MKnR 09 - Visitor (I).pdf

5/21/2018 MKnR 09 - Visitor (I).pdf

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Chapter 0

The National Particle Accelerator Lab was located in Dallas,

Texas in the USNA (not the northern part of the United States, but

the United States that encompassed all of Northern America) At a

full len!th of "# $m, the linear particle accelerator was preparin!

to experiment with micro blac$ hole creation and e%aporation

based on the &aw$in! radiation theor'

n realit', preparations had alread' been completed two 'ears a!o,

but the reason wh' this proect was restarted despite its failure to

recei%e appro%al due to its comparati%el' lar!e un$nown ris$s was

because of what happened in the *ar +ast sector near end of last

month

A titanic explosion eradicated the militar' harbor located on the

southern tip of the orean peninsula and the fleet stationed there

within an instant This was not ust a simple e%ent, but worth' of

i i i


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properties of the annihilation reaction did not match those created

under experimental conditions Nor did the' detect an' debris leftbehind b' nuclear fission or fusion n other words, re!ardless of

whether throu!h the ad%ent of some technolo!' or ma!ical power,

someone utili3ed a pre%iousl' un$nown method to create a

practical application or hi!h ener!' explosions

This result !a%e the upper echelons of the USNA fitsf this was caused b' ma!ic, then the' could hardl' bemoan the

fact that no one could replicate this achie%ement 0hile the ma!ic

s'stem itself was s'stematic, ultimatel' human !enes was the

dominant propert'

&owe%er, there was simpl' no wa' to craft an' countermeasuresif the' had no idea how this phenomenon was achie%ed in the first

place

4nce an enem' turned this upon them, the onl' path remainin! to

them was complete destruction

Thi i h lif


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n summation, there was a chance that the' could obser%e the

same distincti%e properties obser%ed durin! the 2titanicexplosion2 The probabilit' of this was not 3ero

The fact that this flims' possibilit' was enou!h to reopen such a

dan!erous and ris$' experiment was a clear testament to how

desperate the upper echelons of the USNA had become

To the point that the' could i!nore the dan!ers of the un$nownThe result of such a decision was encroachin! towards them, na',

the entire world

This hitherto undetected disaster was creepin! closer


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Chapter 1

There was still one month left in the 'ear 6#78 AD

Thin$in! bac$, this was 1uite the chaotic 'ear As he thou!ht o%er the

past 'ear, e%en Tatsu'a couldn9t help but fall into a re%erie The

terrorists in April, the international criminal or!ani3ation in Au!ust,

then came the forei!n in%aders durin! 4ctober +%en the word

2turbulent2 should ha%e a limit

Still, Tatsu'a did not possess the leisure to ruminate and reflect o%er

the 'ear !one b' This was hardl' because he bore an' pessimistic

outloo$ li$e 2there9s still one month left, who $nows what could

happen2 :ather, he had a more practical reason before him

20ah/; still don9t understand no matter how man' times it9s been

said;2

2eep it to 'ourself; There9s no need to holler;


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-esides from the odd s1uaw$ here and there, the mood of the stud'

session closel' mirrored that of a collo1uial tea part' // That is, untilShi3u$u dropped the bombshell

2+h> Shi3u$u, can 'ou repeat that one more time>2

29m actuall' preparin! to stud' o%erseas in America2

&ono$a as$ed in a frantic manner while Shi3u$u replied in her usual

bland tone2-ut ne%er heard about that;>2

2Sorr', was forbidden from disclosin! that until 'esterda'2

Seein! the completel' pale &ono$a press on with more 1uestions,

Shi3u$u9s head dropped in a clear si!n of !uilt Plainl', Shi3u$u

wanted to tell them from lon! a!o, so in that li!ht, &ono$a didn9t pushher an' further

2&owe%er, are 'ou seriousl' able to stud' o%erseas>2

&ono$a9s 1uestion was not 1uestionin! Shi3u$u9s abilit'

n the modern a!e, in order to pre%ent hi!h/class =a!icians, and


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2*or how lon!> 0hen do 'ou lea%e>2

0hile he wanted to properl' anal'3e the situation, there was simpl'too little information on hand Tatsu'a fran$l' !a%e up on an'

meanin!less ponderin! and focused bac$ on the situation before him

2 lea%e after the end of the term The duration is three months2

2So it9s onl' three months Don9t scare us li$e that2

&ono$a hea%ed a si!h of relief after hearin! Shi3u$u9s words tloo$ed li$e she was expectin! this to be a lon!/term arran!ement

&owe%er, accordin! to Tatsu'a9s 2common $nowled!e2, e%en three

months was 1uite a lon! duration (was there some bac$room dealin!

that led to !o%ernment ratification)

Nonetheless, that was important ri!ht now

2Then we need to prepare a proper farewell part'2

So, Tatsu'a proposed 2somethin! that had to be done2 to his friends

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atmosphere, a beatin! would li$el' be una%oidable (4f course, that9s

onl' the masculine side of thin!s 5oun! ladies probabl' want to be2surrounded b' strappin! 'oun! lads2)

So +%en if this was the 2farewell part'2, the' still chose to hold it

on December 6@th :i!ht now, there was a !iant cream ca$e in front of

them with a chocolate pla1ue that had the words 2=err' B9mas2 on it

No matter what, this !a%e off an odd feelin! To top it off,

accordin! to this restaurant9s st'le, hristmas should be spelled with20eihnachten2 rather than 2B9mas2 Still, this was perfectl' charmin!

in its own wa'

24nii/sama, what9s on 'our mind>2

+'ein! his sister, who mana!ed to bloom li$e a flower despite bein!

!arbed in her school uniform, Tatsu'a shoo$ his head to si!nif' that2it was nothin!2

ndeed, in realit' he couldn9t simpl' write it off as nothin! Still, he

was bein! in%ited as a participant, so he couldn9t ruin the mood for the

main act

h i d i $ h l h h hi i li h l ff


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simple celebrator' e%ent, those that went throu!h the 6# 'ear lon!

wa', or more li$e the Americans who sur%i%ed that catastrophe andespeciall' for the new 2Americans2 after the war, these people

embraced hristmas with sincerit', de%otion, and !ratitude n order to

prepare for hristmas +%e on the morrow, e%er'one went to bed earl'

// At least, that9s how it was supposed to be

n the deepest ni!ht before hristmas +%e, se%eral fi!ures were

flashin! across the street corners of one of the !reat cities in southernAmerica, Dallas, Texas

Se%eral more fi!ures leaped across the rooftops from one buildin! to

another

Additionall', se%eral more formed a containment net in the air used

a!ainst suspicious indi%iduals Ci%en that the' were e1uipped withSpeciali3ed ADs loaded with *l'in!/T'pe =a!ic that hadn9t e%en hit

the mar$et 'et, the' were probabl' law enforcement or combat

=a!icians

2&alt, Lieutenant Alfred *omalhaut; 5ou $now 'ou ha%e nowhere to


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2Answer me, *redd';2

&owe%er, the response the other side !a%e came not in the form ofwords

The 'oun! !irl 1uic$l' leaped bac$wards

The onl' thin! she left behind was the cloa$ she wore on her

shoulders

0ithout an' warnin!, the cloa$ that co%ered the 'oun! !irl9s bod'erupted into flames and was burned to ash

Pr'o$inesis // the fire starter abilit'

This was not modern ma!ic from an' s'stem, but a special power that

was once $nown as a Superpower

The cloa$ that the 'oun! !irl wore o%er her purple uniform and the

easil' remo%able windbrea$ers and cloa$s that the surroundin! men

wore were not to defend a!ainst the cold, but to bloc$ their ph'sical

bodies from the man9s direct line of si!ht and ma!ic

The second the flames %anished, e%er' li!ht in the man9s surroundin!s


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? ? ?

Despite callin! this a farewell part', since the' $new that the' would

be reunited in the sprin! after the trip and that this $ind of stud'

abroad sessions weren9t usuall' appro%ed, rather than bein! lonel', it

would be more appropriate to sa' that there were more expectations in

the air

2&e', where are 'ou !oin! for 'our stud' abroad pro!ram>2

2-er$ele'2

At +ri$a9s 1uestion, Shi3u$u onl' replied bac$ with a sin!le word

This was not because Shi3u$u was in a dar$ mood, but because that9show her personalit' was

2So it9s not -oston2

Amon!


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2 didn9t $now about that2

=i'u$i interected while %isuall' promptin! her brother to continueatchin! his sister9s re1uest, Tatsu'a continued onward

2This is because the rosters for both or!ani3ations shared 1uite a few

members &owe%er, the member rosters are not somethin! open to the

public, so it9s onl' natural to be i!norant of this detail2

2 smell criminal acti%it' in Tatsu'a/$un9s words Let9s table thisdisturbin! con%ersation here2

Seein! +ri$a intentionall' crac$ a o$e and sha$e her head, both

Tatsu'a and =i'u$i chuc$led wr'l' and nodded

The two of them both $new that this was not the ri!ht time and place

for that con%ersation topic2Do 'ou $now an' details about the exchan!e student>2

Possibl' because she wanted to 1uic$l' alter the atmosphere, =i'u$i9s

chan!e in subect was a little abrupt

2+xchan!e>2


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hristmas +%e Still, it was a little surprisin! to see that Shi3u$u,

+ri$a, and =i$ihi$o were not obli!ated to attend an' famil'

!atherin!s, which hinted that the ita'ama, hiba, and 5oshida

*amilies probabl' held !alas for the adults, e%ents where hi!h school

freshmen were not re1uired to attend // And not because their parents

made specific arran!ements

*aced with the temptation of unrestrained freedom, the' would ha%e

li$ed to part' late into the ni!ht and deepen their friendship, but sincethe' were all wearin! their school uniforms, the' wouldn9t be able to

sta' out too late

2 thin$ the owner will !et a little sour if we sta' an' lon!er2

Such an innocent, but at the same time sli!htl' wic$ed, phrase

stumped the owner of the cafe (0ho said this aloud was irrele%ant)The ei!ht of them pac$ed up their thin!s and prepared to head home

