Saturday morning, October 20th.
The arts school still held on to the five days system, but the six-day systems are more commonly used in high schools nowadays. Certainly, magic high school conducts the curriculum from Monday to Saturday.
Unlike their usual routine of going to school and facing the terminal in the classroom, Tatsuya was going to Kyoto with Miyuki and Minami.
They didn't skip school. It was a public holiday. This time, under the cover of preparing for the Thesis Competition they were going by trailer rather than the express train.
Simply put, a trailer is a two-story combination train, with cabinets for passengers at the first floor and amenities space on the second floor. Speed-wise, it wasn't a lot inferior to the express train, since it was powered by linear motors.
The wheels were made of metal, running on a metal rail. It leaves a sense of "railway" when compared to an express train or an individual compartment train.
Before the ride, the individual type train was parked in the trailer by a parking mechanism. As the Individual compartment train has a higher speed than the trailer, it approaches the trailer from behind. The mechanism then scoops up the compartment from behind. The mechanism itself was housed inside the trailer and attached by a slider. Thus, the passengers from each individual compartment train were able to board the trailer for longer, inter-city rides. It was possible to have such a system as the wheels of individual compartment trains were only for support and not attached to the vehicle body.
Tatsuya and company boarded the trailer and immediately after, headed to the amenities space of the second story. The first floor seemed to be a waste because even though it was excellent for privacy there was very little space to stretch out.
Fortunately, the relax chair was vacant. Tatsuya and Miyuki sat side by side, and Minami sat opposite Miyuki after she rotated the seat in front of her.
"Do you want something to drink?"
Tatsuya pulled out the order terminal from the armrest and asked Miyuki while showing the screen her.
"...Sorry to trouble you, Onii-sama. I'll go with this."
While Tatsuya excused himself to place the orders, Miyuki operated the terminal by herself. Tatsuya also tried showing the screen to Minami, but Minami had already taken out the terminal from her seat. It was as if she was declaring that 'I'd rather have my own than Tatsuya's', Tatsuya returned back to his terminal with a laugh. Minami got a little annoyed when she saw that, while dispensing her order.
The drinks arrived in less than a minute. A robotic arm that had been moving through the ceiling lowered the tray for the three of them. This is the same type of mechanism that is used in ordinary households, HAR (Home Automation Robot).
Reusable resin cups were handed over to Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami in that order, before the arm returned back to the ceiling. The three of them had a mouthful to moisten their throats and then put the cups on their side table.
It was immediately after, that a voice called Tatsuya from behind.
"Huh? Tatsuya-kun?"
Tatsuya and company put down their cups, because they were aware that she was approaching them.
"Morning, Erika."
The one who greeted her was Miyuki.
"I didn't expect you to be in this trailer as well."
Erika sat down in front of Tatsuya, and Tatsuya continued the conversation.
"What a great coincidence."
Erika nodded while showing a little surprise. Intra-city trailers ran at regular intervals, those who were traveling for long distances often got placed in the closest trailers. The control is done by a traffic control system, so the passengers who ride the trailer have no say in choosing.
However, it is not such a surprising situation. If they have the same destination and the same estimated time of arrival they'll always be merged into the same trailer, thus, the possibility of getting into the same vehicle was quite high. Erika boarded from a trailer soon after Tatsuya and company hence, there was a high probability that they would meet inside.
Following Tatsuya and company, Erika also ordered a drink and had a big stretch in the relax chair.
"Yup, as expected, it's nice to be able to stretch my limbs."
"Do you feel it's cramped in the narrow compartment train?"
Although there were individual cabin trains that were made according to body size, there were people who would still feel the narrowness. Miyuki assessed from Erika's attitude that she was that type.
"Hmm? It's not like that. I've also been disciplined to sit in a narrow room for hours."
"So there's such a discipline in swordsmanship."
Surprisingly, Miyuki's amazement was met with a bitter frown from Erika.
"That sh*tty father forced me to do it as a part of swordsmanship training."
Tatsuya and Miyuki exchanged a glance at the choice of words of the young lady in front of them. Erika might be seemingly boisterous, but she was actually brought up as a respectable lady. Putting aside the 'baka aniki' name-calling of her brother, she shouldn't have used bad words such as 'sh*tty father'.
"So it wasn't an art of the sword?"
She eventually made eye contact due to her curiosity, and saw that Erika wasn't in the mood to answer the question. Both of them alike, do not want anyone to find out about their family situation.
Therefore, Miyuki asked this instead. From Erika's words, she concluded that it must be some form of a 'lesson'. She felt that it was befitting of Erika rather than the opposite.
"It's a tea ceremony."
If one thought about it, Miyuki's amazement was a fitting expression in response to Erika's answer.
"I think it's not so rare to combine tea ceremony and martial arts."
However, Tatsuya followed up a split second later, making Erika fail to notice that Miyuki was speechlessly surprised.
"Well. I'm pretty sure my father needed it as a head of the family, but I don't think he needed to force his children right?"
"Well, you're not wrong either."
"But I think you were too harsh, Erika."
The rebooted Miyuki came to interrupt with a smile.
"The tea ceremony disciples are mostly girls. Wouldn't it be hard on your brother too?"
"On the other hand, I think it's not weird for Erika to do a tea ceremony."
At Tatsuya's new comment, Erika shifted her eyes.
"Eh, I wonder. Don't you feel uncomfortable with me handling tea?"
"There's no way that could be true. I've been invited to Miyuki's class twice, I think the atmosphere suits Erika well."
"I'm sure Miyuki wouldn't think that..."
A smile that slipped from Erika's lips while she was facing away, made Tatsuya leak a giggle. It was obvious that she was hiding her embarrassment while pretending to sulk.
When they arrived at Kyoto Station, Leo and Mikihiko had been waiting for them in the ticket lounge. As expected, it wasn't by chance that the two of them took the same trailer. They knew that Erika was going to take the trailer, and chose to take the individual compartment train.
There were six people meeting up at Kyoto Station and they immediately started proceeding to the hotel. However, as they started walking, Tatsuya halted and looked back, sensing the presence of someone he knew closing in.
"Tatsuya-san, Miyuki-san, Minami-san."
"Ara, Minoru-kun?"
He was rapidly approaching them when Miyuki called him, she met him two weeks ago. The youngest of the Kudou Family, Kudou Minoru.
Tatsuya and company realized, and he also probably realized. His name was being called without hesitation and his face was brimming with a smile.
There was amazement coming from Tatsuya's right side. At a glance, Erika's eyes were wide open and in a round shape. Even her mouth was a little open; she must have been quite surprised.
"How surprising."
While thinking that, words of admittance flew out.
