Chapter 103

The sun rose after the night of the frenzied maelstrom of high energy psions and diamond meteor blows.

Even though it was Sunday, Tatsuya still came to school. To his side, Miyuki flanked him as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Regardless of whether in the past or the present, the fact that school was open on Sundays remained unchanged. School was still accessible on Sundays primarily for students participating in club activities, but also for students who had received permission to use the library, labs, or even the practical skills facilities.

That being said, their target was not the club rooms, gymnasium, library, or lab.

Tatsuya and Miyuki's target destination was the Student Council Office. "Looks like no one's here yet."

As Miyuki said, there was no one in the Student Council Room. Hearing his sister's murmurs, Tatsuya chuckled quietly for some strange reason.

"Only in stories does the mediator take the stage last. Reality isn't like that."

The retort that sprouted from Tatsuya's mocking tone was certainly third rate. Miyuki's smiling assent "You must be right" was simply to humor him out of politeness.

Still... Tatsuya himself was aware of the absurdity of his joke. The reason for his laughter was because he was usually the one being summoned, whereas today he was the one who sent the summons. This little detail was the only oddity, so it didn't matter if he was citing the plot of a novel.

On the other hand, he didn't have a whole lot to prepare despite his invitations. Then again, it wasn't like he had to wait too long.

"Good morning, Tatsuya-kun, Miyuki."

One of the people they were waiting for showed up right on time. "Ara, Erika. You're not with Yoshida-kun?"

"That was just a coincidence! ...Is it just me, or do I sense a little bit of malice here?"

"It's just you."

On the other side from where the female students were having their heart- to-heart (?) conversation,

"Were you waiting for a long time?"

"Hardly, we just arrived. My apologies for calling you guys out here on a Sunday."

The guys were engaged in the customary small talk.

"For some reason, I get the feeling that Miki and I are treated differently... Ah, whatever. So what's up with today? It's a rare sight for

Tatsuya to summon us on a day off."

It was indeed a rarity. It was hardly atypical for high school students to act their age and go on an outing during their days off, but under those conditions, Tatsuya was usually the one being invited.

Speaking of oddities, Erika's eyes were drifting all over the place from the get go, probably because she found the numerous data gathering devices on the walls of the Student Council Office to be rather jarring. Seeing her like this, Tatsuya recalled that this may be the first time she ever came into this room.

"Let's wait a little while longer. We can start after everyone has arrived." "Who else is coming?"

"Ah, we're almost all here."

In response to Mikihiko's query, Tatsuya replied in the affirmative. As if on cue to Tatsuya's words, someone knocked on the door from the outside. Within the student body, she was probably the one who was most familiar with this room, to the point that she was almost the mistress of the Student Council Office, so no one would find it amiss if she entered without knocking. Even so, she turned out to be a surprisingly (?) well-mannered individual. Someone might question her "common sense" in knocking rather than using the intercom, but Tatsuya also opened the door personally rather than using the remote, so they were both in the same boat.

"I apologize for calling you out here on such short notice."

Just as Mikihiko was about to voice aloud his question of "why are you greeting them personally", his question was immediately dispelled upon the door swinging open. That was because Mayumi and Katsuto appeared in the doorway.

"Yoshida-kun and Chiba-kun? Were the two of you called here by Shiba- kun as well?"

In place of Mayumi, who stood frozen in shock and not inconsiderable wavering, Katsuto presented a simple question.

"Ah, yes."

In place of Erika, who was suddenly at a loss for words, Mikihiko was the one who gave a concise answer.

"Then, let's begin."

Tatsuya reinforced his words and urged everyone to their seats.

"Can you start with an explanation first? Why did you call Saegusa-senpai and us here at the same time?"

"I concur. I would also like to hear your reasoning first."

Interpersonal feelings had a karma-like quality. Good intentions, malice, and enmity were all replied back in kind. Calculating the proper category and preparing the appropriate response would be the adult approach, but being unable to discern the other side's intentions made this rather difficult to prepare for.

Mayumi's attitude was an exemplary model of an emotional reflex. Personally, she bore no displeasure towards Erika, though to be precise, she didn't really bother herself with Erika's actions. That being said, she already responded to the blatant enmity that Erika was flaunting. Seeing her like this, Tatsuya couldn't help but mentally add, "You're two years older than her, can you please adopt a more logical stance?"

"In regards to the vampire we have been hunting, I have one detail I need to report to everyone present."

However, Tatsuya didn't really care if they were set on opposing one another. He didn't attempt any meaningless arbitration and quickly dived into his conversation.

"Then let's hear it."

First one to react was Katsuto. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that no one save Katsuto had a reaction.

"Last night, I interjected a synthetic molecular transmitter that sends out a set electronic signal every three hours into the vampire's body."

The transmitter was placed inside the tranquilizer pellet as a fallback plan in case the tranquilizer failed to take effect. However, the actual situation had far exceeded initial estimates, forcing him to rely on this insurance policy. That being said, just Tatsuya alone would be hard pressed to maximize the utility of this insurance.

"At most, the transmitter will last three days. While the signal strength is very weak, we should be able to capture the signal if we utilize the antennae placed on the street cameras that are used to detect illegal electronic signals."

This time, everyone had a reaction. Actually, it was more like there was no way they could sit still.

"Just a minute, Tatsuya-kun. Last night? Where?" Mayumi's eyes bulged outwards.

"How did you find it?"

Unlike her usual frustrated tone, Erika's question was more of a reprimand.

"You say synthetic molecular transmitter, just where did you get your hands on something like that..."

Mikihiko murmured in a daze as everyone brought their own question to bear on Tatsuya.

While Tatsuya personally believed that these were all legitimate questions worthy of asking, he wasn't ready to divulge the entire process and background. In order to do so, he would not be able to avoid touching the tip of the iceberg for the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion's equipment as well as Lina's secret identity.

"This is the signal frequency."

As he said this, Tatsuya placed a card in front of each of the four.

"Senpais' group and Erika's group should all be able to access the observation antennae, correct?"

"...So we're to find its location, right?"

Tatsuya wordlessly nodded at Mayumi's question. "...Why are you giving this to us?"

Tatsuya wasn't dull enough to miss that the "us" Erika spoke of referred to the team formed by the Saegusa and Juumonji Families as well as the group formed by the Chiba Family. Even so, he had no intention of pointing out the obvious. Still, it was Tatsuya's goal to pass along the data he had collected so far to the four in front of him, so he continued his explanation in spite of Erika's query.

"In regards to the identity of the vampires we are hunting, they appear to be Magicians who deserted from the USNA Army."

The four of them betrayed looks of "how can this be" as well as "that makes sense".

The unknown force that was hampering their investigation. That sort of atypical individual and organizational strength told Mayumi and Erika that this was no ordinary criminal organization. It would make a whole lot of sense if the vampire's real identity was that of Magicians who deserted from the USNA military.

"In addition, there's more than one of them. There are at least two deserters and maybe as many as ten or more."

