entire group's mood grew heavy as they recalled last April's incident, and how it could possibly happen again.

◊ ◊ ◊

Tonight, Tatsuya had been invited to the Juumonji Family's manor.

Even if it was called manor, it was only a little bigger than a 21st century mansion. It was bigger than Tatsuya's current house, but it was incomparable to Shizuku's house. Although the yard was large enough that you'd never expect to see something like it in Tokyo.

"You've arrived. Come in."

Tatsuya pushed the doorbell by the gate, and Katsuto came out in person soon after. He already heard from Maya that Katsuto had taken over as the Juumonji Family's Head. Seeing that a family head greeted his own guest, Tatsuya was lost in his thoughts of whether Katsuto perhaps only had a small number of servants, or that he was regarded as an important guest. Whichever it was, Tatsuya decided that it was a favorable act and shelved his questions.

"Excuse me."

The entrance wasn't particularly grandiose, but it was plenty wide. It had about two times the size of the usual entrance you'd find in a house. There wasn't any special furniture, and the only thing that caught Tatsuya's attention were the well-arranged ladies heels.

According to the media, the Juumonji Family has a second son who is a secondary school sophomore, a third son who is a freshman in secondary school, and a 5-year-old daughter who is in primary school under Katsuto. Tatsuya thought that there was another guest who came before him. He felt that he might know who the person was, but he didn't voice out his deduction to Katsuto.

Katsuto guided him to their destination, but it was more like Tatsuya followed right behind him. Of course, as he had guessed, a girl was seated there to greet him.

"Good evening, Tatsuya-kun. You've come right on time."

Mayumi was sitting on the sofa, and she rotated in her seat to greet Tatsuya.

"Long time no see, Senpai. We haven't been in contact since the end of October."

"You're right. About 3 months maybe? Was it long, or short?"

"Let's not continue our conversation while standing. Shiba, please take a seat first."

Tatsuya accepted Mayumi's invitation to sit on the same sofa as her. Since the sofa was for three people, there was enough space for a single person between Tatsuya and Mayumi.

Katsuto didn't sit in front of Mayumi, but opposite of Tatsuya.

After the three had settled down, silence reigned over the room as they stared at each other to decide who would speak first. After a short moment, someone knocked on the door.

A 60-year-old-ish lady emerged from the other side of the door. "I've prepared the tea."

She neatly put a saucer and teacup in front of Tatsuya. She also refilled the teacups in front Mayumi and Katsuto before bowing and excused herself from the room.

"What an elegant lady."

Tatsuya voiced his thoughts. She wasn't a beauty when compared to his sister, but her actions and movements showed the experience she had. Miyuki couldn't even compare to this woman.

"Shiba, Saegusa, sorry for troubling you with coming down here today." Katsuto didn't reply to Tatsuya's murmur.

Although upon observation, it could be seen that he was being bashful.

Tatsuya felt that Mayumi, who was sitting beside him, seemed quite anxious.

"No, the distance between our places isn't that far"

In reality, Tatsuya's home and the Juumonji's household are about 30 km apart in straight line, but he was trying to cover up for Juumonji before Mayumi burst out in laughter. Tatsuya tried to create a serious atmosphere.

It seemed to work, as Mayumi switched to a more serious expression.

"Since Tatsuya-kun has already arrived, Juumonji-kun, would you mind proceeding to the main topic?"

After Mayumi asked this, Katsuto's expression seemed to be strained. This was the first time Tatsuya had seen him like this.

"I want to borrow your power to investigate yesterday's terrorist attack"

Tatsuya had expected this request from Katsuto. Yet, it was still quite surprising to hear from him.

"I have received an order to assist you from the Head of the Yotsuba, so I will definitely cooperate."

Tatsuya answered his part and glanced to Mayumi.

She was quiet, while Katsuto stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"However, why Saegusa-senpai as well? I heard that the Saegusa Family's first son is also conducting an investigation of the terrorist?"

"Shiba. Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question." Katsuto then looked at Mayumi's face.

"Saegusa. This is not a request from the Juumonji Family to the Saegusa Family's eldest daughter. It's a request as a friend. That's why you don't need to consider your family's situation. If you're not up to it, you may also decline my request."

Mayumi sighed softly. The nuance behind it hinted that she was amazed by his request.

"Juumonji-kun, that's not very fair. If you ask 'as a friend', how am I supposed to reject it?"

"Hmm, I see. Sorry."

"You don't look sorry at all though…"

"No, I don't have any such intentions to…"

Katsuto winced under the suspecting eyes of Mayumi. The scene before Tatsuya's eyes was so novel that it felt quite refreshing.

Katsuto realized that Tatsuya was staring at him and Mayumi, so he then cleared his throat.

"Then, what do you want me to do, Juumonji-kun? I can't accept with just ‘borrow your power'. If it's something I can't do, I won't be able to accept your request."

"Well, that's true."

Katsuto put his fingers on his chin, thinking of how to explain the situation to Mayumi.

"The investigation method of the recent terrorist attack has been decided to follow an untraditional system."

"I am aware. Juumonji-kun, you'll be responsible for carrying out the investigation, but my brother will be taking the lead, right? How inefficient. I don't think it's the right time to get involved with other houses."

It seemed like Mayumi understood well enough that in the Kantō region, the Juumonji Family and the Saegusa Family need to use such an irregular structure in order to coordinate between the two families.

There was another reason involved, but Katsuto had no way of telling this to her. Even though it was Mayumi, there was no way he could say 'this is all due to your father's disloyalty'.

"Yes. When Tomokazu-dono and my group acted independently, we'd inevitably both do the same work. For that reason, I'd want Saegusa to serve as a liaison to update both sides on the status of progress."

Katsuto didn't make any comment on Mayumi's speculation, and instead answered her with his request.

"I have no intention of keeping secrets from Tomokazu-dono regarding my progress. I doubt there is any concern on that from his end. Even so, there will definitely be classified intelligence coming into play for this.

Such intel can be hard to share with outsiders considering the sources it usually comes from, and also due to the nature in which it was obtained. Information like that has a possibility of being extrapolated."

"I understand. That's why you want me to liaise? So, basically, I will be a messenger to both sides."

"Yes. I don't mind if you exclude parts that may expose a secret of the Saegusa Family. You'll only need to update me on things related to the terrorist attack."

"That's quite the task…"

Despite her bitter smile, a hint of seriousness was mixed in. Katsuto knew that Mayumi may not mind filtering the information based on her judgement, but there was the possibility of being unable to properly convey what needed to be said by removing too much. It wasn't an easy job.

"…I understand. I will cooperate. I'm the most suitable to do this, as you've said."

"That would be helpful."

"Don't mind. It's also part of my house's problem after all"

Actually, Kouichi was the one who requested Mayumi's role to Katsuto. Although he didn't include a reason, Katsuto could guess that he wanted to increase the face-to-face time between Mayumi and Tatsuya.

It was true that someone needed to take the role of coordinator, but Katsuto was both annoyed and hurt that Kouichi would include him in his scheme. Despite that, Katsuto was still humbled as Mayumi didn't seem to notice her father's ploy.

"Then, how should we proceed? Should we request for a short absence from the university?"

"I wanted to talk about that now."

Katsuto then stared at Tatsuya with a 'but there's one of us here who doesn't need to' look in his eyes.

"We don't need to do something that drastic until we find strong clues. We just need to stay in close contact with each other. If possible, I would like us to be meeting in person, and we should update each other every day with any progress we have. Is that okay with you?"

This 'meeting in person' was practically a demand from Kouichi with Mayumi as a liaison. It was a very well thought out strategy.

"I don't mind."

‘That's good', Katsuto thought. It seemed like Tatsuya hadn't realized what was happening behind the scenes.

"I see."

He answered Tatsuya without hesitation in his facade before turning to Mayumi.

"How about you, Saegusa?"

"I can't promise every day, but as a general idea I don't mind it either."

"That's enough. Where should we meet?"

"If it's just between Juumonji-kun and myself, the Magic University would be ideal, but…"

Mayumi stole a glance at Tatsuya's facial expressions while her speech tapered off.

"No problem."

Tatsuya had his reply ready. He didn't hold back in front of senpai's either since meeting at the Magic University was quite convenient for him as well.

"However, is there any suitable place for us to meet around the Magic University?"

It was necessary for them to meet up instead of using a communication tool, but they still needed a measure against eavesdropping. Security in a normal residence was quite lacking.

"I'll arrange that. We'll begin our exchanges starting the day after tomorrow."

"Roger that."

"Understood. What time should be convenient for you?"

"…Hmm, the day after tomorrow at 1800 hours, come to the main gate of the Magic University."

Katsuto thought for a while before answering Tatsuya's question for the time and place they'd meet up.

'1800 hours, I can make it with a little rest if I skip Student Council activities', he thought.

"Understood."

Tatsuya quickly calculated the time in his head, and agreed to the proposal.

◊ ◊ ◊

Somewhere far from Tokyo, Ichijou Gouki visited a local prestigious restaurant, not knowing of the meeting among Katsuto, Tatsuya, and Mayumi. There was no question about the taste of the food nor the service provided at this restaurant, but it was famous for being the place of ‘private conversation' among politicians.

Gouki himself already had around 4-5 meetings with politicians here in the past. Even though he hated doing such things, he couldn't avoid his duty as a one of the Ten Master Clans.

However, his companion today was not a politician.

The lady who sat in front of Gouki was Maeda Chizuru, Third High's principal.

"Maeda-sensei, sorry to call you at such a busy…"

"Ah, let's cut the unnecessary politeness. We're friends, right?"

…If someone heard this way of speaking, they wouldn't think of this lady as a teacher, let alone a principal, but she was unmistakably the principal of the Magic University Affiliated Third High School, which Masaki currently attended.

"…Chizuru-senpai, please act more becoming of your position. Your Magic High School is one of this country's assets."

"How silly, Gouki. You should know that how I act normally is pretentious."

Principal Maeda replied to Gouki's rebuttal with sarcasm.

"Moreover, Magic High Schools are just that, schools. It may belong to the country, but it still isn't a military institution."