&ono$a and Shi3u$u too$ the same bus, so she must be sta'in! o%er at

Shi3u$u9s place At an' rate, this wasn9t an' new headline at ma!ic

hi!h schools, thou!h the primar' reason was because &ono$a wasn9t


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Tatsu'a shifted his coffee mu! from his lips and, under her brother9s

silent ur!in!, =i'u$i hesitantl' listed her s$epticism

2*irst of all, the idea that such a ma!icall' talented indi%idual li$e

Shi3u$u could obtain permission to stud' abroad is alread' unnatural

That bein! said, this mi!ht fl' if she was stud'in! abroad as the

dau!hter of a maor entrepreneur and not as a =a!ician/in/trainin!,

but our complete lac$ of $nowled!e on the transfer student is too

suspicious *urthermore, specificall' selectin! this moment tosuddenl' sprin! an exchan!e pro!ram smac$s of an ulterior purpose

t9s almost as if2

2As if the'9re tr'in! to secretl' sound us out> Accordin! to 4ba/san,

we are under suspicion2

Tatsu'a smir$ed sli!htl' and continued on as if he was tal$in! aboutsomeone else9s business

2=aterial -urst Loo$s li$e we can9t ust lea%e this situation alone2

4nce she heard the hea%' subect that she was unable to utter sprin!

forth from her brother9s lips, =i'u$i9s e'es widened in shoc$ but, at


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moment

2+%en if we as$ed 4ba/san She probabl' wouldn9t tell usan'thin!2

2And !i%en that the exchan!e pro!ram has alread' been ratified, this

si!nifies that 4ba/san has alread' a!reed to this arran!ement2

The 5otsuba *amil' currentl' matched the Sae!usa *amil', who led

the Ten =aster lans, so there was no wa' the' would be in the dar$about talented =a!icians under!oin! the forei!n exchan!e pro!ram

24n the other hand, this isn9t a completel' ne!ati%e turnout for us

+%en if the opponent the' sent was ust to sound us out, 4ba/san

wouldn9t underestimate them :ather, there mi!ht ha%e been some

troublesome turn of e%ents on the American side 4ba/san9s intent is

li$el' to ha%e us catch them b' the tail instead2

:ather than bein! a wr' !rin, Tatsu'a9s smile was closer to that of a

helpless smile

20e cannot be certain that is how the situation will unfold t will

do us no !ood to o%erthin$ this2


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5et her mental sufferin! onl' worsened

An American =a!ician, a Stars member under the direct command ofthe USNA


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urrentl', besides the six who held the ran$ of captain, the other six

shared the same ran$ of maor with the &i!h ommander

f =aor Sirius had to %oice her displeasure, it was that anopus was

plainl' much older than she was 'et held the same ran$, which

actuall' ser%ed to ma$e her uneas'

2onsolation pri3e2

=aor -enamin anopus loo$ed e%er' inch the hi!h ran$in! officerA tou!h but %i!orous man in his forties, the atmosphere around him

was completel' unli$e the soldiers or ci%ilian industrialists who

clawed their wa' throu!h the ran$s

2-en, than$s2

There was a steamin! cup of hone' mil$ on the table next to the bed=aor Sirius easil' accepted the condolences from her subordinate,

who was the same a!e as her father

This wasn9t one of those !lasses used as munitions durin! combat

operations, but a beautiful mu! with warm mil$ with hone' that came

strai!ht from a hot water bottle =aor Sirius li!htl' raised the mu!


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0hen the other person mentioned her 1uarter


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the


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Chapter 2

As in the past, Tatsu'a and =i'u$i welcomed New 5ears for 6#7G AD

to!ether

This 'ear, their father also spent the e%enin! at dwellin! of his first

lo%e This actuall' did not ma$e the situation more aw$ward for

Tatsu'a and =i'u$i, so there were no complaints

Neither Tatsu'a nor =i'u$i were the t'pe to la3e about on the

holida's Tatsu'a rose at the usual time for school and waited at the

threshold for =i'u$i, onl' raisin! his head when he heard her call out

2Sorr' for the wait2

0earin! a lon!/slee%ed, crimson $imono with white flowers, =i'u$i!racefull' descended down the stairs

The pearl' s$in, unadorned with an' extraneous ma$eup, onl' ser%ed

to hei!hten the brilliant red around her succulent lips

&er sil$' tresses done up with a hairpin ma' !i%e off a childish


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Despite her embarrassment, she did not shift her !a3e and pla'full'

pouted at her brother A lesser man with a wea$er immune s'stem

would ha%e been annihilated instantl'

2 am not o$in! in the sli!htest 0ell, let9s be off2

To be able to be the master of himself e%en under such conditions, no

wonder Tatsu'a was the 4nii/sama who had li%ed to!ether with

=i'u$i for the past .G 'ears (to be precise, it was the past .8 'ears

and 7 months)

There was an automated car par$ed outside the door Nonetheless, an

automated %ehicle did not impl' that no one was on board The four

seater car had an adult male and adult female sittin! in the bac$ row

2&app' New 5ear, master2

2&app' New 5ear, o$onoe/sensei Please ta$e care of us in the

comin! 'ear as well2

Seein! Tatsu'a9s simplistic !reetin! and =i'u$i9s decorous bow,

5a$umo replied with a cheerful smile of his own


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2=eetin! sensei here was purel' coincidental Toda', am ser%in! as

'our !uide2

2 see, so that9s how it is Still, if callin! a hi!h school student a !uide

is a little pushin! it Then that earlier honorific 2sensei2 ma' be a

little problematic2

At Tatsu'a9s words, &aru$a furrowed her brows from the bac$ seat

ndeed, for a modern hi!h school student, a sin!le da' %isit to theshrine did not necessitate an adult chaperon

Simpl' put, a 2!uide2 was ust an excuse, as the actual purpose was

for them to 2accompan'2 them

*urthermore, e%en for random b'standers, since he was not a facult'

member, usin! the honorific 2sensei2 ma' easil' lead to terrif'in!delusions that la' in perilous territor'

2Let9s thin$ about it as we !o Shouldn9t we be lea%in! now>2

=i'u$i made this su!!estion after Tatsu'a opened the car door

0ithout pa'in! an' heed to the ruminatin! &aru$a, Tatsu'a waited


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2&app' New 5ear &ono$a loo$s !reat too2

Tatsu'a wasn9t ust offerin! empt' flatter' &e honestl' belie%ed that&ono$a9s $imono was ex1uisite

Tatsu'a smiled sli!htl' at the ecstatic &ono$a and lowered his !a3e to

his own clothes

2Since 'ou mentioned this was unexpected, do reall' loo$ that out of

place>220hat are 'ou tal$in! about, Tatsu'a, it fits 'ou 1uite well 5ou loo$

li$e a boss2

2So 9m the mafia now2

The one who interected with this comment that was un$nown to be

whether in earnest or est happened to be the ac$et/clad Leo

The three who oined them at the shrine were =i3u$i, &ono$a, and

Leo +ri$a and =i$ihi$o were unable to spare themsel%es due to the

hi!h number of disciples at their respecti%e families, and Shi3u$u was

about to stud' abroad and was unable to attend due to her father9s


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2 see, so that9s wh' we9re at the shrine2

Tatsu'a was ama3ed b' Leo9s displa' of hitherto un$nown depths, butthis was in no wa' meant to be dero!ator' towards Leo

2So>2

Ci%en that &aru$a was unaware of the lin$, this definitel' wasn9t

common $nowled!e

2&m> 0hen it comes to -uddhist mon$s, wouldn9t the' be mon$sfrom the Tiantai school of -uddhism> The Sanno faith and inner sect

is practicall' inseparable2

&earin! Tatsu'a9s simplistic explanation that was phrased as a

1uestion for some reason, the number of 1uestion mar$s floatin!

around &aru$a9s head onl' increased2 sa', 'ou9re 1uite $nowled!eable despite 'our 'outh belie%e 'ou

are Saiou Leonhardt/$un>2

!norin! the completel' confused &aru$a, 5a$umo happil' struc$ up

a con%ersation with Leo


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a!e who li%ed throu!h that time, but Tatsu'a and compan' had

nothin! to be emotional about

0ithout an' cur%ed paths, up on a lon! fli!ht of stairs, past the

threshold, the' arri%ed at in the court'ard of the shrine There, Tatsu'a

abruptl' noticed a pair of e'es !a3in! this wa'

This was not an impolite !a3e stal$in! them, but a pair of peepin!

e'es that occasionall' !lanced this wa'

2Shiba/$un, is somethin! up>2

2No2

2 !ather the forei!ners are rather curious about Tatsu'a9s wardrobe2

Despite the dis!uise, there was no wa' to escape 5a$umo9s e'es +%en

Tatsu'a disco%ered the source without usin! +lemental Si!ht and,excludin! &aru$a for the moment, it was !uaranteed that 5a$umo

would notice

The 2forei!ner2 5a$umo spo$e of was a model 'oun! woman with

blonde hair and blue e'es Still, in this da' and a!e, ust this alone


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:e!ardless, Tatsu'a was not obser%in! her for these reasons

&e sent an in1uirin! loo$ to 5a$umom for help // but seein! 5a$umo9shi!hl' entertained smir$, he was forced to defuse the situation on his

own

Tatsu'a held his sister9s !a3e while repl'in! to her complaint in an

e%en tone

2There9s no wa' she can hold a candle to 'ou225ou sa' that e%er' time Don9t thin$ 'ou can alwa's coax me

with that2

0hile the literal words ma' seem li$e a %ibrant counterattac$, but her

embarrassed %isa!e that was flushed beet red undercut an' threat

behind her words29m not coaxin! 'ou, trul' thin$ that wa' Also, that9s not the reason

wh' 9m watchin! her2

2Seriousl', 4nii/sama2

=i'u$i turned her face to one side upon disco%erin! the hidden


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pre/war Spice Cirls 0ith this in mind, it was hardl' ama3in! for

Tatsu'a to thin$ that she was hi!hl' irre!ular

Still, =i'u$i $new that her brother wasn9t trul' pa'in! attention to

external appearances

2-ut, that9s not all there is to it2

=i'u$i directed an alto!ether different, and more intent, !a3e toward

the 'oun! !irl=a'be it was because she noticed that she had been disco%ered, the

'oun! !irl started wal$in! as if nothin! had happened

She was headed strai!ht towards Tatsu'a9s !roup

She silentl' passed next to them before departin! down the lon! fli!ht

of stairs

Still, the profound !a3e sent this wa' as the' rubbed shoulders was

most definitel' not Tatsu'a9s misconception

? ? ?


