Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 11 - Visitor Chapter (III) Read online

  Since Virginia was not aware of the Japanese middle school system, there was no way for her to judge if Ayako was lying.

  "No, I was the one who said something pointless. So do you have news on your end?"

  Colonel Barans was only observing the forms by asking this question. She honestly was not expecting to receive any worthy intelligence on the first day.

  "Indeed. Actually last night, the JSDF Intelligence Department Counterintelligence 3rd Division captured a Parasite. Right now, we have confirmed that one of them was a former Magician of the USNA military. The head told me that I should inform Ms. Virginia of this and I have done so."

  "Inform" via phone was a slight problem. Still, Barans wasn’t planning on wasting breath on that, since the information that was just provided to her far outweighed that.

  "Are the Parasites on the move again?"

  "Family members have reported that Parasites who have lost their vessels found new hosts. These should be the people who captured one."

  At the same time she said this, Ayako transferred encrypted documents to Colonel Barans’s terminal. After reading the table of contents for the documents that automatically decrypted themselves, she verified that one of them contained personal information with a picture attached.

  "There are 3 captured Parasites. Among them, this is the only one we have currently identified. If you wish, I can also inform you of the location where they are being held captive."

  Just looking at the table of contents was not sufficient to clarify why this retired Magician was so important, but leaving him alone was not an option for Colonel Barans.

  "Please do so, Ms. Kuroba."

  "Understood."

  The young lady in the picture bowed as the information was sent over. Without losing decorum, Colonel Barans gave a simple thank you before hanging up and immediately examined the documents.

  Colonel Barans’s expression turned dark.

  She turned towards an encrypted line specifically prepared for her and swiftly sent out a message.

  The message contained orders to prepare for mobilization tonight.

  The recipient of that message was Major Angelina Sirius.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The first subject of the day was General Studies. Students were allowed to read and work on problems, though some students chose to listen to music in order to enhance their studying.

  Tatsuya had always allowed the text to scroll on its own, so today he brought his earphones. He would listen to the synthesized music while thinking about questions that had nothing to do with school.

  It was true that he heard about the Counterintelligence 3rd Division’s name and unique features from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.

  Yet, this wasn’t like it was incomprehensible for a branch of the Intelligence Department.

  Within the Intelligence Department, they were the division that had the closest relationship with the Saegusa Family. They were a detachment that had participated in this action as the hands and feet of the Saegusa Family. To be precise, they should be a unit that had mobilized with the Saegusa Family’s support in the background, which was how Tatsuya speculated this opposing force to be.

  Still, this turnout felt rather surreal to Tatsuya.

  He was working under the assumption that this incident happened under the Saegusa Family’s orders.

  Using a stealth airship as the centerpiece to forcibly take the Parasites seemed a little too violent.

  Tatsuya wasn’t that familiar with the modus operandi of the head of the Saegusa Family, Saegusa Koichi, and therefore he was unable to discern the Saegusa Family’s motives. However, if this sort of high stakes gambling was the Saegusa Family’s normal style, it would have led to a conflict with the Yotsuba Family a long time ago.

  So in the end, who was it that plotted this sequence of events?

  There was also the possibility that this wasn’t the will of the Saegusa Family and simply the Counterintelligence 3rd Division going rogue.

  (Given that the army has disobeyed their hidden backer and acted on their own…… Then his motive must lie around some goal that is connected with the army’s existence.)

  Then what is the army after?

  As the violent organization dedicated to protecting the country, the army’s sole purpose was to directly meet another country’s direct overture of violence.

  The nature was too complex to explain in one or two sentences.

  However, from the surface, the army’s intent was glaringly obvious.

  The army’s sole goal is victory. All other goals were secondary to that.

  There were many paths to victory, and failing where they were supposed to fail was also a form of victory.

  No matter what, everything was fine as long as they won.

  Anything after winning was the business of politicians. The army only had to worry about how to seize victory.

  Thus, the army would pursue power.

  An intelligence unit that believed itself a cut above the norm and went rogue would undoubtedly pursue strength as its goal.

  Thinking along those lines, a chill ran down Tatsuya’s spine.

  It couldn’t be that the 3rd Division was trying to harness the Parasites – the demons for military purposes?

  That was far too dangerous, Tatsuya couldn’t help but think.

  One of the key indictments that painted Magicians in a negative light within the USNA was the accusation that Magicians summoned demons to this world. Though the agitators blamed military ambition as the reason behind summoning the demons, the slander here was obvious. However, using Parasites for martial purposes would only give more ammunition to the anti-Magician faction.

  (No, the end result would be the same if the Ten Master Clans were plotting behind the scenes.)

  Regardless of whether the Counterintelligence 3rd Division went rogue or were operating under orders from the Saegusa Family, Tatsuya’s renewed consideration placed them both at the same degree of risk.

  A mere pup like him may have no business doing so, but a warning shot needed to be fired across the Saegusa Family’s bow.

  Though this was definitely going to inconvenience Mayumi as she was preparing for a test, he really needed to find some time to talk. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he used his personal terminal to set up a meeting with Mayumi.

  —Though his brain may say that this would inconvenience her, Tatsuya really didn’t care that this would make it tough for Mayumi.