She continued her sentence with a savage smile.

Gouki didn't have any intention to relate Magic High Schools to the military, but he didn't refute her comment. He understood what she was getting at with her military background.

Maeda-kouchou was in the military until her late 20's, and her last rank was Lieutenant. She caused a problem for her superior (reportedly, she had filed a sexual harassment case), hence, she needed to retire early.

She was then appointed as Third High's Principal due to her unique character, and, in turn, became a 40-year-old educator.

She was Gouki's senior by one year when they studied at Third High. She was a real heroine back then, shining at the top of the batch and unyielding to all including Gouki. To him, Maeda was a figure he would forever be respectful to.

"Well, Gouki. Let's hear it. It's quite rare for you to invite me to a place like this. Is it an important matter?"

"This is a private matter."

Gouki had expected this straightforwardness —— he answered her in a rather deviant tone.

"Hou… don't tell me, you're concerned about your son's GPA or something like that?"

"It may be something similar"

Maeda was prompted to show a sharper gaze to him.

"You know about the terrorist attack in Hakone yesterday, right?"

"I know. It was a disaster."

"So, how about the statement issued by the Magic Association after the incident?"

"Of course I know. However, I doubt that has made any impact. It's a given to blame the terrorist, but it might not reduce the negativity from the non-magicians towards us."

Maeda continued,

"They also didn't say that the ones who bear the responsibility for it are just the targeted magicians."

Gouki interjected.

"We also have no intention to stop at condemning words only."

"Ah, I remember hearing about cooperating as much as possible to arrest the criminal. So that wasn't just sweet talk?"

"Masaki from the Ichijou Family will be involved in the investigation." Gouki nodded in silence after saying his piece.

Maeda didn't reply with ‘that's reckless'. "Then?"

Instead, she gave a why-did-you-tell-me-that kind of face to Gouki.

"The one leading the investigation will be Juumonji-dono, and they will start with the crime scene at Hakone. It might take a few weeks, possibly more than a month. That's why Masaki will be staying in Tokyo at our second house, and he will be on a long leave from school."

"You're saying that you want me to treat those days as a holiday instead of having him on leave of absence?"

"Yes. The Ten Master Clan's matters are, after all, not a public service. It's ultimately a private matter, so I realize that this is pushing my luck a little bit. Even so, I wish for my son to be able to carry out his duties with peace of mind."

Gouki lowered his head,

"Certainly, you're somewhat pushing your luck." Maeda coldly answered.

"Even if you are one of the Ten Master Clan heads, such a convenience isn't possible. My profession alone prevents me from giving special treatment to anyone."

"…I understand"

Gouki didn't say anything further. Maeda wasn't someone who stuck to the rules, and if Gouki were to describe her, it'd be 'an affectionate woman'. However, once she had decided on something, nothing would sway her decision.

"I've asked a foolish thing. Please forget about it."

"No, I can understand your position. I also know it's part of your clan's responsibility to stake out in Tokyo. Regardless, I can't give your son any special treatment. You can try asking for a favor from Momoyama- sensei though."

"Huh? Momoyama-sensei? Are you talking about the principal of the First High?"

Gouki didn't understand why Momoyama's name came up here, and he stared at Maeda with a puzzled expression.

"That's right."

"For what matter specifically?"

"To have your son at his school for a short term."

Maeda didn't mean to hide the details behind her statement, but Gouki had rushed her before she could get any further.

"Wa-wait."

Since it would take too long to explain her plan to Gouki, Maeda gave a signal with her mouth and hand to stop Gouki from talking.

"It wouldn't be a permanent transfer, but I can arrange it so your son can study in First High's theory classes. Magic High Schools have similar curriculums delivered through the terminals. Since both of these schools are affiliated with the Magic University, information exchange between the two is possible. Though physical and practical classes would be impossible, an empty month for Ichijou-kun shouldn't pose a problem."

"In other words, during this mission, he will attend First High as a part- time student?"

"He won't be on a full time stake out like a detective, right?" Gouki nodded, and Maeda continued to talk.

"In fact, he could technically take his lessons anywhere. The only problem with that is the data can only be accessed through devices that have been approved by the Magic University, since the data is from their end. Even though his surroundings and environment will change, I think he can safely take the liberal arts and theory courses at First High."

At last, an enlightened expression appeared on Gouki's face.

"I wonder if you can prepare the move during this weekend? Then, he should be able to get into First High next Monday. So that will be one month until March 9th, right? Of course, if the case is resolved early, he can get back to Third High anytime."

"Thank you very much, Maeda-senpai. I'm counting on you."

From a parent's point of view, this solution was much more favorable than the original holiday plan. Gouki bowed to Maeda without any hint of objection.

After that, Gouki was detained by Maeda and drank until the sun rose.

◊ ◊ ◊

Heigu's statement had set the public opinion towards Magicians aflame. Even some media outlets one-sidedly blamed the Magicians. Perhaps it was due to the heat of the moment, but the accused side didn't seem to be very optimistic that ‘the media is easily cooled down and heated up'.

The First High students were clearly losing their composure. Although they knew that they couldn't do anything, they kept checking the news shown on the TVs in every corner during lunch time. Irritated whispers could be heard from the students in response to the biased opinion from the mass media.

There were roughly three major opinions amongst the students. Most common were the ones who were angry at the media demonizing Magicians, and this group was mostly male. Then there were the girls who had a stronger fear of the possible hostility Magicians might be exposed to, and finally the students with Numbers in their name. They were affiliated with the Hundred Families and were being quite vocal in their complaints.

The Student Council meeting after school was accompanied by the news in the background. Usually there would've been some music playing as a distraction —— but today they didn't seem to find any desire for music

——anxiety seemed to be rampant. As expected, their efficiency took quite the hit.

Tatsuya was taking a leave from Student Council activities starting tomorrow onwards, but today's work wasn't something he needed to push onto others. He tried to break the silence despite his workload, otherwise they wouldn't be able to finish their tasks even if they stayed there all day.

As such, Tatsuya stopped his hand when he heard a remark that made his ears itch. The one who murmured affirmatives to the news anchor was a senior who was due to graduate next month. Kanon had stuck around the Student Council not to discuss the upcoming graduation party, but rather to hang around the Student Council Treasurer.

"Chiyoda-senpai, do you think that we are in the wrong?"

When Kanon raised her face to meet Tatsuya's gaze, Miyuki and Izumi joined in to protest Kanon's statement. Their objections caused her expression to change, but she suppressed her discomfort for the sake of politeness.

For Izumi, Tatsuya was not only a senior from the same school, but also a colleague on the Student Council. She wasn't in a position to rebuke him for his comment, and she would've stayed silent even if Miyuki had spoken up. What Kanon had said was enough to make Izumi angry.

Kanon replied with,

"Ahh… for us to receive the backlash for failures caused by the Ten Master Clans."

The Student Council meeting had ended, but their chat continued with the news playing in the background. Kanon's words were remarkably harsh towards magicians, though the discontent wasn't from just her. The mainstream Hundred Families also cast out their dissatisfaction regarding how the Ten Master Clans had ruined their reputation as Magicians.

"Of course the terrorists are to blame for this, but the Ten Master Clans is also at fault for not handling the situation well."

Kanon wasn't the only one who was ranting with this opinion, her classmates seemed to have similar views. The fact that she wasn't the only one who thought this made her all the more vocal. Even so, after giving her opinion this time, she felt a little guilt.

"What is it that we did wrong?"

Izumi changed her attitude, similar to the one she had used in Hakone when talking to the detective. Courteous, yet cold.

Kanon answered back with energy. She understood Izumi's spiteful behavior was fully directed at her.

"Being accused of not helping the general public when you were present in the same place, you should've known this is how it would turn out!"

However, Kanon didn't let herself get too heated up. She managed to contain herself and only put a strong emphasis on her sentence.

Even so, her strong personality shone through. Her emphasis turned her comment into quite an emotional statement.

Though at the end of the day, if one considered the fact she was the senior here, quarreling with an underclassman would result in nothing but a hassle.

"The general public, huh? I wonder what you mean by that."

"What do you mean…?"

Faced against Izumi's philosophical question, Kanon lost her words.

"Are you referring to a civilian? Perhaps, a civil servant? In that sense, the Heads of the Ten Master Clans who are neither soldier nor civil servant can also be labelled as the 'general public'…?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing really, but I wonder why only some of the 'general public' should give priority to, and rescue, the rest of the 'general public' before themselves?"

Izumi covered her mouth with her left hand. Kanon thought that Izumi was mocking her. "Hey you!"

Kanon rose from her seat and slammed her hand down on top of the table with a loud bang.

"Kanon, calm down!"

Isori stood up a beat later to hold her back by grabbing her shoulder.

"Izumi-chan, sorry, but do you mind helping me buy something warm for everyone to drink? I'll pay for it."

As silence descended between Kanon and Izumi, Miyuki requested Izumi to run an errand while handing over the Student Council's cash card.

The Student Council room came equipped with a hot water supply, as well as the fixings for tea and coffee. Usually, there was no need to venture outside to buy drinks.

In other words, this was a call for Izumi to cool her head outside.

"I understand…"

Izumi stood up with a regretful look on her face. Being scolded by her favorite, Miyuki, had instantly chilled her temper.

"I will come to help"

Minami rose to offer Izumi her assistance. "Yes, please."

"Understood. …Saegusa-san, let's go."

Minami bowed toward Miyuki, and took Izumi's hand in concession.

Izumi and Minami's presence faded away on the other side of the door.

After making sure of that, Isori, who sat in front of Kanon, began to speak.

"…That just now was your fault, Kanon. Even if the Ten Master Clans were able to save the victims, they had no responsibility to do so. Ultimately, it was wrong to force your opinion of goodwill onto others."

"But…"

Kanon gave an unsatisfied reply, but Isori interrupt her with a stare.

"Well, if you have people fallen right in front of your eyes, it's instinctive to want to try and help. However, if you were also in danger, it's reasonable to assume you'd want to flee to a safe space before rescuing someone else. Even the Ten Master Clans aren't invincible."