"Ten people deserted from Stars?"

"No, Erika. They may still belong to the USNA Army even if they are not affiliated with Stars."

"Eh, is that true?"

"Saegusa... Stars is a unit comprised of only the Magicians with the highest combat rating in the entire USNA Army. That implies that there are also Magicians in the USNA Army that do not belong to Stars."

Tatsuya corrected Erika's misinterpretation while Katsuto did the same for Mayumi. The two beautiful women were surprisingly birds of a feather (?), but would definitely throw a tantrum if this was said aloud. Tatsuya concluded that he should keep this to himself.

"—Even if they are not members of Stars, they are still trained opponents augmented by the vampire's powers. They will not be easy opponents."

"That's right. Even excluding the creature's power, they are not opponents we can take lightly."

Katsuto said heavily.

"However, even if they are not Magicians from Stars, this does not change the fact that they are from the USNA Army... I thought that any country with Magicians attached to the military would keep them on a short leash, or does the USNA Army have more relaxed discipline?"

Mikihiko's comment was slightly off topic from the discussion at hand. Nevertheless, Tatsuya probably also had a few words on this point. He was not "agreeing" with the topic, but actively answering this question.

"No, maybe you've got it backwards." "Backwards?"

"The Parasite's influence is greater than even the military's control. Isn't it more like the Parasite has completely altered a human being? If that metamorphosis exceeds flesh and bone and encroaches on the mental level, then it would hardly be surprising if there's a change in values after infestation."

"That's... true. Then, why did the Parasite flee?"

"Probably because it felt that there was no further reason to remain or that its goals could not be fulfilled within the military. We have no way of knowing until we capture the Parasite and interrogate it."

"Goal, eh... Beyond just parasites, the goal of most creatures would be to satisfy their hunger or bolster their numbers, but there's no point in dwelling on that now. Anything we come up with would only be pure conjecture. Compared to that, if it's not because of their relaxed discipline, then the situation is far graver."

"Indeed. In other words, how can they expect to instill discipline in the military if there are deserters?"

"...In the end, what are we going to do?"

Just as Tatsuya and Mikihiko were getting embroiled in their conversation, Erika sulkily interposed. Once they looked around, they found Mayumi also wearing a fed up expression.

"I never planned on saying that."

Tatsuya failed to betray any sign of awkwardness at being accused of going off tangent, nor did he cough to break the ice. He immediately used a perfectly natural tone to make his announcement.

At this response, Erika wasn't the only one who wore an "Eh?" expression.

"At any rate, I don't plan on turning a blind eye at my friend's suffering, but at the same time, I don't intend to personally avenge him either. If Public Safety and the police force can handle this then there's nothing else I need to do, nor would I have any complaints as to any punishment on behalf of the Clan Meeting. Of course, I have no problems either if the

Chiba Family decides to solo this endeavor."

Already on his feet, Tatsuya dropped this as he left the table.

Seizing the initiative before Mayumi could say anything, Katsuto said a few congratulatory words to Tatsuya.

"It's not easy for everyone to gather together. Let's talk a little more before taking our leave."

"Is that so? Then, could I trouble you to lock the doors and windows?" "Leave that to me."

Tatsuya bowed to Katsuto and gave a meaningful glance at Miyuki before leaving.

As for Mikihiko's desperate plea for help communicated through his eyes, Tatsuya chalked that up to a misinterpretation and ignored it.

◊ ◊ ◊

Meanwhile, at the same time as Tatsuya left the campus. "Lina, it's about time you got out of bed!"

Chastised by her roommate, Lina finally crawled out of bed.

Ten minutes ago, she had reluctantly got out of bed after her roommate ruthlessly confiscated her blanket. Now, Lina was sitting before the table still clad in her pajamas.

"Seriously... Even for a Sunday, you're taking it too easy."

Utterly befuddled, Silvia set a mug of warm millk laced with honey in front of Lina. Lina slowly used her powerless hand to move that cup to her mouth. Letting out a breath after looking at the honey milk, Lina was finally awake.

"Thanks for the food... Silvie, did we get anything from HQ?"

Her tone had completely transformed to that of the Stars High Commander. –Except her light sleepwear and haphazard hair belied any sort of authority on her part. Still, even her lazy appearance could not detract from her beauty, such was the absolute authority of "true beauty". Silvia could only chuckle wryly, finally choosing to bite her tongue because she too acknowledged "that's just how it is".

"Currently, we have received no new information. However, I don't believe that we're going to get off without a reprimand..."

"You think so too, Silvie..."

Hearing Silvia's answer, Lina gloomily lowered her head and covered it with both hands. When matched with her age, that posture of hers simply screamed unreliable. Even knowing that this would rub salt into the wound, Silvia couldn't help but strike up a conversation.

"Lina, exactly what happened last night? Even if they were Satelite class, there are still members with Stars designation, but four of them were neutralized in one instance... Among them, two sustained internal lacerations, concussions, and bone fractures. They have all been injured to the point that returning to active duty on this mission seems impossible."

"Wah..."

"On top of that, we lost communication with you for over three hours, practically full blown MIA..."

"Wah..."

Silvia probably didn't intend to do this, but the contents of her interrogation were pressing Lina for her behavior.

"Don't tell me... You lost?"

That was the finishing blow. Lina, who was just covering her head with both hands and making small noises, suddenly keeled over on the table. This situation completely flabbergasted Silvia, who had inadvertently landed a critical hit.

"I can't go on. I don't have the confidence to continue the mission. I will return the title Sirius."

"Huh, ah, Lina... High Commander!?"

Before the teary-eyed and thoroughly depressed Lina, even Silvia was starting to panic.

"N-Nothing of the sort. High Commander, you have always carried out the duties of Sirius with distinction."

Silvia had intended to just ask Lina a routine series of questions and only just realized that she had pushed Lina into a depressive cycle. Frantically, she tried to console Lina.

"How could the High Commander lose to a high school student, right?"

Currently, Silvia really wanted to sigh aloud. It appeared that Lina was completely immersed in a black morass of negativity. Despite the words "losing to a high school student", under normal circumstances, Lina was still of the age that she should be attending high school herself. Setting that aside, her current tear stricken appearance was perfectly befitting of a young girl her age that could be seen anywhere, Silvia thought with a particular sort of understanding.

"Well, that's right, you were just unlucky this time."

Even so, there was no way Lina could continue her task if this situation continued. "Sirius" was the mightiest fighting force in their arsenal. In an effort to get her to rally, Silvia kept trying to console Lina.

"Of the Shiba siblings you spoke of last time, which one defeated the High Commander?"

"...Both. Just as I caught Tatsuya, Miyuki interfered."

"Oh! As expected, those two aren't normal high school students."

"…...There's no way in hell that those two are "normal high school students!"

"When faced with atypical Magicians, it is true that would be too heavy of a burden for Satellite Classes."

Silvia swapped "high school students" for "abnormal high school students" and substituted "abnormal high school students" with "atypical Magicians" in an effort to remove the catalyst for Lina's shock and boost her recovery.