"He looks like a boy version of Miyuki... I never thought that there'd be anyone else with this kind of a perfect face besides Miyuki."
Tatsuya consented to her opinion, but it was not a comment to be made in the presence of the specified person.
"Minoru, did you come to fetch us? Didn't we plan for you to wait at the hotel?"
"Yes, that was the plan but it doesn't take much time to get here, so I decided to come over."
Thank goodness we didn't miss him that would honestly only turn into a bitter situation, Tatsuya decided to keep this in his own heart.
Instead, he chose to introduce him to the others who were still not acquainted with Minoru.
"This is your first time meeting them right?"
By them, he was referring to his friends who were lining up to his right. Miyuki was on his left side, while Minami was behind him.
"This is the Kudou Family's son, Kudou Minoru."
"Nice to meet you. I'm a freshman from Second High, Kudou Minoru."
After Tatsuya's words, Minoru introduced himself. Not as a member of the 'Kudou Family', but as a common 'High School Freshman'. He chose to be a high school student rather than a member of the 10MC.
"I'm a sophomore at First High, Chiba Erika. Nice to meet you."
Erika quick to reign in her shock was the first one to introduce herself.
"I'm Saijou Leonhart. Also a sophomore at First High."
"Yoshida Mikihiko. I'm a sophomore at First High as well. Nice to meet you, Kudou-kun."
"Nice to meet you too."
Minoru's eyebrows moved slightly when hearing Erika's and Mikihiko's name, he must have realized that they were the descendants of Chiba swordsmen and Yoshida spell users. He doesn't seem to have good enough interpersonal skills to hide what's on his mind, even with his outlandish talent in magic.
"Well, we only have a small age gap."
"Minoru. We're going to put down our luggage at the hotel first, do you want to tag along?"
"Yes, please let me do so. We can use the time to talk about something."
"That's right."
Tatsuya turned his steps towards the commuter landing again. Miyuki was by his side, and his friends followed behind. Both Minoru and Minami also followed Tatsuya.
Despite it being a little early to check in, the luggage could be deposited at the hotel without a problem. This practice has not changed from the old days.
The seven people in Tatsuya's group, including Minoru, initially headed towards the new Kyoto International Convention Hall, which was the venue for the Thesis Competition. It was rebuilt from a facility called, Kyoto International Conference Center that existed before the war. However, it was renamed as the New International Convention Center, two decades after the war ended.
It was a natural location that was originally surrounded by lakes and mountains, and it hasn't changed even after the rebuilding process. Construction of such large-scale commerce facilities was virtually banned, also farther away there was a small stadium that had been demolished due to its old age and was changed into a large park.
As opposed to the terrain in the Yokohama Incident last year, with the exception of one hotel adjacent to the Convention Center, there were no high-rise buildings that foreigners could sabotage in the vicinity of the New International Convention Center. Houses in the surrounding area were mostly two-stories high. It's highly unlikely that a large number of people could hide in the vicinity without being discovered.
"…But on the other hand, it was easier for a few people to hide here."
"Is it? I think homeless people wouldn't hide at a mountain though."
Erika raised a question to Mikihiko's opinion.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that they'd sleep on the mountain. They might only hide during the day right? Isn't that the reason we came here to search the area?"
At Leo's rebuttal, Erika repeatedly blinked. She hid the fact that she was about to say the same line, and noticed that he was not convinced.
"Moreover, there isn't any need to camp in the mountains."
Erika followed up and made Mikihiko fall into silence, she hadn't planned to do so, but Mikihiko tried to point out something.
"If it's only two or three people, they can also be hiding in a private house. Ancient spells can hypnotize people and those in the vicinity wouldn't even realize that they were there."
"Ah, locals. Traditional Magic can likely do that."
Were you keeping quiet because you were skeptical, Erika chimed innocently.
"Anyway why don't we split up and take a look at the surroundings first? I should be able to detect if any barrier is put up."
Tatsuya who had remained silent until that point made a proposal.
"No, that's inefficient."
Although he had nothing specific in mind, Mikihiko answered Tatsuya instantly.
"If they're hiding as a small group inside a barrier, you wouldn't be able to detect their presence from the outside; you'd be vulnerable to their attacks. Not that I doubt Tatsuya and Miyuki-san's ability, it's just impossible to walk around blindly to search for their presence unless you're blessed with an abundance of luck. We have no time to waste to rely on such a chance."
Tatsuya naturally nodded.
"I see. Then, what should we do?"
"I'll try to explore with my Shiki."
He answered Tatsuya and then faced Erika and Leo.
"Erika and Leo, would you help me?"
"What should we do?"
Leo replied with a very enthusiastic look on his face.
"I'll be vulnerable when I use my Shikigami and they will focus their attention on me. I want you to stay vigilant of the surroundings."
"Leave it to me."
In answer to Mikihiko, Leo nodded with a smile.
"…No choice. Very well, I'll protect you."
Erika disguised her face with a non-caring expression, yet her fighting spirit betrayed her face and her voice.
"I'm in your care. Next for Tatsuya's group."
After giving instructions to Erika and Leo——the two frowned thinking 'stiffy' or felt 'brackish'——Mikihiko faced Tatsuya again.
"Tatsuya, Miyuki-san and Sakurai-san, as we discussed last week, why don't you take a look around the city. Umm."
Mikihiko was giving Minoru, who was standing beside Minami a puzzled look.
"I will guide you guys. Last year, Second High also suffered the same trouble after all."
"Minoru is Fujibayashi-san's cousin."
Mikihiko, Erika, and Leo were in that location on October 30th last year. Tatsuya was revealed to be a secret military officer and they'd been forced to protect the secret. They remembered the name of the beautiful officer who accompanied them to Sakuragicho Station.
"Aaa…"
"Hmm… So you're her relative."
"Oh, so that's the edge."
Judging from the three reactions, they must have understood that they 'must not spread' the relationship between Tatsuya and Minoru.
"Umm, this is within our territory after all. If you intend to search for him in Kyoto, I can at least guide you around the region.
The three of them interpreted 'consultation with Fujibayashi' as 'consultation of mission with the JSDF', Tatsuya uttered those words as to amplify the misunderstanding.
"I see."
Mikihiko said 'I see' as he was nearing his limit in pretending to be calm.
"Then, Tatsuya, I'll leave that to you."
"Ah, you too."
"Yoshida-kun, Saijou-kun, Erika, see you later."
"Yeah, at the hotel."
Erika answered Miyuki in a loud voice, the seven of them split into two groups.
◊ ◊ ◊
Tatsuya's group headed towards a well-known temple in the northeast suburbs of Kyoto, the Sanzen-in Temple. However, Tatsuya had no plans to tour the precinct. He hadn't come here to go sightseeing. This was the place where Zhou Gongjin was last spotted.