"Well… that might be true."

"Even firefighters would not rush to jump into the fire when death is the price. What they do is a brave and noble act, rescuing others while putting the victims before themselves. But even so, nobody is ever in a position to say 'It's your duty to guarantee our safety' even if you're paying them. It's a cowardly and foolish thing to do, forcing someone to bear such a huge risk, especially when the captain would be held responsible for the lives of his personnel."

Kanon faced down and averted her eyes in anger from Isori.

"Let alone pressuring someone to do so when they have no obligation to risk themselves, that's just not right. I don't like it when you behave this way, Kanon. Even you would be angry if someone accused you of such a thing, right?"

"…Yeah."

Faced with Isori's gentle reply, Kanon nodded without lifting her face.

"It's good that you understand. Then, when Saegusa-san comes back, you must apologize."

After Isori said so, Kanon once again nodded.

◊ ◊ ◊

Kanon promptly apologized to Izumi after she returned to the Student Council Room, and correspondingly, Izumi apologized for her bad attitude towards Kanon. They had successfully made up with each other, but this result could only have been achieved thanks to Isori's rationality which dissolved their anger.

In real life, there were no private exchanges between Magicians and non-Magicians. No entity existed to mediate between the two groups, either. Hence, the resentment, which grew due to the large number of non-Magician victims, would continue to escalate.

It wasn't like there weren't any Magicians trying to justify themselves, but their voices were simply too small. No matter how reasonable and logical they may be, their words simply didn't have the power to reach the ears of others.

The Magicians of this country don't seem to have much choice besides just grinning and bearing these opinions. Such a view was hard to swallow in the eyes of the youth.

The eldest son of the Shippou Family, Shippou Takuma, of the newly appointed clan in the Ten Master Clans, was one among the youth who that idea didn't sit well with.

He was only 16 years old and lacked the means to channel his discontent towards society outwards. Takuma was in the peak of his adolescence, which meant instability covered up by sports and music. In the midst of his turbid emotions, bursts of misguided anger turned into violent incidents.

However, Takuma had clues on the person who ‘started the commotion'. For him, she was the very image of an ‘unfortunate incident' that happened in the past, yet he had no one else to turn to for now.

Until last spring, they were still on equal ground. The fact that they were lending their powers to each other unilaterally didn't damage Takuma's pride.

But at this moment there was so much more at stake than his own puny pride. Takuma convinced himself that what he was about to do was for the sake of Ten Master Clans and the Magicians in Japan.

He thought that it was an act worthy of the Ten Master Clans, so even if he needed to grovel in front of that woman, he would do it. After he decided that, Takuma proceeded to Sawamura Maki's apartment.

Takuma had prepared for the worst, but Maki smoothly invited Takuma inside.

"Good evening. Long time no see, Takuma."

"Yeah. Maki, long time no see."

It was still 9 in the evening, yet Maki was dressed cozily. She was wearing a nightgown that sported a sheer fringed hem that reached down to her calf.

"Sorry. Were you about to rest? If so, I can come back another time?" Takuma didn't bow in the slightest and was about to turn back, "Wait, Takuma. I don't mind, so come in."

Maki sat down on the sofa.

Takuma, who was standing still, got offered a seat in front of Maki across the table from her.

The seating arrangement was quite distant compared to the days he visited last spring.

"Takuma, do you want anything to drink?"

"No, don't bother."

For him to show up without any prior arrangements was trouble enough, Takuma didn't want to impose any further.

Maki went wide-eyed and was surprised by his reply. "…Then, how about some coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Maki pressed a button on the inner part of the sofa's armrest and said "Please serve some coffee". Takuma didn't see any obvious microphone from where he was seated, but it was clearly somewhere.

"Takuma, you knew that today was a day off for me?"

"No, I did not. I was planning to leave a message on the interphone and come back sometime later if you were not around."

"What the heck?"

Maki voiced her amusement out loud. Her facial expression didn't change much, thus Takuma wasn't sure if it was her acting skills or real feelings in play.

"If that's the case, wouldn't calling in advance have saved you the time?"

With Maki's remark, Takuma showed a smile while lamenting his reason for all of this.

"Well… I didn't want to call you for this. To be honest, I hesitated a lot while deciding if I should come here."

Maki didn't inquire into his reluctance to call. Takuma and Maki had parted amicably already, and she was the one who requested it. She could imagine how hard it would've been for the proud boy in front of her to call someone who had dumped him.

"Yet, you didn't think that it would turn into a fool's errand?" Instead, she asked this.

"Since I'm about to ask for help, I think it's expected to make some effort to meet you."

Maki stared intently to Takuma's face.

Right at that moment, the door of the living room opened.

A women slightly older than Maki emerged, and she politely placed a saucer and coffee cup in front of Takuma.

"Thanks."

The women bowed respectfully to Maki before retreating back to the living room's door.

"…That woman just now was not a 3H, right?"

"No, she isn't."

Maki smiled faintly hearing Takuma's murmur.

"She's my new housekeeper. You know that I hate the 3H, right?"

"I remembered. That's why I asked."

It came up in one of their little chats incidentally, and Takumi hadn't forgotten that Maki felt like she was 'under constant surveillance' with a 3H around.

Takuma wouldn't normally be one to commit such a small detail to memory, but he was still able to remember his partner's likes and dislikes as long as it didn't inconvenience him.

Maki was staring at Takuma, and he averted his eyes awkwardly.

Due to that, he missed Maki's expression when she uttered the next sentence.

"Takuma… you really changed."

Yet, Maki's voice was enough to make Takuma blush in embarrassment. "Well, somewhat."

Takuma kept reminding himself that this woman was an actress… that she could manipulate other with her voice and expression. He kept his eyes off of her and said,

"It's not a big deal."

Even though he was looking away from Maki, her voice still mysteriously managed to entangle his thoughts.

"Boys around your age sure grow up fast… Not yet a man, but it's somewhat pleasant…"

Maki didn't move an inch from her seat in front of Takuma, but he could still smell the sweet scent of her skin.

"What should I do… I was told to stay away from you, but if it's only this once…"

Even though they were separated by a short distance, he still could hear her murmuring something.

"Maki, I want to ask for a favor!"

To dispel Maki's doubt he lowered his head as he said this.

"A favor…?"

Maki's startled expression went unseen by Takuma as he was facing the floor. All of her playfulness was dispelled by her shock.

Maki and Takuma had a unilateral relationship in the past, which had her fulfilling Takuma's requests. Hence, his bowing gesture caught Maki off guard.

Instead of just asking for her charity, Takuma was willing to pay her back. Maki understood his intention to do so from his actions.

Therefore, Takuma didn't do anything more than lowering his head. Even though he depended on Maki, he still had the resolve not to look lame and weak in front of her.

Even so, the sight of Takuma bowing to the extent of his body being parallel with the floor was too bizarre for Maki. She was almost at a loss trying to figure out how to react to Takuma's changes.

"Takuma, first off, raise your head."

Maki hadn't forgotten Tatsuya's warning. Even if Takuma had been the one who initiated today's meeting, she still wanted to get out of this situation. She just had embellished things with her acting. Maki wanted to avoid any scandals, and she wasn't certain if what Tatsuya had told her earlier was a joke or not.

But even with that possible threat hanging above her, she wrestled with her feelings while looking at how much Takuma had changed.

"What do you need me to do?"

Takuma wasn't the calculating type, and Maki felt that he had truly changed a lot in the past 6 months. Somewhere within her, a feeling of affection sprouted, much like one would have for a younger brother. She became emotionally attached, to a degree, to this young boy who struggled to become a full-fledged man.

Takuma was taken aback by the positive response given by Maki, even more so when he realized she was warmly smiling at him. He quickly got his wits about him and answered in a rushed voice.

"You should know well of the terror incident that happened recently."

"The one in Hakone? By the look of things, it was quite bad."

"Yeah. Despite the fact that Magicians were victims in this as well, we're the ones taking the brunt of the public's outrage."

"But there are reasons for that, right? Due to that incident, innocent people became collateral damage. It's not exactly a baseless complaint."

Maki was not an anti-magician. On the contrary, she wanted to get close to Magicians. The statement she made just now was just the general opinion reflected by the public.

Takuma was not irked by her comment, so either he was being understanding or simply putting up with her.

"Maybe the reason is obvious to you, like you said. But we, Magicians, aren't going to just settle with being labelled as the bad guys in this. If a proper line isn't drawn, Magicians will start to lose their basic human rights, and people will start witch hunts in the name of 'justice'. Humanity is twisted like that."

Maki didn't try to tell him that was a paranoid notion. Rather, she thought it was just a matter of time.

"I understand. Takuma, you want to borrow my father's power rather than mine, right?"

Maki's father was a president of a corporation with media companies under his wings, including a TV station.

"——Yes!"

After his intentions were laid bare, Takuma faltered for a second.

"I understand this situation will put you at a disadvantage. There's no merit for your father to side with us Magicians on this. Even you would be stigmatized for it. But still, please help me!"

Takuma lowered his head once again. If he was kneeling down, his head would probably have touched the tatami mat.

"I couldn't think of anyone else to depend on other than Maki…!" Neither could see the other's face, and it worked to Maki's advantage.

Maki recalled her blunder of developing a crush on someone nearly 10 years her junior.

However, she was an actress. There was no way she would let something like this slip out.

"Takuma, you'll return the favor to me."

"Maki…!"

Takuma raised his face with a joyous expression. "I will definitely ask for a return."

"Yeah, if it's within my power, I'll do anything!"

Takuma would come to regret these words 3 years in the future, and it was recompense he would've never expected. ——In the year 2100, while Takuma was still in college, he would debut on the silver screen as Maki's co-star. He would be the first Magician in the last year of the 21st century to do such a thing.

◊ ◊ ◊

Late that same night, the bodies of the perps behind the terrorist attack, currently located in the police morgue, were visited by two people.