"It wasn't just the two of them!"

Suddenly, Lina raised her head in a vibrant manner. It appeared that Silvia's plan of action yielded some unexpected results.

"Besides Tatsuya and Miyuki, three ninjas also came out of nowhere!" "Ninjas...?"

Silvia was aware that ninjas – or "Ninjutsu Practitioners", were another term for a type of Ancient Magic user. The source of her (mental) shock was not because she viewed the word "ninja" as a suspicious fabrication, but more because of Lina's sudden fervor.

"While I know that Tatsuya has connection with ninjas, but I never thought that such skilled ninjas would intervene at that time!"

"Y, yes. That's true..."

"The data files from intelligence only mentioned that "a ninja serves as Shiba Tatsuya's trainer"! How was I to know that ninja was Master caliber!"

"...Where did that intelligence come from?"

"I heard the man mention it himself. If I knew there was the possibility of such a tricky opponent interfering, I would have devised another location for this engagement. This is plainly a mistake on part of the intelligence unit. I originally wasn't someone with an intelligence background, so it would be very difficult for me if I don't receive accurate intelligence. Right, Silvie!?"

Just as Sivlia planned, Lina had successfully escaped from that vicious cycle of negativity. As a price, Silvia was forced to listen to Lina's tantrum and complaints.

"Silvie, sorry about earlier..."

Thanks to a thorough rant of her displeasure, Lina had completely reverted to her usual self. By the time she mastered herself, the first thing that crept up on her was a personal loathing for her display.

"No worries. It's unhealthy if you don't vent once in a while."

Seeing Lina slightly dip her head, Silvia smiled and shook her head before refilling the mug of honey milk. Those words only flattened Lina's self- esteem even more, but Silvia meant nothing by that. At her young age, she had already learned that sitting through a superior's complaints was one of the duties of a subordinate.

"Though we have no new orders from HQ, there's still a few reports I need you to go through. Ah, no, you're fine just like that."

Lina probably wanted to "freshen up a little". Silvia waved her hand at her superior, still dressed in her night clothes, as if requesting her to remain seated.

"First, the four who were injured last night... Titan and Enceladus avoided major injury, so we'll observe them for one day and if there are no lingering issues, they should be able to return to active duty. Mimas and Iapetus are as I said earlier and I doubt that they will be able to return to the mission."

"...If the two who have suffered serious injury can recover to a mobile state, arrange for them to return home."

"Then there's just me. Next from Commander Canopus, it doesn't seem likely that we will be able to mobilize more people from Stars to Japan."

"...I see."

"The Joint Chiefs appear to want Stardust as support, at least that's the rumor."

"Do they plan on adding pursuit units?"

When compared to the practical magic systems developed by the Four Systems and Eight Major Types, the research in regards to utilizing special abilities in the Sensory System as magic was slightly behind. Even within a specialized group like Stardust, Magicians who specialized in search and pursuit were hard to come by. Even in the entire USNA military, it was hard to say that they had enough personnel. Now, with this already limited resource invested in Japan, the Joint Chiefs simply didn't have any more troops at their disposal to supply additional pursuers.

"No, they're sending special ops."

As expected, Silvia's response denied Lina's question.

"While I agree that Stardust's firepower would probably be insufficient to handle the situation at hand... But there's nothing we can do."

The difference in capabilities between the Satellite Class and Stardust was not significant. The disparity was that Stardust troops were unable to sustain the augments and could break down at any moment. After augmentation, they displayed prowess on par with Stars members. Still, the Satellite Class units mobilized for this mission to Japan were also picked more for martial abilities, and when compared to them, Stardust's firepower was noticeably inferior. This was the reason why Lina heaved a sigh.

"This is a report from the other side, but the mobile units don't have anything worth reporting."

Silvia also concurred with Lina's assessment, but since there was nothing they could do about the situation no matter how long they thought about it, she progressed to the next report.

"Since we are placed in a situation where we must take care of the deserters first, we'll just have to leave the other side to other teams. Still, why haven't we fished up anything?"

The other side referred to the investigation behind the "titanic explosion" caused by Strategic-Class Magic, tasked with identifying the user of what the USNA diplomats and military personnel named the "Great Boom". The mobile units were the intelligence units that had infiltrated Japan ahead of time in universities and high schools under the guise of transfer students or within the major power in the magical devices industry, Maximillian Devices.

"Speaking of which, we haven't had a chance to speak with Mia in a while."

The name that passed across Lina's recollection and lips was the other individual from the mobile unit who lived next door by the name of Michaela Honda. Although she was also of Japanese descent like Lina, her appearance differed in that she looked completely Japanese. Currently, she infiltrated Maximilian Devices as a salesperson under the alias Aya Honda.

"Over the last couple of days, she looked like she's been out late in the evening. Today is probably work related as well."

"We're the same as well when it comes to being about at late hours...

Plainly, she's quite diligent even on a Sunday."

Lina and Silvia exchanged smiles. While her job as a salesperson for Maximillian Devices was only a disguise, she appeared to be quite popular among the college crowd as the two of them recalled the last time Mia was grousing about her situation.

"She appears to be headed for First High tomorrow. Something about tagging along when they return the CAD maintenance equipment."

"Eh?"

However, Lina's smile stiffened when she heard of Mia's itinerary for tomorrow from Silvia. As Stars' High Commander, Lina disliked anyone seeing her current disguise as a normal high school student, much like how an elementary child mentally resists any parental visit to school.

"Since she's scheduled to visit during lunch, would you be able to catch her during lunch break?"

Without any real life experiences at school, Lina wasn't sure why she was so nervous about this, but Silvia knew much better than Lina herself why this was case when she made this proposal. Seeing Lina avert her eyes in confusion, Silvia smirked in secret.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Tear!"

Amid the ruckus, a call from behind her prompted Shizuku to turn her head. On the American West Coast, it was Saturday evening on January 28th. At the moment, Shizuku was at a house party being thrown in her dorms.

"Ray."

After verifying the male (more like "boy") waving his arms in an exaggerated manner, Shizuku slightly raised her hand.

His name was Raymond S. Clark.

After Shizuku transferred from abroad, he was the first among the male students to strike up a conversation with Shizuku. Since then, he was the white (Anglo-Saxon was a rare sight on the West Coast) classmate who always stuck with Shizuku for some unexplained reason.

Shizuku thought he was properly gesturing with his hand to come over. Since he surprisingly knew how to keep his distance and wasn't particularly irritating, Shizuku's perception of him wasn't overly negative.

On another note, the nickname "Tear" also started with Raymond. When asked what "Shizuku" meant during her self-introduction, Shizuku had explained that her name referred to the "drop" in either a "teardrop" or "dewdrop", to which the nickname "Tear" was supplied for her. Shizuku wasn't particularly fond of this nickname, but when she asked her female classmates "Does she look like a crybaby?", and their answer turned out to be "Because you really fit a pearl's description", she wasn't really in a position to decline any further. –Because she was embarrassed. As a result, since she didn't dislike the name "Tear", she resolved to leave it be. Somewhere along the way, Shizuku's nickname settled on "Tear".