Originally, he was preconditioned by the view of the New International Convention Center, which made the city central look similar to his own neighborhood. However, now that he went to other areas, he had a more cohesive image of coziness in regards to Kyoto.
According to the information he obtained from Hayama, Kuroba's Intelligence troops had skimmed for Zhou Gongjin's whereabouts between the area of 'the tomb of the Great Emperor Toba' and 'the tomb of Emperor Juntoku'. As expected, they were not allowed to step into the area surrounding the tombs. The path leading to the tombs' was complemented with a small downstream river.
He had the impression that Zhou had fled to the mountain when he first heard the information, however, the clues hinted that Zhou had escaped to normal local houses in the tourist area. By matching the landscape with the map, he could pinpointed that Zhou fled in the direction of 'Otonashi Falls', when Tatsuya remembered his opponent, he shook his head.
That direction pointed towards a Northeast orientation. Combining all of the information obtained thus far, it was a kind of foolish to think that an ancient magician would move in that direction. At first glance, the area boasted an overgrown forest dense with trees, which gave a sense of magic really flourishing there, but its true value was probably shown in large crowds.
If there wasn't anyone here, I should be able to detect his presence.
However, in this crowd, it was impossible to search for someone without being derailed from one's sense of direction. In other words, if he couldn't recognize the other party, he wouldn't be able to spot the other party.
Before coming here, Tatsuya had guessed that Zhou lurked around in places deep within the mountain while avoiding people. However, he changed his mind when he saw the real location. From this downstream, it showed that he fled towards the village rather than the mountains, hiding in the city with a lot of people instead of secluding himself.
"The clues about his destination are pointing to Mt. Kurama, the place where the nearest traditionalist base is located, Tatsuya-san, do you want to go there?"
Minoru asked Tatsuya on the short bridge over the Ritsu River. Miyuki and Minami also looked at him, while he shook his head.
"No, let's head back to the city."
"So he is in the city?"
Minoru asked with slight surprise.
"Onii-sama, are you thinking that Zhou Gongjin is hiding in a place with a lot of people?"
Tatsuya nodded as an affirmation to Miyuki's question.
"I see. To hide a tree within a forest."
Minoru seemed to have a different idea than Tatsuya, yet he did not dare to correct Tatsuya.
"There are some traditionalist bases with a huge number of visitors such as... The peripheral of Kiyomizu Tera, the neighbourhood of Kinkakuji, and also the pavilion of Tenryuji."
"That's surprisingly few."
Even though he had heard from Minoru that the traditionalist factions were spread throughout Nara and Kyoto, Mikihiko was saying that Kyoto was the home of the traditionalists. From other various sources of information, Tatsuya had his preconception that the traditionalist faction was concentrated in Kyoto.
"Kyoto's sect carefully passed down the real traditions, so it's stronger than Nara. Any new faction that copies the name is pushed aside into the mountain area."
"Do you mean, they're labeling themselves as 'traditionalists' because they have a complex towards the traditionalists?"
Minami was amazed with the bad impression that was uttered by Tatsuya. Of course, this was not shown to Miyuki. Although she thought that this much of amazement shouldn't make her master throw a fit, but Minami chose to avoid unnecessary friction.
——Infact, Miyuki and Tatsuya both noticed.
Nevertheless, Minoru was not the same as Minami, he seemed to be able to receive Tatsuya's question.
"I don't know. As you know, the traditionalists were formed by the ancient magicians who participated in the Ninth Research Institute. Their goal is to retaliate against the former Ninth Institute members, and all the houses that carry 'Nine' in their names."
It was not unreasonable to say that the traditionalists became emotionally attached to resentment, which might lead to retaliation. They were convinced to particiapte in the Ninth Research Laboratory, and were assisting with the development of Modern Magic instead of furthering their own skills.
The slogan of Ninth Institute was fusion of modern and Ancient Magic, the real meaning was incorporating the Ancient Magic spells, adopting them to the Modern Magic Activation Sequence, they were not told of this secret. Upon the completion of the research, they were told that the research was for the purpose of establishing the Ninth Research Laboratory. They were given money in return, and only the people from the facilities gained social status, there was never any arrangement made to provide them with new magic.
'A secret art for a secret art', it could be said that it was their own narrow mindedness, thinking that it would naturally be granted and could even be deemed as a childish attitude.
"Yet, why do they choose to leave their birthplace of Nara and become scattered in Kyoto… I can't comprehend this action."
"Really? Motivation aside, I understand their reason for leaving Nara."
"Eh?"
At Tatsuya's frank reply, Minoru opened his eyes wide.
"The Traditionalist sect is not a unified organization. You were the one who told me about this."
"Ye-yes. I certainly said so."
"Then, wouldn't the difference in attitude towards the former Ninth Laboratory also vary? Those who strongly resent the 'Nine' stayed behind in Nara. While waiting for an opportunity to retaliate for the past three decades."
"How foolish… If only they applied their passion in a more constructive way, some of their practicioners might even excel at the national academic level."
"Well, don't put it like that."
To appease the disgusted Miyuki, Tatsuya gently brushed her head with his finger, revealing her dazzling hair.
"There aren't many people who can persevere and continue to look forward in any situation, right? At the very least, if we look around us."
The image of his father and his current wife flashed across Tatsuya's mind.
"…I see."
Miyuki nodded. Her smile must have sunken a little because she imagined the same face as Tatsuya did.
Tatsuya lightly ruffled Miyuki's hair with his hand.
Miyuki looked up at Tatsuya with inflated cheeks. Nevertheless, her eyes were laughing.
Tatsuya removed his hand from Miyuki's hair with a laugh.
"Although the remaining members in Nara, have a backwards purpose, their actions are still in sync with their original goal."
Miyuki wore a mystified face.
Of course, Tatsuya was not about to tease her over such a thing.
"Those who transferred their base to Kyoto, were afraid of the houses from the 'former Ninth Research Laboratory', despite having ill feelings against the former Ninth Institiute."
"Scared, is it? But, whether it's Kudou, Kuki or even the Kuzumi, I don't think we've ever actually carried out any attack on the ancient magicians who were collaborating with the research…"
Minoru refuted with little confidence. It had happened before he was born, he also hesitated to ask for the complete story. Hence, his knowledge only came from basic hearsay, which led him to act this way.
"I do think so too. There were magicians of the 'Nine' who were also used in the experiments. But it was natural for the ancient magicians to think of themselves as victims, to avoid their consciousness as perpetrators. At the same time they were fellow subjects within the Ninth Research Laboratory, and it shouldn't have brought upon such hostility."