One wore a felt hat that covered his eyes, and had a trench coat over his body. On the less suspicious side, he was a middle-aged man who looked like a detective. The other person wore a cap with large sunglasses, topped off with a muffler that covered the lower features of their face. This figure was too tall to be a woman, yet too short to be a man, and was covered in a large woolen coat which caused their body to look ambiguous. Based on just their outward appearance, even if was a young woman in her 20's, nobody would be able to tell.

The one who let them into this place was the coroner. As he let them in, he moved out of the room to leave them to their business. It wasn't from being threatened, but the coroner had been bribed by the man wearing the felt hat —— Kuroba Mitsugu.

Mitsugu turned over the body bag at the side of the bed, looking at the head of the corpse that was about to be swapped. The ones brought in here were all assailants judged to be the terrorists. Suicide bombing as a modus operandi normally wouldn't leave an intact corpse, but there were still some bodies that were relatively undamaged. The corpses on the bed were among those.

For their purposes, leaving the head out wasn't a problem. A freshly severed head would work, but so would something as extreme as a brain that had been blown to pieces. As long as there was something of the head area present that was more or less intact, it would cause no problems and could be used as a clue.

"Yoshimi."

Mitsugu called to the woman accompanying him. It could've been her given name, surname, or nickname. "Yoshimi", with her cap, sunglasses and muffler, nodded, and touched the laid out corpse with a hand wrapped by a leather glove.

A pale Psion-like light was produced where her hand touched the corpse's forehead. It was similar to the light that was produced when a CAD was activated. In essence, it was about the same. A distortion-less homogenous Psion wave without intention was injected, then the rebound of the Psion was read. Treating the corpse as a CAD, in other words, was a method to process the Psion information body that the corpse stored.

The woman, Yoshimi, was currently reading the corpse's residual thoughts. She was a psychometrist who was skilled in reading traces of psionic information in bodies.

Psions are particles that form thoughts and intentions, while Pushions are particles that result from thoughts and intentions, such was the consensus of current studies in Magic.

In the end, it was still just theory.

The nature of Pushions are still largely unclear.

But the fact that a Psion information body changes according to intention and thoughts was something that has been observed.

Magic sequences, too, are Psion information bodies. Which is why even if the human body was subjected to external magical interference, a person's active and passive mental faculties will cause the Magic Sequence to deform and disappear.

But the dead cannot feel anything. The dead cannot think of anything. Hence, the Psion information body left and the magic sequences stored in a corpse last for much longer compared to that of a living body.

The Kuroba family, the information gatherers of the Yotsuba clan, had a trump card for secret intelligence activities that allowed them to read the Psion information body recorded in a corpse: "Memory of the Dead".

"Yoshimi."

"It's still okay."

Yoshimi coughed from the inside of the muffler, then reached out her hand towards the corpse once again.

"Don't go in too deep. Lest you might not return."

Treating Mitsugu's warning as unnecessary concern, Yoshimi successively retrieved information from the corpses.

Then, after backing off from the sixth corpse, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Found it."

"I see. Then, let's leave."

Mitsugu pulled the gloves from Yoshimi's hand. Yoshimi then took out a new pair of gloves from her coat pocket.

They then left the morgue. Before anyone could notice, Yoshimi's gloves disappeared from Mitsugu's hand.

◊ ◊ ◊

Needless to say, the Ten Master Clans weren't the only people looking for the terrorists.

A large-scale terrorist attack taking place right in front of the capital city was an insult to the pride of the police, and was sufficient to anger the top management.

The responsibility for the investigation of the incident fell not on the Kanagawa Local District Police (referred to as the "Japanese FBI") but the Police Department's wide area search team. Usually, the local district police should've been mobilized, but with the nationwide deployment of the Special Investigation detective team that was gathered in South Kantō, it was clear that all manpower was being put into investigation.

Unexpectedly, Officer Toshikazu, who had been put on standby in the home office, had gone ahead to investigate without waiting for the detectives to be mobilized. Much like many others, he, too, felt resentment at the incident this time. Hence, his rare motivation surfaced.

However, the investigation hit a wall right off the bat. "All the perpetrators are dead? How is that possible?"

Toshikazu was idly grumbling while standing by an unmarked police car.

"It's because they're suicide bombers, which was already mentioned before, right?"

Assistant Inspector Inagaki, acting as the driver, replied as though to pacify Toshikazu. But Inagaki, too, found it strange. The explanation wasn't too persuasive.

"I understand that suicide bombers naturally die. But for those who don't have any traces of wounds from explosions to die, isn't that strange? There are corpses here that don't have many injuries."

"Moreover, the autopsy report states that the time of death is at least 1 day before the day of the incident. Taking into the account that the body might have been in cryopreservation, the time of death could possibly go back up to ten days… Corpses carrying bombs and walking?"

"Is this a B class occult movie!? …If only that was something to laugh at."

Toshikazu said as he leaked a smile filled with despair.

"As I thought, the police department thinks that it's a magic that can control corpses?"

Toshikazu nodded reluctantly towards Inagaki's question. Inagaki, who was driving, noticed the subtle gesture and muttered "is that so?".

"That explanation fits the scenario most logically. …How annoying."

To conclude that Magic was a result of fiction and, therefore, excluded from investigations was a thing of the past. Police investigations could no longer disregard magic as a factor, with Toshikazu being a magician himself. To deny the existence of magic would be to deny his own existence.

Having said that, to current magic users like him, magic that can control corpses, no matter how you looked at it, was a suspicious and shady thing.

"As expected, we have no choice but to consult a specialist huh?"

"Spirit magic specialists? Well, we're definitely amateurs in this field. Having someone well-versed in that area to explain it to us would be a great help, but─"

Toshikazu knit his brows at Inagaki's suggestion. There were Magicians who were privy to some knowledge of magic that could control corpses but it certainly presented an ethical problem. It would be unthinkable to publicly announce having that knowledge.

"The only information that came up when searching the police database for ‘Necromancy' was that of those who were dead."

Though it was something that he himself suggested, Inagaki understood that looking for such personnel was difficult.

"That is so… But, we have no useful leads. Let's just try that plan."

Sighing, Toshikazu muttered slovenly to his subordinate. "Inagaki-kun. Head to Roter Wald."

"That information shop huh…? I understand."

With an "it can't be helped" face, Inagaki drove the car to Yokohama.

In the middle of the Yokohama Yamate Hill, there was a tea cafe with a mountain hut design called "Roter Wald." Upon entering the calm atmosphere of the interior of the shop, Toshikazu instinctively moved his eyes to look for someone.

He was very aware of who he was looking for. It was in the fall of 2095, just before the "Yokohama accident" which shook Japan, no, the whole word. He recalled meeting that woman, Fujibayashi Kyouko, when he was investigating for clues regarding illegal immigrants.

Toshikazu hadn't met with her except for that one time at Sakuragichou Station. It wasn't a date, but rather spurned by their interests and duties being aligned. ——Though, Toshikazu's feelings did not stop there.

After it had all been resolved, Toshikazu was busy chasing after the illegal immigrants who were still in hiding, hence he didn't have the luxury of contacting Fujibayashi again. Just as he wrapped up his collecting, the "Vampire Incident" had begun, which ended up keeping him occupied. Last Spring, he had also taken a short leave from Kantō. Due to all of this, he never had a chance to even think about her.

Toshikazu had started thinking about Fujibayashi again because this was the first place he had met her. Was it romance? Sentiment? Possibly… regret? Engaging in self-derision, which was totally unlike him, Toshikazu sat down at the counter.

Catching Inagaki seated beside him from his periphery, Toshikazu ordered "two Blends".

The owner didn't like impatience in his shop.

While waiting for his coffee, Toshikazu absent-mindedly looked around the shop.

As usual, there were many customers, but it was not full.

Not wanting his gaze to seem too unpleasant, Toshikazu soon stopped looking around.

Then, hearing the ring of the cowbell on the door, he turned around to look at the person. It wasn't out of vigilance, but rather because he was bored that he did it reflexively.

He almost immediately stood up. It was an unconscious reaction to him seeing who had walked in.

"Oh, Inspector."

Laying eyes on the beautiful woman the same age as him, they opened a little wider than normal.

"Fujibayashi-san…"

The person who opened the door was the woman he was just thinking about, Fujibayashi Kyouko.

"It's been awhile, Inspector Chiba. May I sit here?"

She purposely avoided wearing conspicuous makeup, but upon closer inspection, she had features that were rather eye-catching. With an appearance similar to the first time they had met, Fujibayashi asked him a question.

"Ah, sure, go ahead."

Not noticing Inagaki knitting his brows —— not that he was pretending not to notice, but he really didn't notice —— Toshikazu nodded while replying.

Smiling, Fujibayashi sat down next to Toshikazu.

Toshikazu was aware of his unreasonable nervousness. ——Although whether or not it was truly "unreasonable" was something that he was not aware of.

"Owner, a blend please."

Putting her coat on the adjacent seat, Fujibayashi ordered the same thing as Toshikazu.

"Inspector, you don't seem to have changed."

"Yes, my only redeeming factor is that I'm quite sturdy." Even now, Toshikazu's voice seemed uneasy.

"Maa, how humble."

Fujibayashi replied with a polite smile. The side of Toshikazu's cheeks stiffened.

"By the way, is Fujibayashi-san on holiday today?"

The nature of her job wasn't exactly easy going. Despite knowing that, Toshikazu couldn't just directly ask her "Did you come here on duty?" without knowing if anyone was listening in.

"Yes. Since the coffee that the owner makes here is quite delicious."

While saying so, Fujibayashi bowed to the owner who had just turned to face her.

If Toshikazu had said the same thing, the owner would probably not have shown any response. It seemed that despite the fact that Fujibayashi's residence was quite far from here, she was a common customer in this cafe.

"Is Inspector on break too?"

"Uhh, well… haha… speaking of which, is Fujibayashi-san familiar with Ancient Magic?"

He really wanted to get up and run away, but he hadn't forgotten about the investigation. It wasn't as a man, but rather as a detective, that he remembered this woman's lineage.

"Yes, more or less."