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&er roommate was called Sil%ia =ercur' *irst -esides from her first

name Sil%ia, the rest were all code names, meanin! that she ran$ed

first amon! the Stars planet/class 2=ercur'2 :an$ 0arrant 4fficer

Twent' fi%e 'ears of a!e She was a hi!hl' re!arded female 4 who

attained the title of 2*irst2 at an earl' a!e n the be!innin!, Sil%ia

didn9t want to oin the militar' and intended to become a ournalist

after !raduatin! from colle!e This time, her outstandin! abilit' in

data anal'sis prompted her selection as =aor Sirius9s supportpersonnel

2Sil%er>2

This talented roommate paid no heed to Sirius9s words and ust stared

blan$l' at her *eelin! that somethin! was awr', the maor called out

to her a!ain before Sil%ia replied bac$ her e'es still !lued to the maor2Lina 0hat can sa' about that !etup>2

Lina was the pet name for =aor Sirius Ci%en the re1uirements of the

infiltration mission, it was %ital to hide her identit' and a%oid terms

li$e 2&i!h ommander2 or 2=aor2, hence wh' she was ordered to


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The ori!inal 1uestion had now turned into two 1uestions, but a!ain

Lina didn9t notice

2&m> Now that 'ou mention it, don9t thin$ ha%e2

Sil%ia9s expression shifted from pained to helpless

2Lina, allow me to put it bluntl' Those boots of 'ours were out of

date a lon! time a!o;2

2+hH;>2

Lina9s e'es widened in shoc$ at Sil%ia9s words Seein! this reaction,

Sil%ia9s frustration finall' exploded

20hat do 'ou mean, eh; Not ust the boots The le!!in!s and hat are

also out of date That9s the fashion statement from .## 'ears a!o;

Also, 'our wardrobe doesn9t fit %er' well and is completel' unli$e

somethin! a 'oun! !irl would wear There9s no wa' 'ou can wal$

outside without drawin! attention2

Lina9s facial expression became stiff upon hearin! this reprimand,

probabl' because she was aware of this herself n realit', she did

notice that she drew a lot of attention when she left this mornin! Still,


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? ? ?

After the brief but densel' pac$ed winter %acation, the third semester

be!an

2Densel' pac$ed2 included ta$in! Shi3u$u to the airport, where an

unexpected 2tearful departure2 (starrin!I &ono$a and Shi3u$u, co/

starrin!I =i'u$i and =i3u$i) forced them into a corner (this wasn9t

somethin! that could be sol%ed with brute force), which ser%ed as a

%aluable life experience, but Tatsu'a firml' belie%ed that all this

would e%entuall' become nothin! more than a 2wonderful memor'2

// At least, it would be too depressin! if he didn9t tell himself that

Supposedl', the new transfer student ta$in! Shi3u$u9s place in lass A

would be arri%in! toda', but Tatsu'a felt this matter didn9t relate tohim 0hile this person was !oin! to be =i'u$i9s new classmate, so it9s

not li$e it9s wholl' unrelated, but there was enou!h de!rees of

separation that he didn9t need to %oluntar' !reet them

Spea$in! of classes, startin! on the first da' of the third semester, the


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2 $now exactl' where 'ou are most concerned about2

The moment Leo umped into the con%ersation, he alread'preempti%el' co%ered his head with one hand

A second later, Leo was warblin! li$e a fro! that was off tune as he

$eeled o%er to the floor while clutchin! his throat

(f 'ou $new that was !oin! to happen, then $eep an' unnecessar'

thou!hts to 'ourself)Tatsu'a stared in ama3ement at Leo, who had been rendered

unconscious b' the sudden ab to the throat b' a rolled up noteboo$,

while the person responsible, +ri$a, continued on as if nothin! had

happened

2 am a !irl after allH No matter how prett' that !irl is, sure don9twant to s1uee3e throu!h that crowd2

0hile Tatsu'a supported the idea of not %enturin! forth specificall' to

!et a loo$, but her perspecti%e that lumped curiosit' and lust into one

cate!or' would draw outra!e from an' male present


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personnel 0hen coupled with the information re!ardin! independent

Stars mo%ement he recei%ed in No%ember, the situation loo$ed to be

!ra%e indeed, Tatsu'a thou!ht

2So the transfer student in lass A is a sp'>2

25ou moron2

At the completel' uninhibited 1uestion from the newl' re%i%ed Leo,

not ust +ri$a, but e%en =i3u$i and =i$ihi$o loo$ed o%ercome2Leo/$un, 'ou can thin$ about those thin!s, but don9t sa' that

aloud2

2As students, we ha%e to at least maintain a cordial relationship2

Despite sufferin! a double whamm' from both =i3u$i and =i$ihi$o,

Leo still soldiered onward20h' would we need to do that, she9s in lass A, isn9t she> There9s no

connection, ri!ht>2

25ou idiot, =i'u$i is in lass A That9s the transfer student 'ou see

once in a blue moon alon! with the Student ouncil Eice President


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at the shrine // or more appropriatel', the 'oun! !irl he noticed at the

shrine

2+xcuse me, ma' sit with 'ou>2

The 'oun! !irl spo$e fluent


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rather unli$el', ri!ht>2

As apparent from =i3u$i9s supportin! comment, =i$ihi$o9s wordswere pure speculation

4f course, Tatsu'a $new exactl' what the truth of the matter was

:ather, the inabilit' to recall such a conspicuousl' dressed 'oun! lad'

was e%en more astonishin!


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2Then, allow me to ma$e introductions This is An!elina udou

Schult3 from America2

After =i'u$i made the second round of introductions, the transfer

student9s hair swa'ed sli!htl' as she bowed sli!htl' in her seat

2Please call me Lina2

As she said this, her e'es sli!htl' s1uinted as she re%ealed a da33lin!

smile&er blue pupils, not the color of water or ice, but reminded people of

the sapphire of the s$' // a3ure

The two wa%' tresses on the sides of her head were secured b' ribbons

and, if released, would li$el' trail to waist len!th The' ma' be e%en

lon!er than =i'u$i9s hair*or a hi!h school freshman, such a mature !a3e didn9t !o %er' well

with that childish hair st'le, but this perfectl' coincided with that

perfect blend of shoc$ and beaut', with a de!ree of familiarit' to !o

alon! with it


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nothin! had happened and pressed on

She doesn9t seem to be able to hide her expressions, Tatsu'a thou!htas he paid heed not to accidentl' lau!h and ust smiled and nodded his

head //


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Lina, who intentionall' selected buc$wheat from the menu, was bus'

duelin! her chopstic$s while tr'in! to contain her frustration and

answer the occasional 1uestion 4f course, e%er'one was %er'

courteous and didn9t as$ an' impolite 1uestions


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+ri$a inad%ertentl' as$ed

The ner%ousness and anxiet' that Lina re%ealed didn9t appear to beTatsu'a9s misconception either


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Chapter 3

Those that prowl in the dar$ of ni!ht are not restricted to those from

sinister bac$!rounds

That citi3ens could mo%e about freel' without the threat of hoodlums

// and completel' free at that, is than$s to the tireless efforts on part of

the 2apostles of order2 Toni!ht, a 'oun! man who was (supposedl')one of these pillars of order was !rousin! to his male companion

2Seriousl', one trouble after another2

22

2&asn9t our crapp' luc$ from last 'ear alread' come to a close>2

22

2Somethin! must ha%e happened This wa', it9s reall' eas' to tell if

the'9re ille!al aliens or forei!n in%aders2

2n%esti!atin! them is our ob 0e9re emplo'ed because of this


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attention2

0ithout alludin! to the %ictims or murderer, nspector hibaToshi$a3u was onl' si!hin! to elucidate how troublesome this all was

Still, amid the incon%enienced expression on his face, his pupils

flashed with the ra3or sharp !a3e of a hunter

? ? ?