Minoru's eyes regained their composure after shaking anxiously. It was only Tatsuya's guess, but he was still relieved by the results of his remark.
"I think there are some ancient magicians who were afraid of their own shadows. Since the former Ninth Research Institude was operated by the government, it is reasonable for them to target their resentments towards the government. However, the traditionalists defined the houses of 'Nine', who came from the same Laboratory as their enemy. They should have understood that they were asking the wrong party for apologies."
After hearing those words, Minoru contemplated on them like a monk. ——Rather than actually posing like a Rodan sclupter, his sight was focused on an indeterminated line of nothingness.
"Whether they did not like the stigma of being rebels, or simply because they did not have the courage to rise against the government... Either way, because they understood their own resentment of the 'Nine' as something unreasonable I wonder if they also hadn't feared being exposed to an unreasonable attack. They themselves should have known the power of the magicians created by the former Ninth Laboratory. Thus, they did not dare to make a frontal attack against the magicians of the 'Nine'. If they do so, they would receive counterattacks, from the magic of the 'Nine' that they had cooperated to make."
Tatsuya must have thought that it was amusing, as he smiled wickedly.
"Alternatively, they were no longer united after the withdrawal. At first, the leaders of each sect might have been expedient in soothing the younger magicians who had extreme discontent. When it no longer posed a concern, the hard-liners who continued to resent the Ninth Laboratory stayed back in Nara, while the rest left for Kyoto. Surprisingly, the difference in locations might be mere pretense, their differences might have been something as simple as stance. Were all traditionalists faithful to 'one true tradition'?"
The last question was posed to Minoru.
"Well… The previous ancient magicians who participated in the Ninth Research Laboratory, came from more than one sect."
Minoru nodded to Tatsuya's speculation.
"Just for that trivial reason, are they going to continue their petty harassment for decades?"
Rather than 'couldn't believe', Miyuki wore a 'didn't want to believe' face while facing Tatsuya.
"Petty harassment, can't be helped if it was repetitive, since they managed to come all this way.
Tatsuya implied that, had they taken a more decisive hostile action, they would have been crushed long ago.
Miyuki seemed to have caught that well.
The one who was puzzled by Tatsuya's answer was Minami.
"But, Tatsuya nii-sama.
There might not be any need to pretend in front of Minoru, but Minami was using the designation just in case.
"I also think that it likely happened as you've said, but..."
She had no choice but to be hesitant here due to her position. However, Minami was driven by her sense of duty, and did not run from her words.
"If that was the truth, why did the traditionalists in Kyoto hire a number of foreigners to make such a disaster in Japan?"
Minoru thought that she had pointed out a sharp observation.
Yet, Tatsuya did not delay in answering her.
"Although this is just my conjecture, I wonder if they didn't want to take some real action. However, they've invested so heavily in Zhou Gongjin that they neglect public welfare."
"There must be a reason why they haven't cut their connection to him."
"Regarding this matter, Minoru also knew the details, the traditionalists received a supply of exiled Houjutsu users from Zhou Gongjin. It might look like the traditionalists had helped Zhou from a public point of view, but the fact is, they are cooperating with each other to enhance the strength of the traditionalists."
Tatsuya turned to face Minoru and gave him a nod.
"The recent incident in Nara Park, was also done by a mixture of assailants with a Houjutsu user from the continent. Within the traditionalist sect, exiled houjutsu users have gained a certain level of importance. At least to an extent, that the organization cannot endure the infighting if they were to revolt."
Minami bowed to Tatsuya in silence. Any sign of doubt was eliminated.
Tatsuya returned a small nod and faced Minoru.
"We've made a long detour in our conversation, this is why I wanted to explore those sites within the city. Our destinations are Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkakuji and Tenryuuji, these three.
"Yes, you are right."
Tatsuya did not retrieve his information terminal, but spread a map in his head instead.
"Kinkakuji and Tenryuuji are in the same direction, Kiyomizu Temple is in the opposite direction."
"At this rate, it would be better to merge with Yoshida-kun's group."
Miyuki proposed so while looking at her information terminal.
Indeed, from their current location, whether they went ahead to Kinkakuji and Tenryuuji, or to Kiyomizu Temple, it was closer to the New International Convention Center.
However, Tatsuya shook his head.
"It's trully regrettable that we have such a limited amount of time. Even after Minoru narrowed down the search area, we are still only four people. And there is still a possibility of him hiding in Kyoto City as I mentioned."
In the first place, it was an indisputable fact that four people was too small a number to search for a hiding opponent. A famous detective could only resolve the case if the criminal was before his eyes, however, in order to find a hiding suspect, more people were needed.
Unfortunately, neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki could use their magic, due to the wide range surveillance cameras. And there was no way that Tatsuya would have acted if they could be traced by a camera.
"I understand. Then, where should we head to?"
He must have decided the answer. Tatsuya answered Miyuki readily.
"Kiyomizu Temple. After that, let's take a look at Kinkakuji and Tenryuji as well."
◊ ◊ ◊
After splitting up from Tatsuya, Mikihiko was walking around the neighborhood of the New International Convention Center, while using a flashy searching spell as they discussed last week. There was a wide green park, a large lake and lush woodlands surrounding the Convention Center and it was often used by foreigners.
Erika and Leo were chatting with each other, while following Mikihiko from behind but they didn't neglect their vigilance due to the escort role they'd been given.
The situation changed at about the same time as Tatsuya decide to go to Kiyomizu Temple. It was during the observation of the opposing bank of Takaragaike Lake near the competition venue.
The presence of killing intent rose up around the woods of Satoyama. Mikihiko realized it first, followed by Erika and Leo.
"They're here."
Erika rushed to Mikihiko's left side, as if to look at his face under the tilting parasol——it was supposed to be camouflage and make them look like a sweet couple who were whispering to each other.
"From within the mountain?"
Leo thrust his neck in-between the gap of Erika and Mikihiko to whisper in a low voice. Whether being glued to each other or dating each other, they acted quite well.
"The presence was pointing to the mountain, but it doesn't guarantee that they're the only enemy. There's a probability that the attackers might not be human. Watch out."
Unfortunately, Mikihiko was not as carefree as the other two, he looked back with a discomforted frown, noting what Leo said.
"Only brats, they have some kind of a love triangle relationship."
"I can't see it as anything but students with love troubles, is it worth the risk to go out and attack them?"
These were the conversations of the nine men who were hiding below the grove, looking down at Mikihiko and company.
They were talking normally. Their voices were barely audible but they used a communication device that incorporated magic to read the movement of the lips, the conversation could be understood even without it emitting sounds. This method was at risk to eavesdropping, even before intercepting the conversation since there's a chance that the radio waves is discovered.