"If you have the time to spare, could you please tell me a little about it?" Fujibayashi's and Toshikazu's eyes met.

"Sorry for the wait"

At that instant, the owner's voice cut in. A coffee cup was placed in front of both Toshikazu and Inagaki.

"I don't mind. But before that, did you have something you wanted to ask the owner?"

As Fujibayashi pointed that out, Toshikazu recalled his motive for dropping by this cafe. Unfortunately, it seemed that he couldn't just neglect his work.

Toshikazu wrote a request for an introduction to a specialist regarding magic for controlling corpses under the memo, then the owner returned it after writing his answer. Cramming the information into his head, Toshikazu then returned the paper to the owner. Seeing the owner's light smile, it seemed that was the right choice.

As for Fujibayashi, she came today truly just to drink the coffee, and have some light chatter with the owner.

He rose together with her.

"Owner, the bill. I'll pay for hers as well. Keep the change."

Before Fujibayashi could interrupt, Toshikazu passed a high limit money card to the owner. Inagaki, who stood up after Toshikazu, raised his brows in shock at the amount the card held. Though Toshikazu had included the cost of the information he received, he paid much more than the market price.

"It's a little too much."

The owner lightly knit his brows.

"Then please count it when we come next time." Toshikazu replied.

"I await your continued patronage."

The owner refrained from further dispute and slightly lowered his head.

Toshikazu, as he exited Roter Wald, accepted Fujibayshi's invitation for a ride. Inagaki's unmarked patrol car followed after them.

"Then, Inspector, the thing you wanted to ask about is related to the terrorist incident in Hakone, correct?"

Soon after heading out, Fujibayashi suddenly brought up the issue.

"…Yes."

Toshikazu decided to throw caution to the wind. He understood it was a good idea to just cut to the chase.

"There's something strange about this incident."

"Strange?"

Fujibayashi's hand was on the drive lever, but in truth the car was driving itself. This meant that there was no danger in turning to talk to someone sitting in the shotgun seat. Toshikazu had unexpectedly decent police training, so he was aware of this, but he still considered it a somewhat dangerous move.

It seemed his thoughts were more obvious than he realized, as Fujibayashi quickly turned her head back to face the road.

"Yeah, none of the perpetrators are alive."

"…Could they have escaped?"

Fujibayashi offered a logical response. "No."

Toshikazu flatly denied.

"The attack was concentrated in the hotel. The street cameras were still functional even after the incident."

"The cameras didn't show any of the terrorists running away from the scene?"

"Yeah. The terrorists that infiltrated the hotel were all captured by the cameras, and the identity of each one was confirmed. Some of the corpses have yet to be found, but we can say for sure that no terrorists escaped alive."

"Although the perpetrators were caught on the camera, they weren't stopped?"

Toshikazu was embarrassed to answer, but he didn't hide it and gave an explanation.

"We found no traces of explosives, and their appearances were rather normal, so there was no reason to stop them from entering a hotel that was open for business."

"…You're saying that if the Ten Master Clans had booked the whole hotel beforehand, the situation could've been avoided?"

"Well, yes. At the very least we could have greatly reduced the number of casualties."

Until the Master Clans Conference, Fujibayashi was a relative of the Kudou Family, which was one of the Ten Master Clans. What Toshikazu said inevitably brought about an awkward atmosphere.

Shaking that off, Toshikazu moved on to the main topic.

"In truth, there is one other odd thing about all of this… my conjecture is that the terrorists were already dead by the time they had infiltrated the building."

"I see… so you came to ask about "Doll Makers"?"

"Doll Makers?"

Toshikazu had tried to find researchers familiar with Necromancy Magic. He had no intention of asking about people who could control human bodies.

"The ones you're actually looking for aren't researchers, but Ancient Magicians called "Doll Makers". They're rumored to use forbidden magic that can control corpses, and they're a group that the Magic community are cautious of."

"That's…"

"They would definitely be your best bet, they're privy to knowledge in that field. They're more or less 'researchers'."

Fujibayashi turned to face Toshikazu again.

"But please be careful, Inspector. "Doll Maker" Oumi Kazukiyo's ties with Dahan magicians are by no means shallow."

At Fujibayashi's warning, Toshikazu's face stiffened as he nodded.

◊ ◊ ◊

Friday, February 8th, 5:57 P.M. As instructed by Katsuto, Tatsuya had come to the front gate of the Magic University.

Tatsuya had returned home and then used public transportation to get there; he had gone out wearing an easy-to-move-in half coat over his tailored jacket. This made Tatsuya look even older than he did wearing his Magic Sigh school uniform. It was well-established in society that Magic University students looked more mature than their regular university counterparts. However, when they were dressed up like this, they looked even more mature than usual.

"Tatsuya-kun."

It was just 5 minutes past the agreed meeting time when Tatsuya was called out to by Mayumi as she came out of the school gate. She was casually dressed, wearing a duffle coat with a knee-length skirt and long boots over a pair of thick tights. Coupled together with how she was carrying her light tote bag with her shoulder, she carried the aura of a university student… If he mentioned this to her though, she would definitely get angry. Standing side by side in their respective outfits, he definitely would be seen as the upperclassman.

"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"

"It was within the margin of error. Don't worry about it."

Mayumi had been out of breath when she asked her question, and Tatsuya responded to her rather frankly.

However, Mayumi seemed quite miffed by his answer.

"Jeez… You're supposed to say ‘It's fine, I just got here too.'"

It seemed like Mayumi had expected to have some kind of casual dialogue with Tatsuya. Unfortunately, he didn't grasp the meaning behind her answer, but Tatsuya didn't hesitate to try and fulfill her request.

"I just got here, too."

However, this still didn't seem to satisfy Mayumi, and she gazed at Tatsuya with unamused eyes.

"By the way, wasn't Juumonji-senpai supposed to be with you?"

Without faltering or panicking, Tatsuya continued the conversation as though nothing was wrong.

Mayumi breathed out a seemingly deliberate sigh.

"…Juumonji-kun has gone ahead to a place where we can talk. I know where it is so just follow me."

Whether she was satisfied or had simply given up was unknown, but Mayumi prompted Tatsuya and then began walking.

Tatsuya immediately walked to her right side and kept pace.

Mayumi had already swapped the tote bag hanging from her right shoulder over to her left shoulder.

She had raised her right hand towards him several times, as if trying to invite Tatsuya, but in the end they simply continued walking without entwining their arms or holding hands.

Mayumi took Tatsuya to a spot which was about a 10-minute walk from the Magic University; it was a regular house that looked stylish at first glance. The only conspicuous aspect of the house was a terrace attached to the roof with a single round table and four chairs.

However, when they went inside, the first floor was revealed to be an empty, small-scale restaurant. Had Katsuto simply reserved the restaurant so that there would be no sign out front, or perhaps this restaurant didn't serve guests without an introduction from an existing customer?

"You can't enter this store without an introduction, which keeps out the riffraff. Also, Juumonji-kun has made many reservations here in the past, so we don't need to worry about the eyes and ears of other guests."

As if reading Tatsuya's thoughts, Mayumi provided an answer to his internal question. It seemed that he was correct on both points.

Leaving the building's external appearance aside, the first floor was a restaurant, so perhaps it was just common sense that Tatsuya kept his shoes on. As Mayumi walked with him, the heels of her boots clicked rhythmically on the floor.

"Sorry we kept you waiting, Juumonji-kun."

"It's fine, I just got here, too."

Tatsuya admired Katsuto's response, delivering the exact line that Mayumi had wanted to hear, but didn't voice his praise. How did he know that was the answer she had been looking for? These two had probably met many times prior to this.

"Sit, if you would."

Without speaking a word of what he had just been thinking about, Tatsuya obeyed Katsuto's suggestion and sat in front of him with a nonchalant look on his face.

Mayumi sat diagonally across from Katsuto; that's to say she sat next to Tatsuya. He didn't think it meant anything, which honestly was only natural as they both entered together side-by-side. It only made sense to sit like this. At least, that was Tatsuya's reasoning process.

Tatsuya's memories of being summoned by Mari and their conversation were still fresh in his mind. He would be lying if he said he was totally unaware that Mayumi liked him. However, to answer the question of whether he could see Mayumi like that, it was "No".

Tatsuya had come to terms with Miyuki's feelings, and had become her fiancé. However, that didn't mean he really accepted Miyuki's feelings.

For him, Miyuki was still his little sister.

Even now, he held no real romantic feelings for her.

Even if he had already decided on how to respond to Miyuki's feelings, his heart still wasn't in the same place.

In terms of romance, Miyuki alone was the absolute limit of Tatsuya's capacity. If he troubled himself with Mayumi, it would become an obstacle to his work. For that reason, Tatsuya had already decided to not even think about having that sort of relationship with Mayumi.

On that topic, the way Mayumi had been conducting herself till now had honestly been a big help for Tatsuya.

Based on how Mari had described things, there was no mistaking the fact she had really riled up Mayumi. Even if he didn't think about the reasons behind it, when he was given a harsh talking to by her, he couldn't help but become aware of it. When it came to inspiring others with agitation, it was much more effective if you hadn't known the other for very long. Tatsuya knew that deliberately winding others up wasn't just a technique for sensual affairs, but also for coercion and placation. Still, the psychological mechanisms involved were very similar.

With this in mind, Tatsuya had exercised caution, but fortunately, Mayumi had not shown any clear signs of having been affected in such a way. Tatsuya still had no clue as to what she was thinking about, but she couldn't tell what Tatsuya was thinking of, either. They were in the same boat.

"I know this is sudden, but have you learned anything new?"

In response to Katsuto's seemingly impatient question, Tatsuya and Mayumi looked at each other.

As a result of their eye contact, Mayumi spoke first.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any clues that stand out at the moment. We know that the terrorists came to Japan from America by sea, and based on our estimations, it seems likely that they arrived on land in Yokosuka. However, these are nothing but guesses."

"On our end, we've received some info from the USNA."

Mayumi was surprised at Tatsuya's words and Katsuto displayed a hint of surprise.

"From America? Just who do you have helping you out?"