An!elina Shields was currentl' puttin! on a performance worth' of

bein! called an exhilaratin! entrance

4n the first da' of her transfer, her appearance alone was such that no

one on campus was unaware of her-efore this, the throne of the most beautiful !irl in school belon!ed

solel' to =i'u$i This was the combined consensus of the

upperclassmen and female student bod' as well

&owe%er, with the addition of Lina, the title of 2Jueen2 had morphed


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-etween them, a small metal ball with a diameter of "# cm was placed

on a thin rod

Althou!h there were man' similar instruments in the Practical S$ills

:oom, all of their peers abandoned what the' were doin! and

concentrated all their attention on =i'u$i and Lina

No, not ust their peers n the obser%ation stands on the second floor,

there were 1uite a few 5ear " students who possessed the freedom to

select their course schedule

=a'umi and =ari were included amon! them

2=a!ic Power that can ri%al =i'u$i, do 'ou thin$ that9s possible>2

24n some le%el, she9s the American representati%e to


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t'pe to a!!randi3e her accomplishment and was rather embarrassed

o%er the whole ordeal), =a'umi and =ari had to attend this exercise

2Three, two, one2

The moment Lina called out 2one2, both of them put their hands on

the dash board

2Co;2

The last si!nal erupted from both of them=i'u$i tapped the board with her fin!ertips, while Lina pressed her

whole hand onto the board

Stillness and action, their true colors were reflected in their openin!

motions &owe%er, this onl' reflected the ph'sical side of thin!s

Da33lin! arra's of psions were combinin! and explodin! on the +idosof the metal ball that ser%ed as the tar!et Since this was a li!ht that

could not be seen b' the na$ed e'e, closin! one9s e'es ser%ed no

purpose

Some of the obser%ers who had not mastered the suppression ma!ic


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2&m, but =i'u$i wins in interference stren!th, so she sei3ed control

before her opponent9s ma!ic was finished nitiati%e %s power

:ather than callin! this a pure contest of stren!th, this is more li$e atactical %ictor'2

n =a'umi and =ari9s e'es, in terms of sin!le s'stematic processes,

the two of them possessed e1ual =a!ic Power

// Afterwards, the same exercise was repeated four times, with both

sides splittin! the result 6/6, so the da' ended with =i'u$i still aheadb' two rounds

Noon in the nei!hborin! cafeteria

Since Lina was sittin! with them toda', this couldn9t be described as

their usual arran!ement Since transferrin! a wee$ a!o, she had beentu!!ed this wa' and that and sat with a different !roup each time for

lunch

-' maximi3in! her networ$in! possibilities, she could be said to be a

model transfer student n terms of eatin! with Tatsu'a9s !roup, this


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spo$e formall' while he could spea$ more casuall' with Lina

2 used to be undefeated in hi!h le%el competitions li$e this, but canne%er seem to beat =i'u$i, and when a!ainst &ono$a, ma' win in

o%erall s$ill but still lose in complexit' of desi!n As expected of the

Practical

exercises are ultimatel' onl' practice and are fundamentall' different


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Detectin! the atmosphere headin! in a won$' direction, Tatsu'a

chan!ed the subect

20hat is it>2

She sent a chillin! !a3e his wa', but it was bereft of an'

condescension, so this was probabl' an act to parallel +ri$a9s practical

o$e

0hile this was the result he was hopin! for based on his obser%ations,there was no !uarantee he was correct Still, this was Tatsu'a, and

Tatsu'a was not so tender that he would shut his mouth and retreat

from ust this

2f recall correctl', isn9t 2An!ie2 the usual nic$name for

2An!elina2>2

This was not supposed to be a !roundbrea$in! 1uestionAt least, that was the case for +ri$a, =i3u$i, and &ono$a, who were

sittin! at the table with them

5et, for one brief moment, Lina9s expression definitel' faltered

2No, 'ou remembered correctl', but the nic$name 2An!ie2 isn9t as rare


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*irst &i!h did not ha%e an' student dorms

Since there were onl' nine ma!ic hi!h schools in the entire countr', it

was ine%itable that students from abroad would be present

Thus, while student dorms didn9t seem to be entirel' out of the

1uestion, in this da' and a!e, besides a few speciali3ed boardin!

schools that %iewed student dorms as an inte!ral part of the

curriculum, facilities such as student dorms were no lon!er in ser%ice

n the modern a!e, &A: (&ome Automation :obot) has alread'

entered the mass mar$et, purchase of dail' items can be done online

and deli%ered directl' to the door, so students can freel' li%e on their

own without discomfort, ma$in! student dorms a redundant facilit'

4win! to the abo%e reasons, most of the students who were unable toreturn to their famil' homes lar!el' chose to rent housin! close to the

school As a transfer student, there was nothin! odd in Lina rentin! an

apartment &er house was onl' two bus stops from school, which was

considered close proximit' than$s to modern public transit The

reason that she did not rent a personal studio or a one room apartment


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The woman called =ina replied bac$ in a stiff tone 0ith a perplexed

smile on her face, Lina too$ a seat b' the table

2Please sit, =ina Sil%ie, could trouble 'ou for some tea>2

Normall', Sil%ia would completel' i!nore the chain of command and

fire bac$ with 2Ci%en that 'ou9re a !irl, 'ou should fix 'our own tea2

&owe%er, she wasn9t someone who couldn9t read the atmosphere

2s mil$ tea 4> =ina, would 'ou li$e a cup>22Ah, 4, sorr' for the trouble2

Sil%ia9s 1uestion seemed to terrif' =ina, but at least she loosened up a

few de!rees as she replied bac$

The woman9s full name was =ichaela &on!o, or =ina for short She

shared Lina9s


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after settin! down the cups

29%e !one o%er the publici3ed information, but so far ha%en9t foundan' new data2

2 see, loo$s li$e there9s no wa' to !et results 1uic$l' from that

direction2

This time she turned towards =ichaela

2&ow about 'our side, =ina>22Nothin! here either Sorr'2

=ichaela had somewhat relaxed a little before curlin! up a!ain out of

anxiet'

t wasn9t Lina9s intent to ma$e e%er'one so hi!h strun! li$e she was a

strict person &owe%er, e%er since the end of last 'ear, =ichaela hadalwa's been extremel' ner%ous around Lina since da' one :ather

than sa'in! (because) there was a di%ide between researchers and

combat personnel, the more li$el' cause (reason) was because Lina

stood at the pinnacle of USNA =a!icians as 2Sirius2 despite her

'outh Simpl' tellin! her to relax wasn9t !oin! to achie%e an'thin!


67/240


68/240

2 ha%e no idea 9m such a failure So !uess 9m reall' not cut out for

this (t'pe of wor$), eh>2

Lina $ept si!hin! deepl' Sil%ia filled her cup of mil$ tea a!ain

Noticin! that Sil%ia and =ichaela were sendin! worried loo$s her

wa', Lina mana!ed to find her second wind

2Don9t worr' about it, m' opponent is onl' a hi!h school student after

all &e shouldn9t able to discern m' identit' as Sirius +%en if he

suspects somethin!, there9s no wa' he9ll stumble onto somethin!concrete2

t didn9t ta$e a !enius to tell that these bra%e words were onl' empt'

tal$ n the be!innin!, Lina had alread' been tas$ed with identif'in!

their tar!et under an' circumstances, so sa'in! 2not !ettin! identified2

was ust empt' tal$ Sil%ia was well aware of this, but decided toabstain after considerin! that this would dama!e morale too badl' n

addition, nor could she sa' that their opponent was no ordinar' hi!h

school student


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exceeded ori!inal expectations, the processin! power of the AD can

no lon!er $eep up with 'our =a!ic Power was plannin! on settin! a

lar!er ma!ic calculation area inside 5ou9re o%er thin$in! this2

2 apolo!i3e2

20hat are 'ou apolo!i3in! for> should be the one praisin! 'ou2

Centl' caressin! his sister9s hair as she $ept her head bowed, Tatsu'a

smiled warml' at =i'u$i when she raised her head

=i'u$i followed her brother9s lead, more li$e mirrored her brother9s

smile +%er'thin! was fine up until this point //

(This is not the time to start blushin!)

o!ni3ant of the inherent dan!er // lar!el' presented b' the clea%a!e

pee$in! throu!h the !aps in the robe // Tatsu'a 1uic$l' pic$ed up thecon%ersation

2Loo$s li$e Lina transferrin! into the same class became an excellent

stimulus2

Upon hearin! Lina9s name, the brilliant blush across =i'u$i9s face


70/240

while raisin! a fin!er towards Tatsu'a

24f course, because =i'u$i watches 4nii/sama more closel' thanan'one else2

Tatsu'a intentionall' lau!hed aloud There was no wa' to tell whether

he felt that =i'u$i was o$in! or he was simpl' tr'in! to re!ard it as a

o$e

Seein! her brother lau!h, the onl' thin! on =i'u$i9s mind was how

badl' she reall' wanted to $now what Tatsu'a was trul' thin$in!

about

:ather because the basement (more li$e under!round facilit') air

conditionin! was still runnin!, it was more li$e a flims' robe co%erin!

her under!arments was the true reason wh' neither one of them could

relax

=i'u$i needed to return to her room and chan!e, so the two of them

returned to the house

0hat co%ered =i'u$i9s slim and ex1uisite le!s were not a pair of

blac$ le!!in!s or ti!hts, but blac$ stoc$in!s The clothin! around her


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but the true meanin! remained elusi%e), Tatsu'a elected a!ainst

focusin! on that

After ma$in! that decision, Tatsu'a9s !a3e ceased wa%erin!

Across the table, he could detect a trace of displeasure from =i'u$i,

but he chose not to call her on it and be!an to spea$ while watchin!

=i'u$i

2ontinuin! our earlier con%ersation, belie%e there is a hi!h

possibilit' that Lina is 2An!ie Sirius22

Last month, Tatsu'a had recei%ed a warnin! from his aunt 5otsuba

=a'a that the USNA9s Arm' =a!ician unit Stars had be!un

in%esti!atin! the =a!ician responsible for the Strate!ic/lass =a!ic

2=aterial -urst2 At the time, =a'a had made it %er' clear that

Tatsu'a and =i'u$i were li$el' to be included amon! the possiblesuspects

Tatsu'a belie%ed that Lina comin! to *irst &i!h was li$el' one aspect

of the on!oin! intelli!ence war

2urrentl', the problem is that we ha%e unco%ered Sirius9s identit'


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22Sirius2 simpl' co%ers too man' an!les2

2Assumin! Lina is Sirius &er infiltration mission ma' ust be aco%er &er real tar!et ma' lie somewhere else2

2To force the USNA to in%est Sirius into an international mission

0hat could it be>2

The' mi!ht be dwellin! on this too much, but fortunatel' the two of

them were still in the dar$

2 ha%e no idea &owe%er, thin$ ri!ht now we don9t ha%e to focus

on that2

*rom an omniscient perspecti%e, Tatsu'a9s speculation had alread'

drifted off subect as his tone suddenl' lost its earlier intensit'

20e are %er' fortunate that America has pro%ided 'ou with anexcellent opponent, =i'u$i2

Nonetheless, his earnest tone did not disappear

2ndeed, 4nii/sama2

At her brother9s sincere tone and !a3e, =i'u$i chan!ed her tone


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? ? ?