Her internal monologue ended there.

"That dress looks amazing, Tear. You're even more dazzling than usual." "Really?"

Faced with Ray's unfazed smile and compliment, Shizuku kept her usual stoic expression. Actually, it was more like she was tilting her head to one side out of amazement.

A mushroom head of black hair that was allowed to grow long waved lightly back and forth.

Ignoring Ray's eyes that were growing warmer by the second, Shizuku glanced at her own clothes.

The dress was long enough to brush along the floor. Her back, shoulders, and both arms were revealed.

She also wore a long pair of gloves that seemed a little out of date.

While Shizuku had heard of shops in the USNA that carried the latest fashion, she was surprised to find them more antiquated than she imagined. There were also dresses found all over the place today that mandated a corset, but fortunately Shizuku's dress was not like that.

"Your suit matches you well, Ray."

Although she heeded the store attendant's recommendation and bought the dress, Shizuku still didn't understand which part of her dress stood out, so she replied back with customary phrases. To her, Raymond's tuxedo was a little out of style (it would have been outrageous on someone from her country), but perfectly matched his appearances that wouldn't have been out of place on a young noble, so her words of etiquette weren't forced.

"Thank you! It is my honor to be complimented by Tear."

In addition, Shizuku wasn't going to object to his obvious pleasure at those simple words. For some reason, Raymond's honest display of his emotions reminded Shizuku of her younger brother. In terms of race, teenage Europeans should look more mature than Asians of the same age, so even though Raymond was of the same age, he was still a little immature in Shizuku's eyes.

(...No, it's not that Ray is immature, it's because Tatsuya is wiser than his years.)

After turning that over in her head, Shizuku once again looked at Raymond.

"Are you alone?"

"I don't plan on accompanying any woman besides Tear."

Speaking of which, tonight's party wasn't the type where those without a date couldn't attend.

"I wasn't referring to girls."

At the moment, Shizuku followed her own curiosity and clarified Raymond's misunderstanding.

And thus, Raymond became flustered in a very interesting way. "Eh? Uh, yeah, if you mean by myself then I am alone... I think?"

Shizuku really wanted to tell him not to ask her, but managed to bite her tongue.

Seeing the boys behind Raymond making all sorts of elaborate hand gestures (Shizuku was unaware of this, but they were urging Raymond on), there was no need to state that he was blatantly lying. In spite of this, Shizuku didn't have the heart to berate him.

"Um... Tear, in regards to the thing you asked me about before."

Maybe it was because he detected that the atmosphere was rapidly turning for the worse, Raymond made an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Ray."

This was exactly what Shizuku wanted, but she felt that this wasn't the right place to have that conversation.

"Let's move somewhere else."

Hearing Shizuku forcefully call out his name, Raymond could only shut his mouth and repeatedly nod his head at her proposal.

Even though this was a house party, this was the place selected as a residence for the young lady of the Kitayama Family. In comparison to the typical house party that could be found anywhere, it was much more luxurious. The party extended beyond indoors all way into the yard, but given the hour, most of the attendees had already departed.

Shizuku wore a knit overcoat over her dress as she walked beneath the wintry sky filled with stars. For a Japanese female, her height wasn't overly short, but by American standards she was positively "petite". The American coat she wore extended from her shoulders all the way to the waist, but there was still a small, sneaking suspicion whether it could block the cold.

She manipulated the CAD in her handbag and created a warm temperature area around her surroundings. Along the way, she also incorporated Ray into the field as well. The warm temperature area would also help contain the sound of their voices.

"Thanks, Tear... Magic is certainly convenient thing."

"This level of magic isn't all that rare."

In terms of compliments, Shizuku felt that it was a little overblown, but Raymond massively shook his head.

"Tear, you just came to this country, so you might not have noticed, but for us, magic isn't something that can be used like this. It is practically impossible to see magic used in the everyday setting within this country. Magic is used to exemplify one's power, it's an object to demonstrate one's knowledge, and even to exalt one's status."

"So you think it would be a waste, right?" "Hahaha... Well, pretty much."

At Shizuku's blunt assessment, Raymond laughed so hard he bent at the waist. Still, this uproarious laughter seemed slightly unnatural.

"Besides military purposes, this country's magic research is reserved largely for fundamental research. Social services and daily activities are looked down upon as unworthy. If there's massive profit involved, that might not be the case. Because of this... No, sorry. We didn't come to talk about this."

Although he usually looked to be carefree, he also had his own worries. Shizuku wordlessly waited for him to continue.

"Then, let's get back on topic."

Raising his head, Raymond's expression was so sharp he seemed like another person altogether.

"First, the "vampire" incident is indeed true."

He, Raymond, was the "knowledgeable student" she told Honoka about as well as the source of intelligence she promised to Tatsuya.

"Although the cause remains unclear, I have uncovered all the related information."

"Go ahead."

"Of course. This is highly classified information, but last November in Dallas, they conducted an experiment based on string theory to create and evaporate a miniature black hole."

"String theory?"

"Sorry, I don't know all the details." "That's fine. And then?"

Surely she could get those details if she asked Tatsuya, right? Shizuku thought as she encouraged him onward.

"The specifics of the experiment remain unknown, but what is known is that these "vampires" materialized after the experiment was conducted."

Shizuku pondered this for 5 seconds before opening her mouth.

"So Ray, you believe that there is a causal relationship between this experiment and the appearance of the vampires, correct?"

"Earlier, I said that the cause was unknown."

Here, Ray stopped momentarily to organize this thoughts.

"I believe that it was the black hole experiment that summoned the vampires."

There was no way for Shizuku to divine exactly where Raymond got this information and what was the basis for this belief. Still, within this brief exchange, Shizuku clearly understood he had a special power to uncover the buried truth. Whether this was his personal ability or came from an organization was unimportant to Shizuku at this point.

"...I see. Thank you."

The important thing was that his information was trustworthy.

"You're welcome. After all, this is Tear's request. If there's anything else I can do for you, you are always welcome to discuss it with me."

In the eyes of a bystander, it was obvious what Raymond was trying to do. As for Shizuku herself, she believed that "he was only curious about her right now". –Whether this dullness was a natural trait or something acquired from her recent friends was anyone's guess.

◊ ◊ ◊

For Tatsuya, this was the rare Sunday that he could spend at his leisure, though it wasn't like he could go have fun in his uniform. Tatsuya and Miyuki opted against taking a detour to hit the stores and first came home.

Today, they weren't using the motorcycle, but the bus instead. Sitting shoulder to shoulder like they usually did in the bus, Miyuki gloomily watched the side of her brother's face as he watched the passing scenery.

In regards to this incident, Tatsuya was also in the throes of a headache. Rather than calling it a headache, he was berating himself to be more careful. Compared to normal, it was very rare for Tatsuya to beat himself up over what-ifs and maybes.