High-level magicians attempting to leave the country were strictly controlled.

With that in mind, it was rather difficult for magicians to construct an overseas information network without being attached to a government agency. Among the Ten Master Clans, only the Mitsuya Family was an exception, due to their ability to obtain information while conducting transactions with weapons dealers. Mayumi and Katsuto had no recollection of the Yotsuba Family having overseas information sources.

"Well, it's complicated."

"…Sounds like it's something we shouldn't ask about. Sorry."

Realizing Tatsuya had deliberately been ambiguous, Mayumi lowered her head in embarrassment. Even if Tatsuya wasn't her equal as a member of the Ten Master Clans, attempting to pry into someone else's secrets was not praiseworthy behavior.

Tatsuya responded to Mayumi's apology with a short "No problem" without any further mention.

"According to the data, our terrorist mastermind is a magician named Gu Jie, formerly from Dahan. His English name is "Jiedo Heigu." Externally, he appears to be in his 50s, with black skin and white hair. Unfortunately, this data's authenticity cannot be verified."

Maya had also authorized the sharing of info related to Gu Jie with Katsuto and company. Tatsuya hadn't sought her permission to share this information, rather, she had directed him to do so. This would let the Saegusa Family start investigating him as well.

"There may be no proof, but considering our current state with no leads, it's useful information. Saegusa."

"Yes. We can use this information to pick out suspicious foreigners who have entered the country in the past two weeks."

Mayumi caught Katsuto's gaze and nodded.

"However, it is possible that they secretly entered the country."

"That's most likely the case. Even so, when someone makes movements like this, they always leave traces behind. If we narrow our investigation to the region between Yokosuka and Hakone, I expect we'll be able to find some clues. We can also get the local police to assist us as well."

The Chiba Family wielded the most sway over the police. At one point in time, it was commonly said that the Chiba Family accounted for around half of the people seeking to become magic policemen, especially riot squad members. However, in terms of the investigative branch of the Kantō region, the Saegusa Family reigned supreme.

Though all of that was irrelevant, as this was a massive incident. Even if they weren't ordered by a third party, it was only common sense that the police would be frantically searching for the culprit. They would be chomping at the bit for even the most trivial of clues.

And for Katsuto, that was something he understood without needing an explanation.

"I see. Then I'll trust you to take steps in that direction, Saegusa. As for you Shiba, please continue gathering clues."

"Alright, that sounds good."

"Understood."

The three of them looked at each other in unison and nodded.

"Any proposals from you two? If you have anything you'd like to ask, as well."

Tatsuya and Mayumi had no particular response to Katsuto's inquiry. Katsuto nodded.

"What do you two feel like eating? If you've got an appetite, I can have them prepare something for you right away."

He posed this question to the two of them. "Sorry, I'll be eating dinner at home." Tatsuya turned him down on his offer first.

"…I'll pass for now as well. Maybe I'll let you treat me tomorrow." Mayumi said so in an apologetic tone as she snuck a glance at Tatsuya.

"Okay, then. Then, you don't mind meeting again at this time tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Understood. If something comes up, then I will let you know."

Tatsuya supposed that "something" meant that Katsuto might be working late into the night on the investigation. Perhaps he knew something, or perhaps he was holding back some details about his personal life, Tatsuya didn't press Katsuto for the details.

"Umm. I've got another business meeting after this. Shiba, do you mind taking Saegusa home?

Katsuto said so suddenly, although it wasn't likely that he meant for Tatsuya to go as a substitute for himself.

"H-huh!? No really, I'm fine."

Mayumi refused Katsuto's suggestion with a flustered face. If you were looking from the Magic University, this restaurant was on the opposite side of the train station. If they were to walk together now they might be seen by university acquaintances and become the subject of rumors.

"It's already getting dark outside. I'm not doubting Saegusa's ability to protect herself, but we don't know where the terrorists could be hiding. There's a possibility you might be targeted, so I can't permit a woman to walk home alone.

However, with the possibility that they might become targets for terrorists pointed out, it was hard to muster a counterargument. For this reason, Mayumi felt that her obstinate refusal just because of Tatsuya was all the more embarrassing.

"Saegusa-senpai. I'll take you home."

Katsuto had given Mayumi no way out, and Tatsuya's words cemented the result.

"…Alright then, if you would. I'll see you tomorrow Juumonji-kun."

"Yeah. Be careful going home."

Katsuto sent them off with those words, and Mayumi and Tatsuya departed from the restaurant together.

It was about 10 minutes from the restaurant to the Magic University. Then, another 10 minutes from the University to the Cabinet Station.

The sky was completely dark, with no moonlight or starlight to speak of. But, thanks to the streetlights, they didn't have to worry about not being able to see where they were walking. Still, visibility was severely limited when compared to this afternoon, so Mayumi's pace naturally became slower.

This kind of darkness was no obstacle for Tatsuya. He didn't take off and leave Mayumi behind, or start dragging her by the hand in a hurry, nothing like that. He simply matched her pace and walked alongside her.

There was nothing but silence between the two. Tatsuya had nothing to break the ice, and he understood that Mayumi was uncomfortable walking next to him.

"Ah…"

Just like that, they had come to the front of the University, and Mayumi suddenly raised her voice.

"It's snowing…"

Mayumi had stopped, looking up into the sky. As though her voice had been the signal, snowflakes were now fluttering down from the night sky, twinkling faintly in the city lights.

From a holder inside his coat, Tatsuya took out a thinly folded umbrella as well as the umbrella's separated handle. Due to improvements in raw materials, this umbrella was so thin that it could be kept inside a coat without becoming a nuisance; the shaft for the umbrella was so slim that it was difficult to hold by itself, which meant that when you opened it, you had to attach a handle to it. (Many such folding umbrellas featured switches on the handle that opened the umbrella.)

Tatsuya opened his umbrella and looked next to him; Mayumi was still staring up at the sky as the snow fell.

"Saegusa-senpai, you should probably get out your umbrella."

Mayumi turned at the sound of Tatsuya's voice and gave him a mischievous smile.

"…You didn't bring an umbrella?"

Mayumi shifted her eyes back and forth while still smiling.

Tatsuya had to consciously stop himself from sighing. In a modern era in which weather reports had become highly accurate, he didn't think that there were people who ignored the precipitation forecasts.

"Did you not check the weather forecast before you left today, or something…?"

"I was in a hurry this morning…"

Mayumi was wearing a grin as though she were bonking her own head for her carelessness.

Tatsuya held out his own umbrella to her. "Please use it."

"Ah, err, I'm fine really."

Mayumi had become flustered and couldn't answer naturally.

"It's just snow, not rain, and it's not even coming down that hard, so…"

"Yes. It's not coming down hard, which means that I'll be fine without an umbrella. Please use it, senpai."

"Umm, but…"

"If by some chance I end up letting you catch a cold, I'll be on the receiving end of a punch from Juumonji-senpai."

Mayumi let a chuckle slip at Tatsuya's seriousness as he offered her the umbrella.

"I don't think Juumonji-kun would resort to that sort of violence, but…"

Mayumi said so as she reached out to take the umbrella, but she didn't just take it from Tatsuya, she met his right hand with her left hand. She stayed just like that, with her body so close to Tatsuya that their shoulders could touch.

"Well, shall we go in together?"

An oncoming car passed Tatsuya on his left side. The sidewalk was wide enough so there was no danger. But for just an instant, the car's headlights lit up Mayumi's happy face, and made it stand out.

Her smile was like that of an innocent child.

"…Understood."

Still smiling, Mayumi released her left hand from Tatsuya's right hand. Tatsuya leaned his umbrella to the right, in Mayumi's direction.

◊ ◊ ◊

Tatsuya took Mayumi as far as he could on his personal scooter. He originally intended to drop her off at her house, but when Mayumi had offered "Wanna come to my house? My family won't mind" with no warning or coercion in her voice, Tatsuya was left with no option but to quickly change plans.

As Tatsuya returned home, Miyuki was waiting for him in the entrance as usual. When she helped Tatsuya out of his half-coat, she caught the faintest hint of Mayumi's perfume which caused her to raise her eyebrows—but she said nothing. She didn't even pout or make a joke about it.

Ever since New Year's, she had become timid around Tatsuya.

She hadn't willfully changed her behavior, but there was no way she could simply continue acting as just Tatsuya's little sister.

Even when she was just merely Tatsuya's little sister, she never wanted to be disliked by him.

As his little sister, she had no sense of overhanging crisis. Now that things had changed between them, it came out in full force.

What if Tatsuya disliked her? The mere thought made her chest hurt. What would happen if she got jealous or mad at him and caused him to get angry, or if she pushed him too far? The images that assaulted her mind made her blood run ice-cold.

If she were his little sister, even if she were disliked, she was still family. The bond between brother and sister couldn't be cut.

But an engagement could be called off if one side came to dislike the other.

She'd lose her status as his fiancée, which she had worked hard to achieve. That was a nightmare that Miyuki couldn't bear. It wouldn't simply be "difficult to bear", she knew that she wouldn't be able to deal with it. She thought she'd never be able to get him back again, so she couldn't let him go. If she were abandoned by Tatsuya, Miyuki truly believed that she wouldn't be able to go on living.

"Did anything happen while I was out?"

Tatsuya had been facing away from her while having his coat taken off, and he now faced Miyuki to ask her a question.

"A message from Hayama came. I think we should talk about it over dinner, would that be alright?"

Miyuki responded with a smile that completely concealed her internal unease.

Minami joined them for a dinner for three, and Miyuki explained the contents of the phone call from Hayama to Tatsuya.

"Kamakura?"

"Yes. In the Imperial Mausoleum area of Nishigaoka in Kamakura, there is a hideout that Zhou Gongjin bought under a fake name. It's suspected that Gu Jie is hiding there."

"So they know that much already…"

He was curious about how they had identified this specific location. More importantly, if they knew this much, then why weren't they moving to arrest him?

"Onii-sama, is there something you're unsure about?"

Miyuki questioned him, reading the subtle change in Tatsuya's facial expression.

"Ah, no, just planning out how to handle this."