Thus, they took some precautions whenever they encountered this type of a situation, Erika and Leo would act as a couple that had no care about the world, just living a normal peaceful everyday life.
However, some of them were still alert.
"I've been observing that boy for a while, he was using a Shiki. He's the descendant of the Yoshida Family. We can't just leave him alone."
Those words raised the alertness of his companions.
"Hasn't the second son of the Yoshida lost his power?"
His voice rose as he asked about this, the middle aged man that seemed to be the leader of the group chided him with a harsh tone.
"That's outdated. Yoshida Mikihiko has regained his strength and has become even stronger than the first son." The atmosphere tightened. "We're going to confirm that. We won't kill him, a light injury will do for now."
Although the man who was rebuked was not convinced, he remained silent. He took out a small scroll from his chest, small enough to be held in his palm.
The other seven including the leader followed suit. A white haired traditionalist watched in silence without making any action.
"Ha!"
The first one to respond to the enemy attack was Erika. The parasol in her hand swung hurriedly at the presence that approached them from behind. The removable attachment of the umbrella was thrown in defense against the blue onibi3. Unhindered by the umbrella the blue onibi rained down around them as Erika shot them down with a weapon disguised as the umbrella handle.
A second and third waves of the onibi came in rapid succession, a thin silver rod intercepted from time to time, it was not an iron stick nor a gold stick, and it was a thin silver rod armament device.
This armament device was lent to Erika specifically for this Kyoto trip, it was made by FLT's 3rd Division with an activation spell that emphasized speed rather than weight, a movement type spell. The weapon does not only accelerate the body but the weapon itself as well. Hence, in order to keep up with the device the user has to put additional strain on the arm and it can create unnecessary weight in the arms with the risk of hurting the bone. However, Erika experienced nothing of the sort and had mastered its usage well.
The onibi rain ceased. However, it was not the end of the attacks.
Following the flutter of red and yellow colored leaves, came blades of wind. Although Erika had no difficulties in tackling the onibi, she wondered if she could intercept a blade made of wind with no shape or color.
A fearless smile crept up her lips, however, she returned to her normal stance once she heard 'leave it to me' from someone behind her.
Erika left the wind blades to Mikihiko.
He chose to use a metal fan charm to activate a wind-blade magic of the same type as the enemy.
A number of sparks could be seen in the air. Mikihiko's blades deflected every single one of the enemy's, despite being on the defensive.
3Onibi: fire ball, like the one Miyuki used for Mirage Bat practices.
Erika's and Mikihiko's attention was focused on the next attack coming from the sky.
Behind them, the shadows of trees on the ground took the shape of a person.
A creature with a black shape rose from the ground.
Without any sound and blending its presence with the surroundings the shadow approached Mikihiko from the back.
"Uryaaa!"
Leo yelled at the shadow. He raised his fist, hammering down on a man in a black sweater.
Before being taken down by Leo, he reduced the impact by flinging himself backwards and then escaping with a somersault.
"Are these guys' ninjas?"
After some observation, the black-looking sweater was a dark-green color. Even the color of the pants was the same. It was different from the traditional ninja costume, as if being modernized as a commonly worn outfit. However, judging from the Kunai4 in his right hand and the scroll in his left hand the enemy was indeed a ninja.
Three more, five more human-shadows showed up. Leo didn't get the chance to see where they came from.
"Hehe, interesting."
However, it didn't affect his fighting spirit. Leo had no bad habits of seeking out formidable opponents but as long as the opponent was strong, he had the tendency to get hot-blooded.
It might be due to the genes that he inherited from his grandfather as he was produced as a biological weapon. Leo himself, occasionally thought so.
However, it was his way of exaggerating things in his mind.
——Which was why.
It was still much better than being anxious about losing even before the fight. Once the mind is defeated, it became impossible to even flee from the scene. That was what he thought.
When his mind is defeated, it was the same as forfeiting his life. He'd only flee, when he thought that he needed to flee.
He didn't flee because he hadn't given up. Was the natural response of seeing a tiger bearing his fangs, not to run? He wasn't running away, regardless of what he thought but in an emergency he wouldn't give up his survival.
——I rejected that kind of a pathetic death. I live to fight.
4Kunai: ninja's blade, like in Naruto
The ninja's in sweaters spread out around Leo. Consciously or not, they were retreating away from him.
At Leo's side, a hand was struck accompanied by a cry of pain.
The ninja who met Erika's Silver rod crouched down and held his broken arm. In that instant, the other ninja who was approaching Erika chose to jump away from her in order to escape. With those two factors in mind, she didn't have to be worried about another attack from the ninja.
"Leo, even though you're hot headed, you need to keep your consciousness clear. You're not fighting alone, you know."
After Erika said that, Leo noticed an attack was coming from the side.
"Sorry, thanks for saving me."
The sounds of the blades of wind colliding caused sparks to scatter, which was heard by Leo.
"You're in the wrong too, Mikihiko. Why do you end up protecting your escorts."
"It's going both ways. Aren't you protecting me from the enemy's surprise attacks from the shadows?
"Ok, let's go with that."
Leo took out a knuckleduster from his pocket. Even though it looked like a fashion apparel plastic toy, it served as a good disguise from the police.
So long as it's in contact with him.
An activation spell started to develop around his left wrist and was absorbed into it.
It was not the usual voice activated CAD.
It was a fully thought operated CAD from the German CAD manufacturer, Rozen, one of the latest works of the Magi Kraft Division. Leo obtained this CAD through a certain connection—
—though it was more as a form of an apology and it was only recently that he had mastered its usage.
However, this mission required weapons which were less noticeable.
Erika had an armament device disguised into a parasol, for this very purpose.
Since his usual CAD has a 'ready-to-fight' image, Leo opted to bring this CAD for this trip.
Even though the actual deployment speed depends on the hardware, the efficiency depends on the magic sequence or in other words, the software. The state-of-art thought-operated CAD showed the high processing speed by filling in the time lag of the thinking process. Tatsuya himself had optimized the Magic Sequence to prune the inefficiency in the software without any change in the expected result.
The knuckleduster was of a synthetic resin with cemented carbide reinforcement.
The activation spell was also set to be a successive output.
This time even the long sleeved shirt and jeans, were complemented with the highest grade bulletproof material.
"Well, then. Let's get started."
Leo produced a bam sound when both of his fists met each other. "Let me take care of the enemy on this side."
Erika took a stance and swung her silver armament device. "I'll assist you."
Mikihiko opened a fan-shaped magic instrument. "Here I go, oraaa."