I wish he could discuss it with me, Miyuki thought.

She didn't believe that she could help very much, nor did she believe that she had the power to alleviate her brother's woes.

However, she still wanted to hear what concerned him. Even if she could not take away his burdens, at the very least she was capable of lessening his headache, Miyuki thought.

I wish he would do that, Miyuki prayed as she kept looking at the side of her brother's face.

"I'm too naïve..."

Was this wish passed along to him? Tatsuya lightly murmured. "Onii-sama?"

Keeping a tight grasp on her agitation and hopes, Miyuki pretended to be oblivious and naturally raised a question to Tatsuya. The words "what are you concerned about" were never asked, never stated.

"I thought the result didn't concern me, so now I'm stuck in this sorry position. Everything is now reactionary. There are these clues at hand, but the core pieces are unknown."

While Tatsuya's speech was rather vague, Miyuki instinctively knew what "clues" Tatsuya was referring to.

"You mean... Lina's situation?"

Tatsuya couldn't help but widen his eyes at someone directly pinpointing what he was thinking about.

"What a pain... I really have no secrets in front of Miyuki."

That's not true! Miyuki furiously stifled the urge to scream from the back of her throat.

Often, Miyuki had no idea what Tatsuya was thinking. Nevertheless, Miyuki convinced herself not to vent her agitation on her brother and instead work towards understanding him.

"I knew from the very beginning what Lina's goals were. I even had the opportunity to interrogate her, or forcibly manufacture the opportunity. Despite this, I left it by the wayside because I didn't want to cause any upheaval in our lives and now have missed the opening."

Tatsuya wore a self-depreciating smile.

Miyuki withstood the pain in her heart and silently waited for her brother to continue.

"No... I do know. Even if I had acted immediately, there's no guarantee that suffering could have been avoided. There is the possibility that the situation could have worsened. But... In the face of a friend being injured, I can't help but consider what if..."

Hearing Tatsuya's confession, this time Miyuki couldn't help but smile. It wasn't because her brother had bared his heart to her, but in regards to the contents of her brother's words.

"Onii-sama….. You've grown kinder."

"Miyuki? What's with this all of a sudden?"

"No... Onii-sama was originally a kind person. It's just a little hard to find sometimes."

"Sorry, you can explain that to me in plainer terms?"

Seeing Tatsuya's bemused expression, Miyuki already decided not to hide her smile any longer.

"So there are some things that even Onii-sama doesn't understand. Even Onii-sama doesn't understand himself?"

"Of course, I think you're appraising me too highly. There are a myriad things I don't know, and my face is something I can see only with the help of a mirror. A created image with the right and left flipped."

"As expected of Onii-sama, you don't try to put on a brave front here. In other words,"

Miyuki dramatically lowered her voice here.

Despite knowing that he was walking straight into his sister's ploy, Tatsuya still strained his ears to hear.

"Onii-sama cannot forgive himself for letting Saijou-kun get hurt. While our time has been limited, Onii-sama doesn't want to do anything violent towards Lina, who has become our friend. Onii-sama, Miyuki is very happy. Happy because Onii-sama has these heartfelt feelings for someone other than myself. You have more humane emotions than you believed yourself to possess."

Tatsuya sat straight forward and closed his eyes.

Miyuki found it hilarious that her brother was adopting such an easily discernible way to disguise his embarrassment.

That he was willing to show this side of himself to her caused Miyuki to feel truly overjoyed.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Yoshida-kun, we're getting a reaction from Tokyo Tower Park. Presently, it is moving towards Iigura Crossing."

"Understood. I am currently located near Toranomon Station near Sakurada. I will proceed immediately to Iigura Crossing."

"Please get there in ten minutes." "Understood. ETA is two minutes."

The transmission was cut short. They looked like they were going to make it this time. Understanding this, Mayumi let out a sigh of relief.

The result of the discussion prior to noon culminated in a system that had Mayumi responsible for information control while Katsuto and Erika led the mobile units. Everyone was clear on the fact that internal strife held no benefit for anyone.

Nonetheless, neither side was willing to take that first step forward, so everyone's independent actions only resulted in the situation where they were hindering their own companions.

On that level, they really had to thank Tatsuya's cloak and dagger play that forcibly established a stage where a compromise could be hammered out. – On Mayumi's part, she was highly put out that Tatsuya was treating her like a child.

(Just you wait. I'm going to give you the bitterest chocolate ever on Valentine's Day.)

Satisfied with the mental image of discomfiting Tatsuya, Mayumi turned her attention back to the display monitor.

Unfortunately, the transmitter Tatsuya supplied wasn't very strong. To be precise, it was horrible, though it was true that the observation antennae could capture the signal waves.

However, in a metropolis well connected by the public transportation system, the target could cover a whole lot of ground in three hours.

Furthermore, the signal was only emitted once every ten minutes. In short, they had to catch the target within this time frame.

This time, it was only after they used the street cameras' observation system that they found out for the first time that they could not pursue the vampire using the street cameras alone. Much like legends and fiction, the camera could not snap a picture of their head. Still, legends and fiction weren't entirely mistaken. No matter how they adjusted the focal point, they could only get a murky picture of the vampire's body.

This was especially the case above the neck. There was no way to differentiate facial features. The street camera system was designed to be a pursuit tool that was founded on the basis of facial recognition, so it was practically pointless if it could not differentiate facial features.

The task force from the Saegusa Family concluded that since there was no sign of mechanical failure, the target probably used magic to disrupt the optics.

This was the reason why the target had eluded them three hours ago and six hours ago. Thus, the hunt continued deep into the night.

Fortunately, this time they seemed to be right on the money.

Mayumi coordinated the collapsing ring of pursuers while opening a line of communication with Katsuto, who was still investigating in the Shiodome District.

◊ ◊ ◊

Early in the week, Tatsuya found a rather familiar sight these past couple of days plopped in front of him in the classroom.

Erika was sprawled over her desk. She might have been better off coming to school later, since she seemed completely exhausted.

(Scratch that, did she pull an all-nighter?) "...Um, shouldn't we wake her up?"

Mizuki, who met them earlier at the station, asked him quietly.

She was so soundly asleep that even normal speaking volume failed to rouse her. Although Mizuki knew this at a glance, it was precisely Mizuki's style to lower her volume even so.

"Just let her sleep."

Tatsuya's reply was fairly simple. To be precise, it was the practical response.

Even if they managed to wake her, it was plain that she wouldn't have access to major mental facilities prior to noon, though in reality, Tatsuya really didn't have the spare energy to worry about other people's mental framework at the moment.

◊ ◊ ◊

In order to address Tatsuya's lack of spare energy, we must return to half a day before.

Actually, coincidentally after Tatsuya and Miyuki finished dinner, the telephone rang.

Right now, this wasn't exactly an odd hour for a call. –At least for the side who received the phone call.

However, this was late at night for the American West Coast and approached the time for the day change. It wouldn't be a surprise if Tatsuya was a little nervous over what happened.