Tatsuya couldn't just reveal his doubts. If he told Miyuki, it would sound like he was blaming her for not confirming the situation thoroughly. Tatsuya himself didn't feel that way, but Miyuki would no doubt assume he meant it like that.

Tatsuya had realized that Miyuki had become terribly nervous, to the point that her facial expression was changing in response to every word he said. He was wondering that his little sister could possibly be so afraid of. However, there was nothing he could do to assuage her at the moment. He still couldn't whisper the words she wanted to hear into her ear.

"Let's consult Hayama-san about their battle plan for this later." With that, Tatsuya brought the discussion to a close.

◊ ◊ ◊

At about the same time, Gu Jie had been preparing to leave his hideout in Kamakura.

He had been using Hliðskjálf and happened to intercept a transmission regarding the Hakone Incident, and that the mastermind was hiding in Kamakura. The actual address obtained in the intercepted data was incorrect, but it was still in the general area. If he lingered any longer, he would definitely be caught with no hope of escaping. Gu Jie knew that his time was short, but he had no intent of blowing himself out of desperation.

He was unaware his location was going to be compromised through his use of Hliðskjálf. Gu Jie had been careful to omit his position in outgoing transmissions and queries, so he felt intense unease regarding the capabilities of his enemies. If he didn't know how they operated, it was impossible to prepare countermeasures.

If he limited his search to Kuroba Mitsugu's outgoing transmissions, it was possible he could find some past data mentioning the location. But if his search terms were too specific, it might become obvious that Gu Jie himself was a Hliðskjálf operator.

No. Gu Jie thought it over again. Even if he was detected by another operator through Hliðskjálf, it was irrelevant. He knew he had little time left regardless, and if someone in charge of intelligence control noticed an unknown operator in the system, it would be a little damaging for the Yotsuba.

But he had no time to do that at the moment. His first priority was escaping without being noticed. This hideout had been prepared in advance so that his traces would be erased to the utmost degree, and to increase the tracking difficulty, he also had minimal luggage. Gu Jie stepped out onto the snowy night road, and used his five senses on top of his extrasensory awareness to conduct a full sweep of his surroundings. Nobody else was around.

"I'll be leaving the greeting of our guests to you."

Gu Jie left those orders to his newly-created doll and headed to his next hideout.

◊ ◊ ◊

USA West Coast, local time, February 8th, 07:00 A.M. Raymond Clark wolfed down his breakfast, put on his Hliðskjálf terminal, and started investigating the terrorist incident that had occurred in Hakone, Japan.

Although he was "investigating", he already knew the "truth of the incident" from the start—well actually, he knew it from the preparatory stages of the incident. What Raymond really wanted to know about was the "hero" who had led the incident to its resolution.

If there were no incidents, there were no heroes.

For that precise reason, he had given no information about how the incident could have been stopped preemptively.

There was no fun in chasing off the bad guy and ending the incident without a grand finale.

That's why, when the investigation reached a dead end, he had supported the "hero" by providing and controlling information. Dropping hints on how to resolve the incident just before the bad guy got away somehow made him feel like a big shot. This was Raymond's favorite game to play.

Raymond looked over the previous day's events and knit his eyebrows.

The present investigation was not proceeding in a direction that suited his tastes. The perpetrator had obtained info from Hliðskjálf and was using that to evade detection from the "hero's" side. This seemed like foul play to Raymond.

Of course, he understood that Jiedo Heigu had used Hliðskjálf to stop the Yotsuba from determining his exact location. As a result, it was unknown whether he had managed to escape from his hideout successfully or not. However, the fact itself that Heigu had accessed Hliðskjálf to obtain data he shouldn't know about was intolerable for Raymond.

Raymond had thought of Hliðskjálf as a tool for use by the "scenario- writer" and the "director" of the story. It had been a "behind-the-scenes" tool used for constructing the stage, and if someone in the play gained access, it would create an imbalance of information between the actors and cause his play to fall apart. This was a rule violation that he absolutely could not tolerate as a spectator, nor as a "staff" member.

As long as Heigu remained the villain, it wasn't an issue if he used Hliðskjálf. But Heigu had stepped up onto the stage like this, which meant that Raymond could not allow him to continue using Hliðskjálf as a tool to disrupt the play.

True to the name that Raymond used, "Seven Sages" there were seven Hliðskjálf operators. However, among the seven operators, Raymond was the only person who used that name. Raymond, the singular ‘Seven Sages', decided that he'd submit a request to Hliðskjálf's administrator that only he knew about to have Heigu's account deleted.

◊ ◊ ◊

Saturday, February 9th, before dawn.

With more than two hours before the sun would rise, Tatsuya set out in the pitch black darkness on his motorcycle, and headed for Kamakura.

Zooming around on his favorite motorcycle, before 5 A.M., he was traversing the hilly western area of Kamakura, then arrived at the villa district where Gu Jie was hiding.

There stood a shadow that was too tall for a woman and too short for a man, wearing big sunglasses despite the sun not having risen yet, a large cap pulled down over their eyes, and a scarf wrapped all the way up to the nose.

As a result of all this outerwear, it was difficult to discern whether it was actually male or female. But for Tatsuya, he didn't care about the gender.

He took his right glove off and stuck it deep in his coat pocket, and with his left hand took out his information terminal, showing her the screen. Mirroring Tatsuya, the woman exposed her right hand to the chilly air and took out her own terminal.

At the same time, both of them used their index fingers to press on the opposite person's information terminal.

The built-in finger scanners activated and the terminals read their fingerprints.

The two nodded at each other simultaneously and put away their terminals, putting their gloves back on.

"Lead the way, if you will."

"This way."

With a nod to Tatsuya, Yoshimi took the lead and began walking. Tatsuya left his bike behind and followed behind her.

Yoshimi stopped in front of one of the villas. There were no human presences in the vicinity, but she knew it was surrounded by a Yotsuba Family task force. This method of concealment was totally different than what a Kuroba Family combatant would use. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was certainly a member of a different family. She didn't sense the "existence" of Tsukuba Yuuka or Shibata Katsushige, so that meant that it was either a Mashiba Family, Shiiba Family, Mugura Family, or a Shizuka Family member.

Well, that didn't matter right now. She would clear up her doubts from last night right here and now.

The family that had located this hidden villa was the Kuroba Family. However, due to some circumstances, the duty of sieging it had fallen to another Branch Family.

Gu Jie was said to use corpse manipulation magic. This wasn't done by controlling an implanted Spirit Being; it was a technique that directly controlled the body after death.

Mental Interference Magic had no effect on mindless corpses, and because corpses felt no pain, Kuroba Mitsugu's subordinates' specialty, "Poisoned Bees", was useless. Thus, it was only logical that the Kuroba Family would be excluded at the combat stage of the plan.

The single Kuroba Family member included in the operation, Yoshimi, had found what she thought to be a clue when she was chasing someone.

"This, right? The house number looks wrong to me."

"Wrong number."

Under her muffler, Yoshimi grumbled restlessly. Her lack of words had been deliberate; she had been told to leave as few traces behind as possible. She did not know if that was part of her preparation as a spy, or if it was simply a taboo imposed upon those instructed in special magic's. Tatsuya wasn't particularly well-acquainted with her so he didn't pay it any mind.

Tatsuya drew his Trident and directed his Elemental Sight towards the inside of the hideout.

There were three human-shaped beings. Not corpses. Living humans.

However, they were not just mere humans—— "All hands, heat resistant, anti-magic defenses!" shouted Tatsuya as he pulled the trigger on his handgun-shaped CAD. The Magic Sequence targeting Tatsuya and Yoshimi dispersed.

At the same moment, the hideout burst into flames.

Tatsuya activated the cast for "Leap" and flew backward a large distance.

Without a moment's hesitation, he spoke in a strong tone to Yoshimi, who had leaped further back than him.

"Gu Jie isn't here. What's inside are three ‘Generators'."

Their ambush had been performed on three reinforced Magicians called "Generators." This meant that their plan had been somehow leaked.

However, Tatsuya and Yoshimi did not waste time with doubts about the operation or questioning the means by which the information was leaked.

"Leave the corpses intact, please."

This was the only request that Yoshimi made of Tatsuya. If the corpses were hit with Mist Dispersion, she wouldn't be able to get even the slightest clue about the magic involved.

At the same time, that didn't mean they had to be left alive. Which meant a drastic decrease in the difficulty of the battle. It was a happy request for Tatsuya, who made very few exceptions for murderers.

"Stay back. I'll handle this myself."

With a nod, Yoshimi jumped back even further. At the same moment the Branch Families gradually stopped their advance.

Something from within the blazing hideout was emitting magic. It was an "Ignition" Sequence. There had been no expansion of the Activation Sequence.

(Similar to a psychic, was it a generator specialized in a particular ability?)

As Tatsuya guessed at the true identity of the enemy, his allies stealthily moved towards the bushes and houses to analyze the "Ignition" Magic Sequence.

No matter how unpopular this time of the morning was, just this incident was enough to bring out the firefighters. Although there were plenty of unoccupied villas, there could be no mistake about the neighbors popping their heads out to look at the unfolding scene.

It took almost no time at all.

Tatsuya aimed his silver CAD Trident at the blazing house and activated Mist Dispersion.

He couldn't safely put the fire out using his "Decomposition."

Even if he decomposed the house, the flammable materials would all be exposed at once and result in an explosive blaze. Perhaps he could use the fire's combustion to use up all the oxygen to put it out, but if something went wrong it would create a shockwave that would inflict great damage on the nearby houses. In case of an oxygen shortage, it would probably end badly for Tatsuya as well.

So, he didn't target the whole house. The target of his decomposition was the pillar holding up the roof.

The blazing hideout collapsed in on itself as though it were being squashed.

The house had been reduced to rubble, and the flames suddenly vanished.

That wasn't surprising. It was fairly normal for magicians who excelled at fire-creation magic to also be proficient in fire-extinguishing magic as well. Whoever was emitting the ignition magic from inside the burning house had probably been wearing fireproof equipment, but even with that, it would have been impossible for them to remain in direct contact with the radial and convection heat of the flames for a long period of time.