Leo was heading towards the enemy with a loud cry.
Naturally, the Ninjutsu user opponents didn't just wait silently.
Leaves swirled up in front of Leo, obstructing his view. It goes without saying that it was an unnatural phenomenon. It was magic that manipulates the wind to lift and swirl the leaves.
The technique itself was not deadly. However, it was enough to make Leo halt his feet to cover his face with his arm.
There was a light shock to his arm, chest and thigh. It was a Kunai attack from the enemy.
The Kunai that were shot were unexpectedly fast, still their weight had been far too little against Leo's reinforcement magic.
A gust of wind blew.
From behind Leo.
Mikhiko's magic cleared up their vision.
The Ninjutsu user that stood before them ate his scroll and his hands, which were empty after throwing the Kunai, was making hand seals5.
Even Leo could understand that the enemy in front of them was not a ninja like in the storybooks but a traditionalist magician with real presence and power. This was one of the well-known stereotypes giving a clear 'image of a monk', ruining his tension.
Although it didn't affect his rush, for a moment Leo himself was disturbed.
The chest of the Ninjutsu user bulged and deflated at once.
A loud sound was produced, and Leo was struck with dizziness.
The scroll that he swallowed earlier was a whistle in disguise. It was not just a normal whistle, it was a magic instrument for sensory organ interference via sound.
The Ninjutsu user took out his knife from its sheath. It was a knife instead of a Katana, even a 'Ninja' couldn't resist modernization.
He must have been confident in his own skill. There wasn't a moment of hesitation before he pounced on Leo.
His miscalculation was that, Leo's flesh was not of some ordinary man. The general evaluation of Leo's magical talent is somewhat low, however his physical ability is outstanding. Even with an obstructed sense of balance, Leo keeps his muscles in control with the help of the other senses.
The enemy thrusted his knife, Leo raised his right hand, wearing his knuckleduster and met the knife, as a result the knife was dropped in the impact.
And he struck down the enemy with a left hook.
Leo's fist just crushed the jaw of the Ninjutsu user.
"Yabeee6!"
That word was involuntarily spoken out, indicating his incorrect regret of failing to go easy on the enemy. Although his naiveté was a disadvantage; Leo had the ability to fill the gap.
Behind the man who was defeated, the next enemy showed up. The man stuck out his mouth at Leo. Leo laid down in that instant.
The man spewed out flames from his mouth.
A fan of flames passed by Leo's head, however, the trajectory of the flame was reversed in the air and the opponent was late to notice.
5Jutsu hand seals: something similar with Naruto's
6YabEdits: slank word, meaninng: How dangerous, or that was close (in this case)
The fire-breather fell while rubbing his burnt face. The U-turn movement of the flame was due to Mikihiko's magic.
Behind Leo, Mikihiko scowled at the fog that he had created. However, Mikihiko didn't hesitate for the next attack. He was already preparing the next spell to be activated.
As Erika herself said, she had to help Leo from being sandwiched by two Ninjutsu users. Her CAD had less weight in its blows when compared to her usual katana but the speed is greater. At the next moment, the body of the Ninjutsu user who had dropped his knife split into two.
"Bunshin7!?"
Erika raised her voice in surprise, the Ninjutsu user split himself into two and held a kunai, wearing a smug face at the same time.
However, the situation was quickly overturned.
One of the Bunshins disappeared and now there was only a single person. As it could be seen from the expression of the Ninjutsu user, it wasn't going according to plan. Mikihiko's spirit magic broke his Ninjutsu spell.
Erika wasn't going to miss this chance.
Four silver trajectories were drawn in the sky.
Both the hands and feet of the Ninjutsu users were broken to the bone and they were lying on the ground before a weak lightning struck them.
The lightning had been prepared to attack all of the enemies.
Mikihiko delivered a lightning magic to the eight Ninjutsu users who had already lost their combat strength, and knocked them unconscious.
Mikihiko let out a big sigh.
"Is this the end?"
Leo looked around while saying this.
Meanwhile, Erika took down the remaining prey.
"There's no sign of reinforcements."
Leo took a deep breath after hearing her.
"We just fought ninjas."
Leo laughed. Even though he knew of their existence, he'd never thought he could exchange blows with one.
7Bunshin: Shadow Clone
"They are Ninjutsu users. They are not that rare. Because they live in a world where old- fashioned magic is preferred after all."
Yet, Erika didn't join in on Leo's laughter, and curtly replied so.
"You're right. Moreover, this isn't so far off Iga and Koga, the base of Ancient Magic; even Mt. Kurama has turned into a center of Ninjutsu users. I wonder if these guys are from the same faction."
Mikihiko supported Erika's claim.
"Hmph, it's probable. How interesting. I never get bored whenever I'm with you guys."
Leo didn't get offended. Rather, he seemed to have enjoyed the situation.
"Wait a second, I got dragged into this problem thanks to Tatsuya."
This is Tatsuya-kun's fault, rather it was thanks to Tatsuya-kun. Although she pretended to complain, Erika's real feelings were the same as Leo's.
"No difference."
Leo smiled wryly. Beside him, Mikihiko also threw in a wry smile.
"By the way, what should we do with them? Leave them to the police?"
Erika had no hesitation to call the police. Not because of her connection to the police but due to the fact that she acknowledged their authority.
"The Police, huh."
Seems like Leo has something against the police. However, he didn't blatantly reject Erika's proposal.
"I wonder if that's for the best…"
Mikihiko agreed to Erika's proposal, he took out his information terminal with the hand that didn't carry an auxiliary device. He intended to contact '110' on his own.
However, his finger stopped as he attempted to start the voice call.
He unconsciously stopped his movement from tapping on the pocket terminal.
He glared into the woods while holding his fan-shaped device. Mikihiko released a mass of Psion's. He sent his Shikigami to search the area.
"Enemy?"
Mikihiko didn't have time to answer Leo's question.
"Look!"
Mikihiko started his activation sequence, as Erika cried out.
Erika's eyes were directed to the pond.
Leo and Mikihiko saw it as well.
From the pond, four beasts formed from the water jumped out.
"Kasei-tai8!?"
Leo shouted.
"No! Kugutsu-shiki-oni9 shaped with water, a type of golem! It has a real substance!"
While shouting to answer them, Mikihiko stared at the monster without blinking.
"Reirei? Gouyu? Chouyuu? Even Fusho?"
Mikihiko spoke with a dazzled voice.
A striped cow that resembled a tiger, Reirei.
Wild boar with a human face, Gouyu.
Chouyuu was a monkey with four arms.
And Fusho, a deer with four horns.