There were 1uite a few alterations in Tatsu'a9s extracurricular

acti%ities 4n paper there were onl' two, sta'in! in the librar' or

patrollin! the !rounds as a member of the Public =oral ommittee,

but the latter presented man' interruptions

+nou!h to !i%e one pause and consider if someone was conspirin!

somethin!

Toda', this feelin! was particularl' prominent

0hile Public =oral ommittee members were bestowed with the

ri!ht to carr' ADs on campus, howe%er Tatsu'a t'picall' didn9t use

one while executin! his duties to the committee

4ri!inall', ADs were tools that shortened the time needed to acti%ate

the *our S'stematic =a!ics t was onl' of limited use to other ma!ic,

such as 4uter/S'stematic =a!ic, Non/S'stematic =a!ic, Ancient

=a!ic, and especiall' if Non/S'stematic =a!ic was onl' releasin!

psions to the point that the lac$ of a AD would not seem unnatural at


74/240

that paid no heed to the time of da' &e wal$ed past the crowd //

which was actuall' no more than 8 people, and deftl' finished the

preparations on his hands

2Ah, Shiba/$un, perfect2

Unfortunatel', Tatsu'a was nabbed b' anon

&is abilit' to hide his disappointment was the product of his dail'

trainin!(>)

20hat is it>2

Tatsu'a9s %oice did not betra' an' subecti%e or obecti%e warmth t

was both a stron! and wea$ point for anon that she paid no attention

to details such as this

2This is Shields/san belie%e 'ou alread' $now her>2t wasn9t much of a 1uestion 4f course, Tatsu'a9s onl' option was to

nod

2Shields/san wishes to obser%e the Public =oral ommittee9s dail'

acti%ities belie%e she wanted to see how


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wal$in! alone on campus, but the uncomfortable atmosphere wasn9t

li$el' to chan!e dependin! on whether other people were present or

not

*irst of all, in Tatsu'a9s defense, the uncomfortable atmosphere wasn9t

because he had an ama3in! beaut' li$e Lina wal$in! next to him, but

because Lina ne%er let up on that in1uisiti%e feelin! of hers +%er'

once in a while, she would secretl' snea$ a 2&mHH2 pee$ at Tatsu'a,

and, despite her efforts at tr'in! to conceal these loo$s, Tatsu'a feltthat the' were onl' di!!in! her deeper

+%en so, Tatsu'a couldn9t ust directl' come bac$ with 25ou9re a sp',

aren9t 'ou2 The pressure ust $ept buildin! li$e a %olcano read' to

burst

2Did Lina9s old school not ha%e this s'stem>2Tatsu'a felt that he couldn9t stand this silent drama an' lon!er

(technicall', the' were onl' a do3en 'ards from &J) 0hat sort of

hea%' silence is this, Tatsu'a thou!ht as he indul!ed in his rarel' seen

sense of public ser%ice and pro%ided the initial 1uestion // Now that

he thou!ht about it that was a terribl' malicious 1uestion


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head on her shoulders, Tatsu'a thou!ht She was nimble enou!h to

!rab the lifeline that other people threw to her, which mi!ht actuall'

put her on a better footin! than his own sister

As he suspected, he was bein! stabbed left and ri!ht b' all sorts of

!a3es &owe%er, probabl' war' of lea%in! a ne!ati%e impression in

front of the transfer student, no one actuall' made a mo%e a!ainst him

As such, Tatsu'a led Lina throu!h the primar' practical exercise

rooms and research labs This patrol accompanied with explanations!a%e the impression that he was !i%in! a campus tour

Lina halted her footsteps at one end of the buildin! that ran alon!side

the research labs near the staircase that led to the nei!hborin!

buildin!

2Are 'ou tired> Do 'ou want to head bac$>2

4f course, he $new that this wasn9t the real reason she stopped &e

was onl' usin! this to open the con%ersation

2No, 9m fine2

&er tone !a%e the impression that she wasn9t sure where to be!in


77/240

a cannon was a little too insultin!

0ith so man' unnecessar' thin!s runnin! throu!h his head,

comprehendin! what Lina was tr'in! to sa' too$ more time than

usual

2Tatsu'a, wh' are 'ou pretendin! to be a poor student> And since 'ou

are pretendin! to be a poor student, wh' did 'ou so easil' re%eal 'our

true stren!th> Tatsu'a9s beha%ior is hi!hl' irre!ular so don9t

understand wh' 'ou went about it the wa' 'ou did2

After listenin! to Lina9s 1uestion to the end, he finall' understood

what Lina reall' wanted to sa'

2 ha%e no idea what 'ou as$ed hi'oda/senpai, but it9s not li$e was

pretendin! to do nothin! trul' am a poor student2

*ortunatel', Lina !a%e a detailed explanation in order to con%e' her

1uestion and didn9t ust lea%e Tatsu'a han!in!, or he reall' mi!ht ha%e

embarrassed himself &e reall' needed to curtail those unnecessar'

thou!hts, Tatsu'a thou!ht

2The practical s$ills examination is dependent on speed, scale, and


78/240

2 can tell, 'ou9re !ood2

-efore that cold, or rather, steel' !a3e, Lina let out a da33lin! smile

This was not a blossomin! flower, but the beaut' of a ra3or sharp

blade honed to its finest

Lina9s hand suddenl' mo%ed;

Tatsu'a swiftl' intercepted the stri$in! palm

The ed!ed ri!ht hand that Lina used the smallest possible mo%ementto stab forward with was cau!ht at the wrist b' Tatsu'a

The thrustin! palm aimed for Tatsu'a9s chin was intercepted before it

could e%en reach the throat

Lina shifted the captured ri!ht hand into a pistol shape and stabbed

forward with her index fin!er

A terrif'in! claw came whistlin! towards Tatsu'a9s face

n a flash, Tatsu'a flun! Lina9s ri!ht hand to one side

Lina frowned as the psion li!ht !athered at the tip of her index fin!er

was dispersed before the blow landed


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'ou experience a little pain is the least 'ou deser%e2

2That was onl' a simple psion bloc$ that contains no threat

whatsoe%er The most it could do was !i%e the impression of bein!

struc$ b' a !un2

2 do belie%e that more than ustifies 'our %iolent treatment2

+%en after seein! such a warm smile, Tatsu'a9s expression didn9t relax

in the sli!htest

Lina could onl' si!h and raise both arms

2 !et it, !et it Please for!i%e m' rudeness, Tatsu'a/sama2

Lina reset her attitude and formall' bowed to Tatsu'a before raisin!

her head

The once se%ere expression on Tatsu'a9s face suddenl' cur%ed at thecorners of his mouth for some bi3arre reason

2s there an'thin! else>2

2No, that is sufficient thin$ we can tal$ normall' in the future

Thou!h this refinement doesn9t seem li$e Lina at all2


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4n reflex, Lina co%ered her mouth

n Tatsu'a9s expression, she could see =ephistopheles !rinnin! at her

2The President, eh2

There were man' in positions of power that could !i%e e%en

=a!icians, capable of murder without an' weapon, pause +%en in a

countr' li$e After all, Lina was the

one who insti!ated this2


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2=e, to America>2

2n m' opinion, 'ou ha%e such a hi!h le%el of s$ill 'et are rele!ated to

such a lowl' position, wouldn9t 'ou want to be on a sta!e that !i%es

'ou the reco!nition 'ou deser%e 0hile a =a!ician9s !rade is assessed

in America much li$e the international standard, there are still places

that aren9t li$e that America is a free and di%erse countr' There9s no

wa' that 'ou would be rele!ated to a substitute simpl' because 'ou9re

lac$in! in one area belie%e that Tatsu'a will be reco!ni3ed asbefittin! 'our true potential2

2An interestin! declaration2

*aced with an unexpected in%itation, Tatsu'a9s attitude softened

somewhat

2n that case2

Seein! this, Lina immediatel' char!ed into the breech

2f that was the unadulterated truth2

&owe%er, Tatsu'a9s satire immediatel' too$ the wind from her sails


82/240

Lina was unable to follow this abrupt chan!e in !ears and could onl'

repl' with a befuddled %oice and expression

2Lina was ust tr'in! to test m' s$ills, is that ri!ht>2

2Uh 5es2

2Then let9s lea%e it there Please refrain from doin! such thin!s in the

future2

sn9t it about time for 'ou to !o> Ur!in! her to do so, Tatsu'a9sexpression was now no different than usual

Lina could no lon!er tell the difference from the usual Tatsu'a

2Don9t 'ou ha%e an'thin! 'ou want to as$ me>2

t was understandable that Tatsu'a wanted to pretend that scene ne%er

happened This was also in Lina9s best interests &owe%er, she had noidea wh' Tatsu'a would do this, or his intentions

t was incredibl' fortunate that Tatsu'a wasn9t as$in! an' 1uestions

and Lina $new she could be tramplin! on his $ind !esture, but she

couldn9t resist her own 1uestion


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Chapter 4

January 14, A.D. 2096, Shibuya 11:00 p.m.