Three human shadows pushed aside the rubble and stood.

The fireproof-armor-clad generators faced Tatsuya and fired "Ignition" at him all at once.

The Magic Sequences coiling around Tatsuya were projected in his field of vision.

Faster than the Magic Sequence could display its effectiveness, Tatsuya released Psions to counteract them.

The compression had been insufficient, but the combat-activated Psions acted in the same manner as Gram Demolition and easily blew away the Magic Sequences. It was a raw display of just how many Psions Tatsuya held.

Without so much as a pose, Tatsuya fired his Trident, which incorporated three consecutive Decomposition magic's.

The Event Interference "space" that the Generators had expanded crumbled away.

The information-reinforced armor that the Generators wore to protect themselves was blown away.

And finally, a round hole was opened in each of the Generator's chests. The blood trickling from the holes had no force behind it.

And then Tatsuya pulled the trigger a second time.

The three generators, having had their hearts blown away, collapsed facing upward.

With his CAD still raised, Tatsuya drew closer to the rubble, stopping just one step away from it.

Yoshimi came running up behind Tatsuya, who was still looking down at the corpses. Her movements were graceful and swift, despite her seemingly unwieldy clothing that did not suit her real size.

Not just Yoshimi, either; the branch families who had concealed themselves slowly came out of their hiding spots.

The wailing of a faraway fire engine grew closer. The fire had already been extinguished. But that didn't mean that the fire engine would suddenly do a U-turn. They had to handle the removal of the rubble, as well.

Going past Tatsuya, Yoshimi stepped over the rubble, which had not only been extinguished but had all the heat removed from it, drawing closer to the corpses. The other squad members also gathered to guard over the remaining corpses.

Lingering over the now-prone Generators was a faint twinkling of Psion light.

The activation of a delayed-activation Magic Sequence. The key for its activation was most likely the death of the Sequence's target.

Tatsuya immediately raised the CAD in his right hand.

The heartless Generators sprung to their feet and immediately assaulted anyone in range. Yoshimi was one of the targets.

——A technique that converted corpses into puppets, Necromancy.

Yoshimi reflexively attempted to retreat backwards but her foot caught on the rubble and she tumbled over.

Evasion-type magic would not make it in time.

Tatsuya pointed the CAD at the corpse assaulting Yoshimi and squeezed the trigger.

——Gram Demolition, the magic that erases the information body itself. The Psion light within the Generators dispersed and vanished.

The three Generators fell over onto the rubble once more, their arms still raised up overhead.

The puppets had been returned to corpses once more.

"Thank you… very much."

As she looked back, Yoshimi's facial expression could not be seen under her sunglasses and muffler, but her shaky voice was a mix of relief and gratitude.

"It should be safe now."

Yoshimi nodded at Tatsuya, then turned to the squad members and ordered them to take the corpses away.

Tatsuya left Yoshimi and the others to do their work, then found his favorite scooter and left the area.

◊ ◊ ◊

Although Gu Jie had escaped this time, Tatsuya was still in the lead among the ones who were trying to locate the perpetrator of the Hakone terrorism incident.

Officer Chiba Toshikazu, who had also been selected as part of the terrorist hunt, had yet to even find the slightest trace of those responsible, and was busy hunting for clues.

He had gone to Hakone as a matter of principle to investigate the site of the incident. Toshikazu went wide-eyed in shock as he received a call from an unexpected caller, and he placed the transmission unit against his ear.

"Hello Officer Chiba, this is Fujibayashi speaking."

The voice coming from the receiver was certainly Fujibayashi. It was unthinkable that someone had broken into the communication infrastructure and was impersonating Fujibayashi, but it was such a surprising call for Chiba that such a doubt crossed his mind.

"My apologies for interrupting you on the job."

"It's not a problem at all. I'm more than happy to take a call from you any time, Fujibayashi-san. What can I do for you?"

Inagaki was waving his hands and coming over but Toshikazu quickly chased him off; Toshikazu quickly took himself away from the group of investigators.

"Ah, no errands today, but… I am a bit concerned about what happened yesterday."

"And is it to that concern that I owe the honor of speaking to you today?"

Paying no mind to the unpleasant circumstances, Toshikazu felt absolutely exhilarated.

"Yes. After you met the "Doll Master", did you notice anything unusual?"

"Unusual…? Well, I listened to his near-endless crazy story about necromancy that wasn't even useful for the investigation, which wore me out…"

"Ah, not about that… Perhaps, did you get a headache, or did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

"I don't think I noticed anything like that."

In his elation, he sarcastically thought "It's not like I'm in middle or high school or something," but not a hint of this crept into his voice, laughing in the easygoing way Toshikazu always did.

"I see…"

The person on the other end of the line seemed quite relieved.

Toshikazu was grinning without even realizing it. He didn't even hear Inagaki mutter "What's with him? What a weird look."

"Were you worried about me?"

"…I was. But it seems that I was worrying over nothing."

Fujibayashi's voice sounded slightly embarrassed, and Toshikazu's lips slowly loosened.

"Well then, Inspector, I will be praying that you catch our terrorist culprit as soon as possible."

"I appreciate it. Good luck on your work as well, Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi."

Finished with his phone call, Toshikazu returned to his original spot with a big grin on his face.

"Inagaki, what's the matter? You don't look so good."

"I just started feeling tired all of a sudden. I'm fine, don't worry about it."

Inagaki felt a headache coming on, massaging his temples with his fingers.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

Toshikazu said as such with the same flashy gesture as always, and with a chuckle, he left Inagaki's side.

◊ ◊ ◊

Having finished her call with Toshikazu, Fujibayashi turned her attention to the noncommissioned female officer staring at a monitor in front of her.

"There's no evidence of mental interference."

The officer raised her head and announced the results of the analysis to Kazama.

The girl was a specialist in mental analysis who was especially proficient in discovering brainwashed officers and removing brainwashing. By using responses to questions, she could detect brainwashing through changes in voice pitch, intonation, speaking speed, breathing intervals, eyeball movements, heart rate, and body temperature. Even in the current situation where she was limited to voice-only communication, by utilizing a for-military-use acoustics analysis device, she could even read heart rate. As a specialist, she was able to detect whether an individual was under suggestion or not.

"Is Oumi Kazukiyo clear?"

With a nod, Kazama stated "Good work" to the specialist. She stood up and bowed, then pushed the wagon containing the special equipment out of the room.

"This is not a job you enjoy doing, is it Fujibayashi?"

"I don't mind… but Commander, that was rather dangerous, wasn't it? The Chiba Family are authorities on Modern magic and that technique we just used is prejudiced towards physical body manipulation. We have no idea how much resistance they have to mental interference. "

In fact, Toshikazu had been sent after the "Doll master" by direct order from the Major General, Commander Saeki. It wasn't because she was trying to harm Toshikazu. When the police were dispatched to investigate the Hakone terrorism event and the corpse manipulation specialist behind it, in order to guide them to the Magician who was suspected of having connections to the remnants of the Kunlunfang Institute, they gave lists of suspects to a number of informants so that those lists could be disseminated.

Roter Wald was one of those locations, but the manager had in fact not cooperated with Kazama or his subordinates. The informant had been completely random in who they referenced. Fujibayashi frequented Roter Wald for a few days in an effort to follow their plans, but it had been complete coincidence that the manager had introduced her to Oumi Kazukiyo.

Thus, Fujibayashi had not used Toshikazu as bait, but the feeling that she had done as such weighed on her mind.

"If they do anything that exposes the collaborators, wouldn't it be better for us to join in the terrorist incident investigation as well?"

"First Lieutenant. My squadron… no, my battalion will have nothing to do with the Hakone terrorist incident. That is an executive decision by Commander Saeki."

"I understand…"

"The 101st Battalion must avoid being seen as supporting the Ten Master Clans."

"Yes, I understand."

The 101st Battalion, established by Commander Saeki, was starting to oppose being the civilian magical military force of the Ten Master Clans. Saeki was considered the political rival of retired Major General Kudou, and although she herself did not see it that way, the reality was that the "Anti-Ten Master Clans" and "Anti-Kudou Retsu" bases within the National Defense Force had become a cornerstone of her support base.

However, in the background, the 101st Battalion had a cooperative relationship with the Yotsuba Family, the leading figures among the Ten Master Clans. With just that relationship, they still had plenty of excuses if they were exposed, but they could not afford to be seen as colluding with the Ten Master Clans.

"Thank you for your work, First Lieutenant."

"Sir. If you'll excuse me."

Fujibayashi bowed to Kazama and exited the room.

As a battalion adjutant, Fujibayashi had her own office, even if it was a bit small. It was her personal room, located right next to the Commander's room (i.e. Kazuma's room).

Fujibayashi sat in front of the desk and pondered about the phone conversation from earlier.

The battalion had not mandated the information provided to the informants, and a high-level informant such as Roter Wald's manager had easily ignored the Defense Force's pressure. Even without her intervention, it seemed like Toshikazu had gone straight to the "Doll Master's" location. However, the matter wasn't as clear-cut as that.

When she thought calmly about the details, Fujibayashi could also be said to be covering for Toshikazu out of concern for his potential brainwashing. However, the battalion had intercepted Toshikazu's phone call, so they had certainly used him as well. She couldn't sweep away her feelings of guilt.

As she thought about the phone conversation, she wasn't able to hold back her laughter.

Toshikazu had called her "Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi." It was very clear that he hadn't heard about her promotion.

Although the military and the police force were two separate organizations, promotions were published in the official daily newspaper. If Toshikazu had an interest in Fujibayashi, it wouldn't have been unusual for him to know about it. All he had to do was enter her name in the search agent.

(When he approached me last fall, he seemed so enthusiastic, but… maybe that was just a fluke, huh.)

(Although, back then I mislead him with my suggestive behavior as well… We were both playing the same game, I suppose.)

Fujibayashi thought about this, then with a laugh, she put it behind her.

She dismissed the pang of loneliness she felt as a figment of her imagination.

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