"Hello, Shizuku? Did something happen?"

As predicted, the one who appeared on the screen was Ashe. However, her appearance that came through the picture was wholly expected.

Shizuku looked like she was wearing her pajamas. Following the height of fashion, her sleeping garment failed to include a robe.

Answering the phone in the living room was a bad idea. The large, high definition image projected a brilliant picture that was in no way inferior to real life.

Maybe it was because they were pajamas, but the light luminescent material was not covering much of Shizuku's slim figure.

Tatsuya had seen Shizuku's swimsuit during the summer, but the picture Shizuku presented now was even more alluring.

This was probably the effect of the faintly discernable hinting at the hidden portions. It was one thing if nothing could be seen, but the effect was aggravated when the curves were being hinted at.

Based on the image, Shizuku wasn't wearing underclothes. Although the massive amounts of lace and trimmings covered up the important parts, if the article of clothing was slightly out of place then even the unmentionables would be revealed.

Under normal circumstances, even Tatsuya would raise an eyebrow. Fortunately, concern carried great weight on his part right now, so he wasn't awkwardly flustered.

"Shizuku? What are you doing!?"

Yet, even someone of the same gender who caught a glimpse of this, Miyuki, was blushing – that's how much she was flustered.

"Ah, Miyuki, good evening."

"Stop with the greeting! At least put on a robe!" "...It's OK, right?"

She wore an expression of skepticism, but Shizuku obediently pulled on a robe slowly.

"Sorry for the late hour."

Afterwards, she once again started the conversation anew after bowing her head.

"It's not that late over here... Wait, have you been drinking?"

Shizuku's tone sounded tired but there was something strange, like an odd lint in her voice.

"Drink what?"

Of course that would be, no matter how much Tatsuya wanted to finish the comment, he opted to swallow his words. That was because he realized that voicing that aloud had achieved nothing since the dawn of time.

"Never mind, what were you speaking of?"

Her cognitive powers seemed to have declined as well, but she wouldn't have called for no reason. Tatsuya determined that it was best to get the information from her as quickly as possible.

"Hm, I think I should tell you sooner rather than later."

Tell me what? Surely he should be praised for discerning the topic without blatantly asking the question.

"Do you already know? Impressive." "Please praise me more."

Hearing Shizuku use a plain tone to flirt, Tatsuya suddenly felt a strong sense of powerlessness wash over him.

(...Who allowed Shizuku to drink?)

Shizuku was clearly inebriated. Given that, she appeared to have become more childish.

"No, you're quite amazing, Shizuku. Then, what have you found out?"

It was not his intent to pressure the other side who was calling at a late hour (from her end), but it was probably better for everyone involved to end the call as soon as possible. Even if she was drunk, she wasn't wasted enough to lose her memory.

"The reason behind the vampire's appearance."

Still, this was a more central piece of the puzzle than he had expected. Tatsuya and Miyuki both leaned forward.

"String... That is, something string related to black hole experiments."

"Huh? Black hole? Shizuku, what are you referring to?"

Immediately afterward, since there were a few unexpected and vague terms being bandied about, there was an array of question marks dancing over Miyuki's head.

Exactly – over Miyuki's head.

"I don't know. I was planning on asking Tatsuya."

"Using string theory as a foundation to create miniature black holes? You are referring to the annihilation effect, correct?"

Tatsuya verified in a low, stiff voice. "That's it. You got it."

Shizuku seemed to have missed the alteration in the tone (there was no physical sign she picked up on that), but Miyuki timidly peeked at her brother's expression.

"So they did that..."

His voice was steady as usual, no, perhaps more calm than his usual tone.

Yet, that was because Tatsuya had suffered a serious shock, a detail that no one else could understand save Miyuki.

"What is that?"

At this point, Miyuki really wanted to hang up. Using "It's very late" as an excuse, she planned on terminating the call because she didn't want to sour Tatsuya's mood any worse than it was.

Unfortunately, before that could happen, Shizuku had already voiced a concise question,

"A detailed explanation would be too complex so I'll be brief." Tatsuya also began his answer.

"It is an experiment designed to extract energy out of a miniature version of an artificial black hole. Scientists believe that during evaporation process of black hole creation matter will be transformed into thermal energy. Their goal was to verify this."

Her attempt to terminate the conversation a failure, Miyuki had no choice but to listen to her brother's explanation, but her heart was completely frazzled by the term energy transformation. The warning they received from their aunt rang once more in Miyuki's mind.

"That's string theory? That's how they can extract energy from other dimensions?"

Of course, Shizuku was oblivious to Miyuki's concerns and was simply immersed in the back and forth as a drunk scholar.

"No, the process of extracting energy is in itself unrelated to other dimensions. That's because they have predicted the evaporation of the miniature black hole that has nothing to do with its creation process. String theory refers to the idea that this world is like the outer layer of another world of a higher order. In terms of physical energy, only gravity can permeate the dimensional barrier, so gravity allows most forms of energy to leak into other dimensions. This theory also implies that our dimension is only able to observe energy from higher dimensions at a much smaller scale. However, the tiny distance at the atomic level will still initiate a reaction with similar objects prior to leaking to another dimension and will have a greater gravitational attraction than normal. Thus, based on string theory, creation of a miniature black hole can be accomplished with minimal energy. That is the theoretical background behind the experiment to create an artificial black hole on a miniature scale using string theory." "...Miyuki, did you get that?"

"Alas, no. I don't really understand it either."

Seeing Shizuku shaking her head back and forth, Miyuki also smiled wryly and shook her head.

"But Onii-sama, how does this topic relate to the vampires...?"

Afterward, Miyuki hesitantly ventured forth a question while glancing upwards at her brother's face at a close proximity.

Tatsuya glanced downward towards his sister and flicked his eyes over to Shizuku's image before talking about a series of seemingly unconnected points.

"Energy is not required if the phenomenon alteration was done by magic. Nor is there any sign of physical energy being supplied. Everyone also believes that there is no ethereal energy within this physical realm that can be converted into physical energy. Nevertheless, Move-Type and Acceleration Magic have clearly altered energy values before and after magic invocation. Based on this, magic is not bound by the conservation of energy. Through magic, we can plainly see this law being circumvented."

"I recall that this is known as one of the greatest paradoxes within modern magic."

"That was the proposition, though the consensus is that the proposition itself was imperfect."

Tatsuya darted a quick glance at Shizuku's expression over the monitor. Her speech was rather peculiar – almost as if she was stuttering. Regardless, there was no sign that she was going to fall asleep any time soon. Given how the light of curiosity danced across her eyes, there was little chance she would accept an excuse like "Let's talk about it next time". Inebriated individuals were a little stubborn like that. After considering this, Tatsuya elected to continue.

"You are correct, Shizuku. Superficially, this appears to subvert the law of conservation of energy. In the first place, the law of conservation of energy is a deduced law, so it is impossible for physical phenomena to run counter to this.