Late at ni!ht on a Saturda', thou!h there were no cars on the street, it

was filled with 'oun! people

There were no cars in si!ht due to the chan!es in both the traffic

s'stem and the customar' wor$in! hours The self/dri%in! (auto/pilot)indi%idual transportation trams wor$ around the cloc$ -esides, in a

bi! cit' li$e Shibu'a, there is no need to emplo' these %ehicles that

are meant for communal use, as b' usin! the motori3ed sidewal$s that

ha%e been laid out under!round, one can reach the train station easil'

=oreo%er, in the present a!e, where infrastructure for wor$in! fromhome has been up!raded, there is no lon!er an' need for one to sta'

bac$ in the office till late at ni!ht n case of ur!entl' needed wor$, the

current trend in businesses is to settle it at home and submit it bac$ to

the compan' %ia a pri%ate line =odern offices are places for business

ne!otiations, not places for paperwor$ n the first place, as lon! as


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these towns ha%e been rebuilt as fairl' dense bustlin! towns

-ut, Shibu'a was the exception

Since before the war, the de!ree of de%astation had deepened and the

disputes between 'oun!sters intensified, and thus, as a result of bein!

the first to expel the forei!ners, in contrast Shibu'a had been spared

the absolute total destruction that had befallen the other towns And as

the lawlessness of the ni!hts in Shibu'a were left alone conse1uentl'

e%en now, one cannot flatl' assert that one end result is better than theother

f this was such a lawless area, be it da' or ni!ht, the

2:ede%elopment2 initiated b' the !o%ernment, and the local

municipalit' who has become %er' much intolerant to the absence of

order as compared to the pre/war da's, would probabl' ha%eproceeded, as one mi!ht !uess The current administrati%e authorities

ha%e become considerabl' strict re!ardin! the restrictions on pri%ate

ri!hts related to real estate

&owe%er, Shibu'a holds completel' different faade durin! da'time

and ni!ht


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seemed to ha%e no specific destination in mind

Leo had one bad pastime No, rather than a pastime, it was probabl' a

habit

The habit of roamin!

Not wal$in!, runnin!, nor shoutin!, but roamin! in the ni!ht

As the dead of the ni!ht drew near, he would want to randoml'

wander about in uncertaint'Leo thou!ht that this was due to his instincts that ha%e been car%ed

into his bod'Qs !enes

&e is the third !eneration of the 2-ur! *ol!e (*ortress Series)2 that

was de%eloped in Cerman' in the initial da's, which put the techni1ue

of tunin! =a!icians %ia !enetic manipulation in practical use for thefirst time in the world

The -ur! *ol!e was a bod' tunin! techni1ue de%eloped with an

emphasis on impro%in! the durabilit' of the bod' n those da's, in

order to raise close 1uarters combat abilit', thou!ht to be the wea$er

point of ma!icians, rather than stren!thenin! ma!ic abilit', the -ur!


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Leo had a fear

Someone loo$in! at him as a person from the outside would be unable

to see it, but he has been li%in! his life while carr'in! that fear deep

down in his heart

&e wondered if he would also !o mad one da'

0ith a non/human factor de%ourin! his human factor, he wondered if

he would end up losin! his senses

Since he thou!ht that, b' releasin! his impulses, whether or not he

would be able to dela' the moment when his crea$in! heart bro$e &e

tried to be lo'al to his own impulses &e $new from example that his

!randfather was able to freel' li%e a natural span of life

That was wh' he didnKt !o a!ainst his impulse of 2wanderin! at

ni!ht2

At the whim of this impulse, underneath the moon, underneath the

stars, underneath the et/blac$ clouds, he was wal$in! aimlessl'

4ne ni!ht in the center of the cit', one ni!ht in the shoppin! districts,

one ni!ht in the suburbs, one ni!ht on a secluded mountain 0ithout


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:espondin! with a smac$ed expression was the man who was wal$in!

next to 2+ri$aKs older brother2 Leo also remembered the face of the

man, who was at the a!e b' which it has become a little painful to calla 'oun! man &e not onl' remembered the face, but also the name

2na!a$i/san, ri!ht> 0hat is it all of a sudden>2

0ithout answerin! the 1uestion, which could also be treated as rude,

na!a$i !rabbed LeoKs left wrist

Althou!h sha$in! it off would be eas', Leo 1uietl' followed na!a$i

&e was brou!ht to a small bar inside of a bac$ alle' Althou!h 2-A:2

was written on the si!nboard, it was a storeKs appearance that Leo felt

did not need the use of western/st'le characters at all

2=aster, Qll borrow the upstairs2

na!a$i called to the proprietor of the shop, who was polishin! a !lass

on the other side of the counter, and went up the stairs at the far end

without waitin! for a repl' Leo was brou!ht to a cramped small room

which was filled onl' with four chairs placed around a small round

table The doorwa' bein! a bul$', airti!ht constructed door, loo$in!


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Thou!h Leo reflexi%el' frowned, aside from whether it was from

!oodwill or malice, since he was aware of the fact that he was tau!ht

techni1ues, lent speciali3ed weapons, and also supported in %ariouswa's, he refrained from rebuttin!

2snKt =r nspectorKs &ouse mista$in! the wa' of raisin! dau!hters>2

The counterattac$ was at best a de!ree that would be $noc$ed down

for abusi%e lan!ua!e (would be dis!ustin!)

2ThatKs for sure2

Toshi$a3u said so with a wr' smile -ut, contrar' to his li!ht tone, the

li!ht within his narrowed e'es felt li$e somethin! deep/rooted

Sensin! dan!er of ha%in! crossed where he shouldnQt, Leo shut his

mouth

2DonKt mind the in%esti!ation 0e were ust tr'in! to conceal our

presence in order to a%oid meanin!less troubleM itQs not li$e we were

tailin! an'one Since late at ni!ht here, this is a place where the police

would draw loo$s of resentment2

2Loo$s of resentment, huh tKs certainl' li$e that2


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2No, not oftenM onl' come here occasionall' also strolled here on

New 5earKs +%e2

2Two wee$s a!o, huh Then, do 'ou $now of the stran!e e%ents that

ha%e occurred in the shoppin! districts>2

na!a$i didnKt stop Toshi$a3u, who was tr'in! to re%eal details of an

incident o%er reportin! restrictions At an' rate, na!a$i $new that b'

tomorrow it would be a 2scoop2

2Stran!e e%ents> thou!ht that such thin!s happen e%er' da' -' the

wa', =r nspector, werenKt 'ou in char!e of 5o$ohama cit'> 0h' are

'ou in%esti!atin! the incidents of this town>2

20e are members of the Police Department 0eKre transferred here

and there all o%er 2

*urrowin! his e'ebrows, Leo as$ed Toshi$a3u re%ised his e%aluation


90/240

2Lea%in! aside the da'time, it would not be stran!e e%en if somethin!

li$e this happened in the middle of the town at ni!ht At least in this

town2

&owe%er, as Toshi$a3u answered bac$ with a bitter expression, Leo

couldnKt help but nod 25ouKre ri!ht2 Leo also $new from experience

that the present Shibu'a had an unusual dual nature

2Therefore, would li$e to as$ somethin!M do 'ou happen to $now

an'thin! about a stran!e !u'> donKt mind e%en if it is ust rumorsthat 'ou ha%e heard2

2There are a lot of stran!e !u's loiterin! around this town in the dead

of ni!ht Specificall', what $ind of !u' do 'ou want to $now about>2

To LeoKs ustifiable complaint, Toshi$a3u, $nowin! that itKs not such a

case, lea$ed a wr' smile

2ertainl', itKs not clear -ut, the in%esti!ation would ha%e been fairl'

eas' if we $new the criminalKs features2

Leo was silentl' starin! at Toshi$a3u, who was ponderin! 2*rom

where should be!in to explain>2


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Neither bein! fri!htened nor feelin! uneas', Leo muttered so in an

ama3ed %oice

20hile it ma' seem a supernatural phenomenon, the incident is

realit'2

0hile bein! ama3ed at Leo9s attitude, Toshi$a3u returned the ori!inal

1uestion

2So, wonder if 'ou happen to $now a !u' li$el' to perpetrate this b'

imitatin! somethin! occult Particularl' with forei!ners these da's,

such as stran!e rumors, which spread out about those !u's2

2*orei!ners these da's, huh2

*rom before bein! as$ed a!ain, Leo crossed his arms, but before lon!,

uncrossed them with a loo$ of resi!nation

2=' bad, no one comes up in m' mind2

t was a rude, or rather, a muddled tone as if to sa' 20hat $ind of

manners were those>2 but without feelin!s of wonder or hatred

2Km stoc$in! up on o$es from a friend2


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raised his %oice as !esture to stop, but Toshi$a3u brou!ht out a

business card from his breast poc$et

2f 'ou find an'thin!, mail me here 5ou manuall' enter for the first

time, and itKs automaticall' updated from the second2

The !ood sense of na!a$i was i!nored b' both Leo and Toshi$a3u

2tQs reall' strict 0ell then, if find an'thin!, Qll let 'ou $now2

Sa'in! so, Leo stood up, with one hand easil' turnin! the airti!htloc$Ks handle that na!a$i had to use two hands to turn, and went

downstairs

? ? ?


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And it could not be for a tri%ial matter

2 donKt mind 0hat on earth happened>2

0eK%e found the whereabouts of those who escaped last month

20hat;>2

The desertion incident of the star/of/the/first/ma!nitude class of Stars,

Alfred *ormalhaut, which occurred last month, was not onl' limited to

the scandal of Stars, but also !a%e a !reat shoc$ to the USNAexecuti%es

That incident did not end with *irst Lieutenant *ormalhautKs disposal

b' LinaKs hands The fact is that in the same period, se%en ma!icians,

and also ma!ic factor' masters had escaped from the USNA forces

0ithin them, althou!h it was the satellite class of the lowest ran$, the

members of the Stars were also included The mission entrusted to

Lina b' =aor anopus bac$ then was the pursuit and disposal of

these fu!iti%es t was about them, he was sa'in! that, their

whereabouts were found out

20here is it;>2


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&i!h ommander, we will pass on the instructions from the CeneralStaff &ead1uarters The mission currentl' !i%en to =aor An!ie Sirius

should assume a priorit' of second de!ree, and 'ou should !i%e toppriorit' to the trac$in! of the fu!iti%es

Lina, once after ta$in! a deep breath, answered to the communication

de%ice

2-en Please con%e' to the &J that accept it2

:o!er &i!h ommander, ta$e care

The communication cut with those words of worr'

2t loo$s li$e wonKt be able to sleep an' lon!er toni!ht2, Lina

thou!ht

? ? ?