These were all smaller versions of the beasts from the continent, which were said to cause floods. This was clearly the deed of the traditionalists from the continent.
"What are these guys!?"
"The enemy's magic! Nothing else matters besides that, right!"
Shouting back to Leo, Erika swung her Silver rod against the closest Kugutsu-shiki-oni to her. The enemy was not out of reach.
The thin blade emitted Psion's when it touched at the edge.
It cut off the magic spell that sustained the golem. A water-shaped beast usually returned to water upon scattering.
However, there was no time to put their guard down.
The beasts weren't only those four.
Reirei, Gouyu, Chouyuu and Fusho landed one after another in the pond. Creepy evil appearance aside, the monsters were about the size of a parlor dog, so it didn't look to be very threatening.
8Kasei-tai: is one in which were visualized the spiritual energy Make a mass appearance in illusion magic with the foundation of the Psion, interfere weight in substance, acceleration, and shows as if they have a body, etc. Movement magic. The name "kasei-tai" were given by researchers of modern magic when analyzing ancient magic, to be used exclusively for ancient magic.
9Kugutsu-shiki-oni: demon-type puppet/shikigami
However, they weren't quite as harmless as a parlor dog. Beside the fact that the opponents are magical creatures, they didn't know if the monsters had any hidden powers.
"Firstly, let's retreat fro-?"
Erika was left speechless before finishing her proposal of escape.
The miniature beasts went to the defeated Ninjutsu users on the ground instead of their group.
"Is it not an enemy?"
Erika wasn't the only one trapped in surprise. Putting Leo who had no long-distance attacks aside, even Mikihiko has also forgotten his magic activation.
"Tsk!?"
The three stared at what's happening and gasped in unison.
The miniature beasts whose bodies were formed of water, began to devour the bodies of the living Ninjutsu users that couldn't move due to injuries.
"Don't kid with me!"
Erika reigned in her surprise and started to wield his silver rod again.
Mikihiko was shaken out of his paralysis by Erika's voice, he started a flame spell.
The Psion blade tore out the Kugutsu-shiki-oni, the flame ruined the Magic Sequence that sustained the monsters.
All of the monsters returned into water.
Leo worriedly approached the Ninjutsu users who were groaning in pain. He had activated reinforcement magic earlier, but due to the shock, the damages on their faces and necks was unavoidable.
"Uugh."
When he crouched down to get closer, that was the first cry he made.
"It does look hideous, but it doesn't seem like it had reached their bones yet."
Leo straightened his waist to face Erika and Mikihiko.
"And everyone is alive."
Even though their eyes and throats were numb, their vital signs seemed to be fine. Mikihiko put on a relieved expression when he heard that.
However, Erika was still on high alert.
"Strange."
"What is?"
Her unusual appearance made Mikihiko nervous again.
"Why does the water not soak into the ground?"
The ground is not paved here. Hence, the water that had formed the golem should soak into the soil naturally.
In contrast, the water mixed with blood was flowing back to the pond.
"Uwogh!?"
Leo jumped back reflexively to distance himself. Even though jumping four meters far without a run-up, preliminary action, nor magic, showed that his jump force was amazing, but Erika and Mikihiko weren't paying attention to it.
They immediately noticed the unnatural movement of the water, the movement of the water which was mixed with the blood, suddenly started rapidly gaining momentum. Leo reacted quickly by retracting his footing from the flow of blood and water.
"What in the world…"
"Enemy magic!"
Erika's puzzled question was answered by Mikihiko, with a warning at the same time.
But, it might not have been needed in the first place. The phenomenon which occurred in front of their eyes, could be observed by Erika and Leo. The water in the pond was swirling.
Gently, at first, and then increasing in speed.
Then, from the center of the whirlpool came a torrent of sound, it was a serpent made out of mud, rearing its neck.
"Souryuu10!"
It was a giant snake with nine human faces. The large specter11 of the continent named as the evil god of the flood, 'Kyoe'. When the Souryuu appeared in the land, the water would rot and unexpectedly ruin the soil12.
"Get away!"
Seeing that the nine of them started to open their mouths, Mikihiko shouted to Erika and Leo.
At the same time, he expanded the wind barrier.
From the mouth, narrow muddy water flowed out one after another.
The two of them, then, tried to avoid a direct hit from the streams.
12unfruitful swamp: acidic soil, can't be used for agriculture
The splashes that rebounded from the ground were blown away by the wind barrier which was swirling around the three of them.
However, the Ninjutsu users who were unable to move, couldn't avoid the aftermath of the attack.
A bitter voice rang out from the defeated men who lay on the ground when the miniature monster spat out the mud.
The body parts that were bathed in the muddy water from the Souryuu's mouth melted.
"Acid!?"
"No, it's a corrosive curse."
Mikihiko denied Erika's words.
"Be careful! Unlike acid, it doesn't only melt the part that came in contact with the liquid."
Even though they had not received any injuries from this attack, but they didn't doubt Mikihiko's words, especially after seeing what happened to the Ninjutsu users.
"Argh. Where's the operator!?"
If he was able to manipulate this much, the operator should have been in the vicinity.
No, the idea was spot on. The presence of the operator was detected a little while ago from within the forest. Unmistakably, he was the one who manipulated this monster. However, the Shikigami that he dispatched earlier hadn't reported anything. Is it a sign of his skill, or special equipment, for example a Buddhist charm to disorient magician's senses using a Kimon Tonkou.
Even with Erika's and Leo's physical skill, it took a lot of effort to avoid the uninterrupted stream of muddy water from the nine mouths. Mikihiko also had his hands occupied putting up barriers in order to avoid direct hits, he couldn't afford to activate a new Shikigami.
"Erika, Leo, let's retreat from here!"
"I agree with you wholeheartedly, but!"
"How are we going to do that!?"
Mikihiko clenched the back of his teeth at Erika's retort.
There is a way. The power of a puppet from folklore could be increased based on its lore. Therefore, there are cases where the magician wasn't able to hold against the amplification of the magic, borrowed from a higher individual from folklore, which resulted in the cancellation of the entire spell. Even if not, in the end the control of the spell would depend on the power of the magician.
Although it was fake, Souryuu belongs to the water kin. The highest level of spirit among the water kin was a spell for 'Dragon' (Can I do this?).
I should be able to do it now.
However, the hesitation remained.
That was the magic that caused Mikihiko to fall into a slump and made him think that he 'lost his power'.
——In the end, Mikihiko didn't have the chance to decide. He no longer needed to make that decision.
An intense light of Psion's appeared before the three, the snake that carried nine heads, was enveloped by it.
From the information body, a Magic Sequence formed. The virtual magic area appeared suddenly in the information body with defined coordinates, instead of bombardments of ballistics.