So long as magic brings about a physical reaction, then at least restricted within those conditions, the law of conservation of energy should still be observed. While there may be short periods of time during psion activation where the law seems to be circumvented, energy conversation is still observed when taking the entire process into account post fact. Thus, when magic brings about a physical phenomenon, then within that event, the law of conservation of energy should still apply. Of course, the law of conversation of energy refers to the concept of energy remaining constant within a closed system. If there's a record of fluctuating energy levels, then that must mean there is an observation error or that the system is not a closed one."

"Magic has observed that this world is not a closed system... That certainly brings to mind string theory from our earlier conversation."

"I see! So the energy needed for magic is supplied by an alternate dimension?"

"Recently, we've seen a growing number of magic researchers supporting that theory. I too subscribe to this line of thinking. Working under the assumption that string theory is true, then we should consider what it means if gravity is the only force that can pass between alternate dimensions. What I am about to say has no theoretical basis and approaches pure speculation..."

Miyuki and Shizuku wordlessly watched Tatsuya's contemplative look.

"It is a possibility that gravity that acts in the alternate dimension is what supports the dimensional barrier. Under the assumption that magic breaks through this barrier, energy might be removed from the alternate dimension. While it is true that magic is a phenomenon that does not require energy, that does not guarantee that no energy is involved whatsoever. Even within observable parameters, there is a tendency for magic to fail when the total magic output is zero."

Mystified, Miyuki and Shizuku kept their eyes locked on Tatsuya as he looked inward.

"Most likely, the Magic Sequence reverses the insufficient energy needed for phenomena alteration and extracts that insufficient energy from the alternate dimension. In regard to the physical energy supply that cannot be observed, then if we assume that the energy from the alternate dimension has ethereal qualities, or more simply magical energy, then the law of conservation of physical energy is observed after the Magic Sequence is completed."

Although they did not completely understand what Tatsuya was saying, the two young ladies perked up their ears because they felt that his words were of vital importance to Magicians.

"The other side of the dimensional barrier contains a dimension filled with magical energy and, in order to prevent this energy from leaking to the physical dimension, gravity supports the dimensional barrier and prevents any leakage. However, magic can penetrate this barrier in order to make up for the deficiency in energy by drawing from magic energy. – My belief is that this is the system that solves the major paradox to modern magic. On the other hand, based on the miniature artificial black hole developed through calculations in string theory, gravity acting on the dimensional barrier would be wasted by the creation of the black hole. In that case, the dimensional barrier fluctuates the instant the black hole materializes."

"The dimensional barrier fluctuates... What happens then?"

"Magical energy that is beyond the control of Magic Sequences may seep through...?"

Divided by the image, Miyuki and Shizuku shared a glance. The high definition camera and monitor displayed the terror that reflected in their eyes.

"Energy spontaneously structures itself and forms an information body. If not, the universe would have already turned into homogenous nothingness.

Magical energy from an alternate dimension should follow a similar pattern. The moment the dimensional barrier weakens, the possibility that magical energy from an alternate dimension invading this world in the form of information bodies is not zero. At least, that is my perspective."

On the other side of the monitor, Shizuku's body was shaking slightly.

On this side, Miyuki latched onto Tatsuya's arm as if she never wanted to let go.

◊ ◊ ◊

Mikihiko finally showed up in class after the second period was over. "Is it done?"

He wasn't late.

Today, he was also being cared for in the infirmary.

"Tatsuya... I hate you."

Initially, the tone was out of concern, but what came afterwards was a heavy tone of complaint.

"Hey, that's not very friendly."

While the words were probably in jest, the emotions laden within were definitely true.

After overhearing those words, Mizuki shrank back in fright.

"If all I'm going to do is complain, you might as well let me vent it all out. After that, do you know how painful my memory of that ulcer was...?"

"Saegusa-senpai just sat there smiling without a single word, Erika shut her mouth with a totally displeased look on her face... I was the only one who had to keep talking.

That empty feeling was like sitting on pins and needles." "Didn't Juumonji-senpai say anything?"

"Do you think that kind of person would do something so trivial like interfering?"

In that case, that's true.

Mayumi, Erika, and Katsuto all acted in concert with their "personality".

"Well... There's no real reason, but I understand that must have been a tough time for you."

Mikihiko seemed to be a little healed by Mizuki's undisguised words of comfort.

Next to Mizuki, Erika remained sprawled over her desk.

Erika finally revived around lunch time. Maybe because she was finally revitalized, she grabbed onto Mizuki and started complaining.

"Did you hear? Up until now, there was only one of them fleeing, but now suddenly there are three of them. Don't you think that's devious?"

Probably taking into account how terrible it would be if someone accidentally overheard them in the cafeteria, Erika skipped lunch and dragged Mizuki into an empty classroom – the lab that Mikihiko frequented.

"Um, is that so?"

Mizuki nodded to follow along, but in reality, she wasn't entirely sure what Erika was referring to.

She hazarded a guess that this was about the "vampire" incident, but she wasn't aware of the specifics. "Do we count vampires by ones or twos?" was the thought running through Mizuki's head.

"...Before that, you better hurry to the cafeteria. Lunch break is almost over, right?"

"I'm not really hungry."

That's because you've been asleep the whole time! Mizuki really wanted to point that out, but felt that doing so would throw Erika into an irretrievable sulk, so she opted against it.

(Ha... I give up.)

She wasn't fasting – not that she pursued that habit (?) – Mizuki absconded from lunch. There was no physical education or technical skills class later today, so skipping out on one meal wasn't going to be that detrimental, she told herself. Compared to that, there was something she was more worried about.

"Hey, Erika-chan. Why did you get into a fight with Tatsuya?" In that instant, Erika's shoulders started shaking.

"W-what are you talking about, Mizuki. We totally aren't. Definitely not." She massively shook her head and waved both hands.

As a result of letting her hair grow out since spring, her long ponytail – Erika's favorite hairstyle – also danced back and forth with her head.

"There's no need to panic... It's not like I thought Erika-chan did something to Tatsuya.

Even if you cause a fuss, wouldn't Tatsuya just smile and accept it?

So if Erika-chan was the reason, there is no way there could be conflict between the two of you."

"Um, well, I'm really not sure if that was a compliment or an insult..."

Just like her words, Erika wore an "unable to decide" expression as she lodged a protest. Probably.

"I am doing neither. I am merely stating the situation as it is." On the other hand, Mizuki decisively pressed on.

"Even if you put it like that, I still feel I can't accept that!" "Yes, yes. At any rate, I don't think Erika-chan is the reason." The indignant riposte that was lacking in fervor was easily ignored. "Mizuki, you've gotten stronger..."

"If you don't want to talk about it, do you think I will stop asking?"

Erika's attempt to use a comedic line to muddle the issue was met with a fastball right back at her.

Powerlessly, Erika slumped down.

"We're really not fighting... It's just that I'm feeling awkward from my side.

I don't plan on dragging this into tomorrow, so can you go easy on me today?"

Her head tilted, Erika weakly peeked out between the gaps between her hair and arms.