n the classroom at the be!innin! of the wee$, the stran!e murders

e%ent was the hot topic


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+%en thou!h it was ob%ious, he was ust tr'in! to ma$e sure that this

was the !eneral eti1uette Then +ri$a, as he thou!ht, nodded happil'

2About that, itKs after all impossible that it would be done b' a sin!le

criminal, ri!ht> s it a professional or!ani3ed crime> =' %ote is that it

is an ille!al or!ani3ation dealin! in or!ans and blood2

-efore Tatsu'a sat in his chair, she li!htl' sat on his des$ and twisted

around and brou!ht her face closer

At this time, Tatsu'a thou!ht 9t9s reall' insi!nificant, but that bod' is

flexible9 which was a reall' insi!nificant thin! to be thin$in! about, so

he put on a serious loo$ on his face and shoo$ his head

2f thatKs the case, then donKt understand wh' onl' ten percent of

blood was extracted2

So as not to cause trouble in %ain to the world, it was certain that theauthorities wanted to conceal it, but the fact that the %ictims lost about

ten percent of blood had spread to the societ' alon! with, stirrin! up

the complaint of the 2Eampire e%ent2

20asnKt there an intention of $illin!> DidnKt the' thin$ possibl' to use


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of the le!endar' %eil f the hob!oblins or the li$e with substance

reall' existed, their existence should ha%e been disclosed alon! with

that of the 2wi3ards2 Tatsu'a had at least thou!ht so

2Then is it Tatsu'aKs opinion that till the bitter end, it was an act done

b' humans and not b' occult means>2

20hat about 'ou, =i$ihi$o> Do 'ou thin$ that 5ou$ai or demons,

those sort of bein!s are in%ol%ed>2

&e struc$ bac$ at =i$ihi$oKs 1uestion with the contentKs same

1uestion

=i$ihi$o chimed 2&mm2, sha$in! his head bac$ and forth

2 canKt thin$ that this is the wor$ of a mere human, but can9t ma$e

an assertion2

To the aw$ward answer of =i$ihi$o, Tatsu'a re%ealed a nast' smile

2Spea$in! of the occult, until ust .## 'ears a!o, ma!ic was the prime

example of the occult2

+ri$a promptl' leaned forward in excitement


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2=a!ic is not a power permitted to humans,2 which is the essence of

the cult ideolo!' for a sub/sect of hristianit'

The assertion 2&umans should li%e with onl' the power accorded to

humans,2 or perhaps one should sa' from the public stance named

2&umanism2, is a part' which has been expandin! their influence in

recent 'ears in the central east coast of America

f itKs ust 2stop usin! ma!ic2, then there is no particular harm (man'

people would a!ree), but radical elements of &umanism conducted%iolent acts aimed at the reection of the %er' existence of ma!icians

+%en in the USNA the' recei%e their own authoritiesK sur%eillance as a

form of anti/crime reser%e troops (A %iolent action, USNA alwa's

monitored or!ani3ations)

2Now that 'ou mention it, saw those sheep clamorin! for that on theTE2

2=ornin!, what are 'ou tal$in! about>2

nterruptin! +ri$aKs speech as usual, in the seat in front of Tatsu'a

itKs ob%ious that from the be!innin!, there was no 2homeroom


98/240

There was no !olden haired companion beside =i'u$i, who appeared

in the school cafeteria

Tatsu'a didnKt feel an' doubt or dissatisfaction because he also did not

ma$e a separate appointment -ecause of that, this 1uestion, not that

he was that interested, simpl' came to mind

2Toda' 'ouKre not with Lina>2

&owe%er, his 'oun!er sisterKs answer was outside of Tatsu'aKs

expectations

2Toda', she is absent, 4nii/sama She was in a hurr' re!ardin! some

business related to her famil' and the li$e2

2&mm>2QAbsent ust after transferrin! in from o%erseas>K Tatsu'a thou!ht, but

since he didnKt also $now a forei!n ma!ician student other than her, he

did not assert it to be abnormal n the first place, if her identit' is

considered, there should be a lot of thin!s which ha%e priorit' o%er

school -esides, there was no wa' that Lina would ha%e told =i'u$i


99/240

includin! teachers still remain2

*or this episode, e%er'one showed facial expressions mixed with

surprise and interest Since the s'stem of students !oin! abroad to

learn ma!ic has %irtuall' ceased, what $ind of teachin! was done in

forei!n countries was a $ind of information that was hardl' a%ailable

2Then, ma'be Lina is perplexed as well in %arious wa's, ri!ht>2

2That reall' doesnKt loo$ li$e it2

=i'u$i, while smilin!, denied =i3u$iKs concern n fact, Lina did not

appear to be perplexed at the difference of lessons structure between

America and


100/240

was ust out of curiosit' was dwellin!

? ? ?

At the time that Tatsu'aKs !roup had been excited with the topic of

their friend who was stud'in! o%erseas, the blond haired and blue

e'ed hi!h school student who had come to stud' from abroad was in asecret meetin! at the USNA embass'

2n other words, 'ou sa' that in *redd'9s, no, *irst Lieutenant

*omalhautKs cerebral cortex, a neuronal structure ne%er seen in a

normal human was formed>2

Thou!h the meetin! was encroachin! into lunch time, no one there,includin! Lina, re1uested a brea$

2t ma' be misleadin! to sa' normal human2

The one who answered was a man who, thou!h not wearin! the white

lab coat, had indeed the appearance of 'our e%er'da' re!ular scientist


101/240

there should not be a structure which connects the left and ri!ht

hemispheres of the brain there, ri!ht>2

2ThatKs ri!ht n other words, it means that there is somethin! in *irst

Lieutenant *omalhautKs brain that a human should not ha%e2

Lina finall' understood wh' she personall' had to come here toda'

ertainl' itKs not somethin! that can be discussed on the phone

20hat $ind of function does it perform> K%e heard before that the pre/

frontal cortex is the area closel' connected to the abilit' of thin$in!and ud!ment, but an the newl' formed brain cells affect the

mental capabilit' to that extent>2

20e USNA ma!ic researchers belie%e that the brain is not an

independent thin$in! or!anM the real thin$in! core is the Pushion

nformation -od'M the brainKs role is to recei%e the information sentfrom the so/called 9mind9, and the communication or!an transmits the

information of the bod' to the mind Althou!h still in the theoretical

sta!e, the possibilit' is %er' hi!h2

The scientist, with an in!ratiatin! smile shoo$ his head at the 1uestion


102/240

h'pothesis, there is no doubt to assume that the mind and the bod'

interact one/to/one +%en if one could interfere with someone elseKs

mind, it wouldnKt be to the extent of affectin! the brainKs structure-esides, a ma!ic which alters the mindKs %er' structure does not

exist2

*rom the phrase Q=a!ic which alters the mindKs %er' structureK, Lina

remembered the le!end of one ma!ician &owe%er, that ma!ician was

alread' dead At the end of twent' 'ears of hospitali3ation, withoutbein! married, and certainl' without ha%in! children, that one should

ha%e left this world

Lina sli!htl' shoo$ her head, thin$in! bac$ to the matter at hand

? ? ?

Thou!h it is the afternoon session, the third/'ear students alread' had

free attendance to school Ta$in! ad%anta!e of the fact that the

second/'ear students were bound in classrooms and practice rooms,


103/240

chuc$les

2+%en Sae!usa can spea$ in such a wa'2

2Ara, Sorr' 0as it %ul!ar>2

As =a'umi startin! puttin! on a false co1uettish air, atsuto9s

chuc$les turned into a bitter smile

20hen Km with 'ou, sometimes happen to wonder whether or not

Km treated li$e a man22tKs a misunderstandin!, 'ou $now> 2

2Since the entrance examination, we are ri%als of three 'ears2

After each lau!hed at the other in a hushed tone bout, the two peoplechan!ed their expression at the same time Since e%en while lau!hin!,

the hea%' feelin! of tension was driftin! between the two people, one

canKt sa' that the atmosphere chan!ed

2


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2The %ictims of the Eampire e%ent are exactl' three times of what was

reported Twent'/four %ictims ha%e been confirmed 'esterda'2

+%en if itKs atsuto, he could not help bein! surprised at this

2s that onl' in this To$'o nei!hborhood>2

2The metropolitan area of To$'o, and moreo%er also concentrated in

the urban areas2

atsuto crossed his arms and was 1uietl' thin$in!=a'umi silentl' waited for him to spea$

2There are %ictims that the Sae!usa &ouse $nows that the police donKt

$now =oreo%er, itKs in a limited narrowed area that dama!e has

occurred (the %ictim is still in place, bein! loc$ed into a narrow area)

&a%e the Sae!usa officials been %ictims>22tKs half correct The %ictims who the police donKt $now are all our

ma!icians and those in cooperation with us +%en the %ictims who are

not are pro%en to be either ma!icians or those who possess the

disposition to ma!ic *or example, li$e the students of the =a!ic

Uni%ersit'2


105/240


106/240

2n chronolo!ical order, first off the =a!ic Uni%ersit' students and

staff ha%e been $illed, the staff of our &ouse in%esti!atin! were $illed

while tr'in! to a%en!e the pre%ious loss, and meanwhile the %ictimshad also increased, causin! this $ind of situation2

2ndeed, we canKt i!nore it2

Lea%in! the dama!e recei%ed to the ed!e of the facial expression from

=a'umi, atsuto nodded deepl'