The body of the snake with nine human faces exploded.
As a result, the Magic Sequence at the core of the Kugutsu-shiki-oni was blown away, which means that the magic information that formed the beast itself has been shattered.
The water that splattered in the aftermath wasn't cursed. It returned to being ordinary water from the pond. The corrosion that was occurring on the bodies of Ninjutsu users also stopped.
"Are you alright?"
The three of them were worried, and thinking 'what just happened?'. The answer was right before their eyes.
The black slim pants and dark red jacket, with black boots, it was the uniform of Third High School. Moreover, the boy held a red gun-shaped CAD in his right hand. Upon seeing that appearance, the three of them recognized him instantly.
"Ichijou Masaki."
Leo said his name in surprise.
The Ace of Third High, from the 10MC. Ichijou's first son stood before the three.
Masaki looked around, wary of ambushers——observing if there was any sign of magic being activated. He decided to tone down his tension after a while of not finding any enemies lurking around.
In front of him, there were eight defeated humans who had suffered serious injuries. Masaki also perceived that they weren't the victims, but the attackers who had been defeated, and since they couldn't move, there was no meaning for Mikihiko to check on their situation.
"Hmm? You're from First High…"
Masaki remembered Leo's and Mikihiko's face from last year's Monolith Code.
"Yoshida Mikihiko. Ichijou-kun, thanks for your help."
However, he didn't seem to remember their names. When Mikihiko introduced himself, Masaki's face was relieved.
"No, you're welcome. As a magician from the 10MC, I cannot afford to overlook that malicious magic. Please don't mind it."
"At any rate, you saved us. That was quite close."
"Ah, no… by the way, what was that?"
The sudden change of the topic might have been caused by his embarrassment. If that's the case, Masaki has a different personality than Tatsuya, in that he is 'shy'——However, the subject of comparing them might not be appropriate at this time.
"Kugutsu-shiki-oni with blood as an offering to shape a monster from water, a type of golem magic."
"So it's Ancient Magic?"
"It's a technique called Houjutsushi13, which is commonly used by magicians from the continent."
Hearing the exchange between Masaki and Mikihiko, Erika interrupted with a displeased voice.
"Hey, can we do the lecture after? That Houjutsushi might still out there somewhere."
Masaki looked around quickly with an alarmed expression. He seemed to have forgotten that possibility. On the other hand, Mikihiko shook his head as response to Erika's words.
"No, there's no possibility of that."
"How can you be so sure!"
Mikihiko tried to open his mouth several times, before shaking his head again.
"It's better to just see the real condition instead of hearing my words. Let's go and see."
"Judging from your words, have we incapacitated the Houjutsushi operator?
Instead of answering Leo's question with words, Mikihiko nodded.
"Do you know his whereabouts?"
Involuntarily, Masaki was about to open his mouth to interpose.
13Houjutsushi: doll forming magic
"Are you coming, Ichijou-kun?"
He was invited instead, Masaki nodded at that invitation.
They went uphill to the forest. It didn't take much effort for the four of them to walk that path. They hadn't even dropped a single globule of sweat as they discovered the Houjutsu user that they were looking for.
"As I thought. I understood what would happen, but it's still not a pleasant feeling."
The Houjutsu operator had fallen with his face facing down the soil.
"Is he dead…?"
Much to Masaki's surprise, Leo had no fear that he could get attacked and squatted down next to the white-haired head of the Houjutsu operator to touch his neck.
"…There's no pulse. He's dead."
Expressionlessly, Leo seemed to be indifferent. He was not so insensible as to smile while reporting in front of the corpse, this was the most appropriate attitude that he could think of. However, that meekness disappeared as soon as the corpse jerked.
Erika let out a piercing scream. Even for her, it was an inevitable shock after seeing the contorted face of the corpse.
"It's the result of the broken spell. Ancient Magic of this system manipulates the puppet with the spirit of the operator, their consciousness keeps being connected after the magic has been activated."
"Hoo. Once Modern Magic is activated, there would be no backflow of information. Ancient Magic Sequences seem to be quite different when compared to Modern Magic."
Hearing Mikihiko's words, Masaki involuntarily opened his mouth. Immediately after the explanation, he released the meaning behind Mikihiko's description.
"In other words, this guy received the damage after I destroyed the spell that connects him to that monster, which led to damaging his spirit…?"
"It's not your fault. The magician must have understood the risks of this magic. Especially, if he wanted to manipulate such a huge Kugutsu-shiki-oni. Naturally, the consequences are multiplied. Cold as it seems, that was the exchange made by the operator."
"So, it's that kind of a power."
This was not the first time Masaki saw dead people——even for killing, this was not his first time either. He had claimed the lives of others, though he was just forced to do that. Even now, 'Rupturing' the monster of water was the right decision.
Nevertheless, even with his experiences, he still couldn't react cold heartedly, especially when he saw the brutal look of this old man.
"…Sorry, Yoshida. For making you anxious."
"Don't mind it. You helped us after all."
Masaki forced a smile, Mikihiko also shook his hand with a smile.
"Ichijou-kun, please leave the explaining to the police to us."
Mikihiko was intending to let Masaki go, however Masaki did not agree with his words.
"No, I'll go too. On the other hand, the girl over there, umm."
"My name is Chiba Erika. Don't worry about me. Since I'm used to these kinds of things."
Masaki stared at her stiffly in response to those words. However, when he thought that his reaction was rude, he immediately reigned himself in.
"I see. You're from the Chiba Family?"
"I'm Chiba Erika, a sophomore at First High."
At Erika's nonchalant reply, Masaki lightly batted his eyes. With the exception of his sister, he almost never received cold treatment from girls around his age.
"Pardon my rudeness. I'm Ichijou Masaki, a sophomore at Third High."
Then, it reminded Leo that he hadn't done any introduction, so he identified himself while trying to tone down the awkwardness.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. First High, second year, Saijou Leonhart."
Just like that, he probably managed to dispel the awkwardness, and it did seem that the target behaved the way he intended——Leo introduced himself to Masaki.
"Ichijou, you must have prior engagements, right? Don't hold yourself back for us, we can handle this by ourselves now."
"Don't mind it. I came to Kyoto alone. I came for the preliminary inspection in this city for the Thesis Competition to avoid an incident like last year. So, I can afford the time."
"Huh? Actually, we are here for that as well. Umm, let's report to the police first."
Leo said that as a follow up,
"Ah, Hello. My name is Chiba Erika, sophomore at National Magic First High School. I'd like to talk to the magic crime division. We were attacked by some magicians… the location is…"
When they heard her voice, Leo and Masaki looked at each other with a wry smile.