Hm~, Mizuki also tilted her head slightly and tapped her index finger on her chin.

Her hair had a slight tendency to curl inwards and the shoulder-length tresses matched her head's swaying motion.

Swiftly after she did so, her head straightened.

"Since you are able to say that you'll be back to normal by tomorrow, I guess that's OK."

Her mood appeared to be headed in the direction that Erika's was hoping for.

"Yeah, seriously... Ah~, how annoying."

Originally, even Erika didn't believe that nonsense about returning to normal by tomorrow.

After coming to some sort of realization, Erika rose with a lethargic expression.

"In the end, we were probably only flirting with Tatsuya. We plainly never requested Tatsuya-kun to "lend us a hand" and worked under the assumption that even if we didn't say anything, he would still chip in to help. So I was furious~ when I saw that he was also helping that woman and keeping a foot in either camp... Damn it, I'm getting embarrassed again."

In between the gaps of the arms covering her face, a hint of a blush could be seen. Her embarrassment was not just restricted to her words.

Seeing this oddly adorable appearance, Mizuki sighed deeply.

"...What, that sigh of yours was like saying "you amaze me from the bottom of my heart"."

"While I'm not sure if it's from the bottom of my heart, the first part is true."

Mizuki rolled her eyes in response to the sharp glance Erika sent her way from beneath her fingers.

The edge gradually disappeared from Erika's eyes.

Mizuki shifted herself so she was right in front of Erika (she just changed the orientation of her seat) before reaching out and plucked away the arms covering Erika's face.

"So in the end, you're just stubbornly stuck in a pit of self-loathing... I think this sort of thing qualifies as a 'soliloquy'."

"Ouch! Mizuki mercilessly stabbed my chest with her words~." "I'm being very serious."

"...I'm sorry."

Though there was no emotion behind those words, Erika's body seemed to shrink even more.

"To put it bluntly, Erika-chan, you can't rely on Tatsuya-kun to take the first step to approach."

"...Just like I thought?"

"I'm not certain if you're really in pursuit or not, but if all you do is hide, then he's really going to put you to one side, right?

In the first place, Miyuki-san occupies everything in Tatsuya's head. Even if you don't make any overt gestures, if you don't at least make an effort to remain in his field of vision, then will he even remember you?"

"...That, is a definite possibility."

"I think I can safely say that the idea of Tatsuya actively paying that kind of attention to Erika is definitely false. I'm certain that you're actually missing out if you start off with that assumption."

"Yeah... You have a point.

That guy has nerves of steel and calling him slow on the uptake would be too kind to him. With him as an opponent, being embarrassed won't get me anywhere."

Erika tightly clenched her fingers.

Seeing this, Mizuki revealed a warm, nurturing smile.

This was the scene that greeted Mikihiko when he walked in. "Ah, so it's true that you guys didn't get anything."

As soon as he entered, Mikihiko uttered these words.

Before the two of them could ask "what are you talking about?", Mikihiko pulled out two sandwiches from the plastic bag in his hand.

"Here, Erika, this one has tuna, potato and carrots. Shibata-san wants the egg sandwich, correct?"

"Eh, how?" "T-thank you." "You're welcome."

That was in response to Mizuki's reply. "No reason in particular.

If you don't eat anything, you'll still be hungry even if you did nothing but sleep, no?"

Afterwards, that reply was for Erika's question. "Ho~... Miki, you're becoming more observant."

"I would like to say you're welcome, but these are from Tatsuya. Since you appear to be avoiding him, he had me bring them to you." Hearing Mikihiko's words, Erika and Mizuki exchanged a glance. "So he didn't forget..."

"Looks like you've been put off to one side..."

Suddenly, Erika sprang up in a determined manner. "W-what is it?"

Erika adopted a victorious posture before the wide-eyed Mizuki.

"If you have your own thoughts on the matter then so do I, Tatsuya-kun!

I will not resign myself to being treated like empty space!" "You clearly fled when he was paying attention to you." "Miki, did you say something?"

"Nope. I just said that you better eat quickly."

Mikihiko pulled out his own sandwich and replied back without sparing her another glance.

As expected of childhood friends. Even though he occasionally stepped on a landmine, he was still adept at handling Erika.

At any rate, Erika calmed down and took a seat. Immediately afterward, the three of them started eating their sandwiches.

"Ouch...!"

All of a sudden, Mizuki's face tightened as she quickly shut her eyes. Erika deftly caught the egg sandwich that fell from her fingers. However, since that was more reflex, both she and Mikihiko kept their eyes on Mizuki, who was in the throes of pain. Mizuki removed her glasses and pressed her hands to her eyes.

Broken groans slipped from her mouth.

"...What is... This... This sort of aura, I've never seen..."

Noticing that something was amiss, Mikihiko hurriedly pulled out a talisman and cast a barrier that blocked out spirits. Although it was against school rules to bring CADs onto campus, no one present gave a damn about that right now.

"This, "demonic" presence..."

They weren't psions, but pushion waves. This was why Erika couldn't possibly know and Mikihiko was only aware after focusing himself.

Pure "demonic" waves permeated the barrier and came through.

Given its ability to penetrate the lens, it was not surprising that power of this strength was able to affect Mizuki's eyes.

"Shibata-san, put on your glasses."

However, with a barrier was in place, the protective lens should be able to fend off the waves.

As Mikihiko suspected, Mizuki was able to adopt a relaxed posture after putting her glasses back on.

With that, they finally had a spare moment to contemplate what happened

–

--Pale faced, Erika and Mikihiko exchanged a look. "Don't tell me, the vampire is here at school?" "How brave! Miki, where is it?"

Springing to her feet in a lively manner, Erika paid no heed to the clatter of her chair falling to the ground. She advanced on Mikihiko with a vibrant expression.

"Erika, relax."

Mikihiko also rose and used a calm tone to deliver a solemn response.

"First of all, we need our equipment. I don't feel secure with just talismans."

"...That's true. Mizuki, wait here in the classroom."

"I'm going too."

Erika made the obvious request, but Mizuki shook her head. "Mizuki?"

"I have a feeling that I'll be better off if I go. As for a reason... I'm not really sure."

Her tone remained gentle, but contained a mettle that could not be dissuaded.

"...Understood. However, please don't leave my side."

"Miki?"

Erika's eyes widened at Mikihiko's unexpected words.

Still, his words were the product of careful thought instead of being purely circumstantial.

"One person alone would be easy prey, whereas a group can handle attacks more easily.

In addition, Shibata-san's eyes should prove a major asset."

"Ha... Miki, then you shall bear the responsibility of protecting

Mizuki."

Any more words on this subject would just be a waste of time, so Erika started walking towards the office where CADs were held. Mikihiko was one step behind her. Both he and Mizuki knew that this wasn't the time and place for any teenage romantic scenes. Nonetheless, in order to make sure Mizuki wasn't left behind, there was nothing he could do except make sure he held her hand in his – that was how Mikihiko persuaded himself.