2Are there not an' clues> f itKs someone who possesses abilit' toinure the Sae!usa ma!icians, we can onl' consider either enhanced

soldiers or ma!icians And also, the possibilit' that it is a forei!ner is

hi!h +ither someone who entered the countr' before and after the

case outbrea$, or a suspicious person amon! the forei!ners who ha%e

!one to To$'o>2To atsutoKs in1uir', =a'umi shoo$ her head tKs li$el' that the

Sae!usa also considered the same thin! and had alread' in%esti!ated

2-ut, spea$in! of forei!ners who entered the countr' before and after

the case outbrea$2


107/240

To the reasonable proposal of atsuto, t was =a'umiKs turn to frown

this time

2Actuall', thin$ so too, but this is brea$in! the unwritten rule heref *ather doesnKt apolo!i3e and admit his faults, thin$ that the fence/

mendin! will be impossible2

2-ut 'our father has no intention to apolo!i3e to the 5otsuba, huh

thou!h it is understandable !i%en the past discord between =a'a/dono

and oichi/dono &owe%er, it is reall' rare for the 5otsuba to hardentheir attitude until now2

n the polic' of independenc' if portra'ed positi%el', or the polic' of

self/centeredness if portra'ed ne!ati%el' that the 5otsuba adopted

(thou!h, the independence doesnKt ori!inall' ha%e a bad meanin!),

the' had alwa's adopted the stance of not carin! about what the other&ouses do Solidl' pro!ressin! towards impro%in! their own

efficienc', ran$ed with the Sae!usa in the top of the Ten =aster lans

onl' b' the %irtue of their ma!ic power, it was a lan which can be

said to be heretical e%en amon! the Ten =aster lans

atsuto had sometimes thou!ht what on earth the' e%en did behind


108/240

re!ained a calm expression, turned a!ain toward atsuto

2So, what do 'ou thin$> 0ould the 2

To =a'umi who as$ed once a!ain, atsuto nodded immediatel'

2 will cooperate2

2Althou!h it is the usual thin! it is a reall' prett' strai!htforward

answer2To atsuto9s repl', with also no trace of doubt, =a'umi bustled with a

shoc$ed %oice

2 ha%e said it before Since heard the stor', e%en for the


109/240

Chapter 5

An unbro$en stream of pedestrians plodded beneath the ni!ht s$ies of

Shibu'a &owe%er, from a !randiose perspecti%e, this was a problem

restricted to Shibu'a onl'

Late in the ni!ht, there would be brief durations where no one was

around, creatin! small poc$ets li$e the e'e of a storm Such as thenarrow alle's between the taller buildin!s and s$'scrapers Li$e the

small par$s that dotted the landscape between the intersections of

lar!er boule%ards and smaller lanes R This, was ust li$e the confined

!reen lands which onl' allowed one step at a time

Still, ust because no one was wal$in! did not denote that no one was

present There were two humanoid entities in the par$ 4ne was ashadow/li$e fi!ure who wore a lon! o%ercoat and scarf with a round

hat co%erin! the e'es, completel' concealin! an' features or hints of

!ender The other wore a !or!eous coat o%er a $nitted sweater and

mini s$irt with a pair of thic$ heeled shoes and was clearl' a 'oun!


110/240

cannot become one of us without desires of their own)

(Are there people in this world without desires>)

(5ou mean there are other conditions>)

(n order to determine the truth, we need more samples)

(That remains unchan!ed)

()

(No, this is a rare opportunit' The ph'sical %essel of someone capable

of brea$in! throu!h the spiritual barrier mi!ht be compatible


111/240

A sense of ustice> There were other more heinous crimes

Territorial> Shibu'a was not his home turf

uriosit'> n all honest', he didnKt reall' care about the real identit'

of the perpetrators

At an' rate, he felt that this wasnKt somethin! he could i!nore This

was probabl' the reason that was closest to the truth

After searchin! his feelin!s, Leo arri%ed at this conclusion0al$in! at ni!ht =o%in! in the dar$ness


112/240

urrentl', the two people who were rapidl' pro!ressin! throu!h the

Shibu'a ni!ht were also hunters dispatched from the USNA arm' to

pursue the deserters and belon!ed to the unit Stardust Li$e Stars,the' too were under the direct command of the


113/240

pattern of blac$ bats obscured the face *eatures completel' hidden

from %iew, the fi!ure in the lon! coat wal$ed while $eepin! an e'e on

the alle' exit A smir$ tu!!ed at the corners of the mouth co%ered incloth

(Pursuers from the militar' The' ha%e sorel' underestimated me if

the' thin$ two Stardust members will be a match for me )

(ThatKs based on who 'ou were before)

:ecei%in! the co!niti%e si!nal from his %anished companion, thecreature who was once harles Sulli%an turned its derisi%e smir$ into

a wr' one +%er since turnin! into this form, there was no wa' for him

to hide an'thin! from his compatriots There was no sense of pri%ac'

at all &owe%er, the current harles Sulli%an wasnKt displeased at this

turnout *or them, this was onl' a natural course of e%ents and did notconstitute a source of irritation

4nce he put all his concentration into the depths between his brows,

he could also detect what his comrade was thin$in! about Throu!h

the new sensor' or!an located between the ri!ht and left hemispheres

of the brain the' could easil' reach consensus &e was the entit'


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wa%es from the ast


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Upon hearin! Sulli%an name their call si!ns aloud, the sli!htl'

slac$ened fin!er once a!ain ti!htened

ThereKs no wa' 'ou can beat me

At the same time Sulli%an made this outra!eous declaration, a !unshot

ran! out Than$s to the silencer, the sound was rou!hl' e1ui%alent to

that of an air !un &owe%er, the bullet fired from this !un could snuff

out life with little to no difficult'

A muffled !roan ran! out from behind Sulli%an The fired bullet didnot penetrate Sulli%anKs breast that la' directl' ahead, but went

throu!h &unter :Ks arm

DidnKt 'ou hear> The' must ha%e told 'ou to a%oid firearms when

!oin! up a!ainst me

This is Traector' Alteration>

4nce Sulli%an condescendin!l' said those words, J re%ealed an

expression of utter shoc$ The' $new that Sulli%an speciali3ed in

ma!ic that altered the traector' of proectiles, but the' also heard that

he was unable to use ma!ic without a AD


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elsewhere As if bein! pulled alon! b' the blade, J slid before : and

mana!ed to stifle Sulli%an before he be!an his attac$

&e can e%en chan!e the traector' of the blade thatKs in m' hand;>&ow are 'ou able to manipulate such powerful ma!ic>

ha%e no reason to explain this to 'ou wh' am no lon!er who

was

Silence;

Suddenl' burstin! in a sprint, J chan!ed the direction of her

downward stro$e and cut a hole in Sulli%anKs coat to re%eal the carbon

armor beneath mmediatel' on her heels, : was closin! in and

stri$in! at the !ap between the armor with her blade

U!h;

Still, :Ks blade slid across Sulli%anKs chest as he turned The bladeKs

traector' once more when awr', causin! : to lose her balance and let

out a !asp

As if performin! a ma!ic tric$, a blade that loo$ed ust li$e the ones

the hunters had materiali3ed in his hand


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The blades that flew towards Sulli%an rebounded ust before hittin!

the !round and bloc$ed the da!!ers throu!h towards J and :

Sulli%an too$ this openin! to leap onto the walls of the s$'scraper

After $ic$in! off three times from the s$'scrapers, he reached the

rooftop of the buildin!s that formed one of the alle's

A =a!ician with flamin! red hair, !olden e'es, and wearin! a mas$

planned to follow the others footsteps and pursue as she watched his

fleein! form

Still, ta$in! note of the newl' acti%e psions bustlin! about in the alle',

she abandoned the pursuit

orrection, in order to pre%ent additional %ictims from appearin!, she

char!ed headlon! into the depths of the alle'

? ? ?

*eelin! the rapidl' !rowin! tension in the air that could mean nothin!

b t b t L K f t t t i di h lt th th


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defenseless as Leo carefull' and exhausti%el' approached the 'oun!

womanKs side

&e', are 'ou 4>

Leo carefull' reached out a hand to sha$e her b' the shoulder, but the

woman failed to react in an' wa' 0hen he pressed a hand to the

womanKs nec$, LeoKs expression stiffened The flesh was old, with no

si!n of a pulse R Scratch that, while %er' wea$, but at the %er' least

there was still somethin!Leo franticall' pulled out the information terminal and sent out an

emer!enc' distress call, this time directed to the ambulance instead of

the police


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Seein! the police baton bent out of shape, the mas$ed indi%idual

%isibl' faltered

That hurt;

Leo struc$ the mas$ed man dead center on the chest, creatin! the

sound of two hard obects impactin! one another

The odd man lurched bac$wards while Leo shoo$ both his hands as if

in !reat pain Still, he appeared to ha%e been spared the fate of

fractured bones The left arm that too$ the full brunt of the policebaton also seemed to retain its full freedom of mo%ement

arbon armor beneath that coat, huh> 5ou came well prepared

Leo inwardl' re!retted not brin!in! a weapon while $eepin! a war'

e'e on the mas$ed man, fallin! into a combat stance in the meantime

LeoKs !ut feelin! told him this mas$ed man was the %ampire

The stran!er abandoned the police baton and extended both hands

forward 4n the left side, the left fist was raised to chin hei!ht while

the ri!ht fist was held before the chest This loo$s li$e hinese martial

arts, Leo thou!ht Still, there was one other detail worth notin! The


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constituted a fatal attac$

f he lost consciousness here, he was as !ood as doomed There was

no !uarantee that his life wouldnKt end permanentl' here :eali3in!this, Leo forced himself to raise his head

The mas$ed man had alread' risen 0hile he or she was pressin! their

chest, it was plain that the' hadnKt lost combat effecti%eness

&owe%er, for some un$nown reason, this stran!er wasnKt finishin!

Leo off or e%en loo$in! at him for that matter:eadin! the atmosphere, Leo followed the mas$ed manKs !a3e to find

what Leo was forced to admit was a demon

*lamin! red hair and !olden e'es =a'be because of the distance, the

bod' si3e loo$ed a little on the petite side, or ma'be Leo was plainl'

losin! consciousness0ithin his mur$' awareness, Leo thou!ht he saw the stran!er flee

towards the side street, with the demon in hot pursuit

*ull' transformed into her persona as the mas$ed =a!ician Sirius,

Lina briefl' wa%ered after !lanc

MKnR 09 - Visitor (I).pdf

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