  After sending a message to Mayumi in the middle of class, he got a reply back within one minute. Although the message was flagged as "urgent"……

  (Isn’t that person supposed to be a test taker?)

  There wasn’t too much time until the test began. Though there was no danger of her failing, he still couldn’t help but think "Is this really a good idea for a test taker?". Oh well…… Any further thought on this matter was minding someone else’s business. Since she could reply to urgent messages immediately, she must have no complaints on the matter.

  After ruminating over this, Tatsuya opened the mail.

  The message Tatsuya sent over was "Can I see you within the next two days to talk about something?"

  Mayumi’s reply was "Come immediately to the Student Council Room."

  Even though she was able to freely come and go from school, she still came to school often.

  Furthermore, her current location was not the classroom or the library, but the Student Council Room.

  ……Is this really a good idea? Test taker? Tatsuya thought from the bottom of his heart.

  Since Tatsuya was the one who reached out for a meeting, of course he was the one who wanted to handle the situation as soon as possible, so Tatsuya was walking directly for the Student Council Room.

  Though this was bona fide ditching school, cheating the monitoring system was difficult but hardly impossible.

  Tatsuya used the ID card that someone he didn’t know set up for full access and
opened the door. Probably because this was still class time, Mayumi was the only one in the room.

  After exchanging greetings – Mayumi thought that was enough whereas Tatsuya had to consider for a moment about the right attitude – Tatsuya sat down across from Mayumi and immediately conveyed what had happened.

  "……This is the situation. I think that airship belongs to the Intelligence Department Counterintelligence 3rd Division that is rumored to be connected with the Saegusa Family. As to exactly why they wanted to capture a Parasite, I have no idea. However, it is extremely dangerous if they plan to use the Parasite for military purposes. Though I do not know if they can be completely destroyed, sealing them would probably be the best bet."

  "Counterintelligence 3rd Division? Though not an adult, even I as a member of the Saegusa Family do not know about this. Tatsuya-kun, I’m amazed that you are in the know for something like this."

  "I would greatly appreciate it if you would not ask me for my sources."

  "……Well, Tatsuya-kun seems to have a lot on his plate so I won’t ask. Compared to that, can you tell me why you went after the Parasite alone?"

  "I felt that if senpai’s side also sent men, they would be too wary to come."

  "Is that all there is?"

  Mayumi watched Tatsuya playing dumb with a highly displeased expression on her face.

  "I’ll let it go for now……"

  Yet, before the completely unperturbed Tatsuya, she was about to shrug her shoulders but stopped the motion halfway.

  "Tatsuya-kun wants me to try and persuade my father, correct? So that the Parasite captured by the Intelligence Department can be returned to Erika-chan and her group."

  Though this hardly mattered, at some point Mayumi started to refer to Erika as "Erika-chan", something that would have prompted a highly unwilling look on Erika herself if she were present (Mizuki was allowed to do so, but no one else). Then again, he could never get used to Mikihiko being called "Miki", so this must be what it means by "what goes around, comes around".

  ……Tatsuya shook his head to dispel the random thoughts and replied with "I didn’t ask you guys to return it" in response to Mayumi’s question.

  "I’ll be blunt. If the reason for keeping the Parasites turns out to be something other than experimentation and that their usage as military tools is discovered, hereby having a negative effect on Magicians, I will ensure that the organization responsible pays dearly for this."

  "Quite the terrifying declaration."

  Though the voice contained some degree of surprise, her gaze seemed to signify an unspeakable hatred towards that sort of talk.

  "After taking into the consideration what is happening in the USNA, such a threat is necessary."

  Mayumi also knew that discrimination against Magicians was growing worse day by day over there. If a similar situation broke out in the much smaller Japan, things might turn into bloodshed at a much faster rate.

  "……I understand. I will talk to my father, but I cannot guarantee anything, so please don’t be too hopeful. After all, unlike Juumonji-kun, I’m not the heir to the Saegusa Family."

  Mayumi’s last words threw Tatsuya for a loop.

  "……What?"

  "No…… It’s just that it’s surprising that the Saegusa Family turned out to be so patriarchal."

  "What is Tatsuya-kun’s family like?"

  This may be because she was shy or simply being sulky. Tatsuya was a little unclear about the meaning behind Mayumi’s reaction.

  Still, there was no reason to answer. After reflecting briefly, Tatsuya approached Mayumi’s question in a state of mind much like someone playing a penalty game.

  "Our father’s influence isn’t something that is a part of our lives, since he currently moved into his second wife’s condo."

  Mayumi’s eyes started to drift all over the place.

  Seeing such an innocent side of Mayumi that was so easily flustered by something like this, Tatsuya couldn’t help but think that she’s not that much older than we are. Though she often acts like an adult, she definitely couldn’t be called a "mature woman".

  "The only difference is that she’s not a lover but a second wife now."

  "How mature."

  "That’s just giving up. And if being an adult means 'giving up'…… Then I don’t even want to think about it."

  Tatsuya answered Mayumi with a completely defeated tone.

  Even a bad premonition will occasionally miscalculate.

  In regards to Tatsuya’s theory about the JSDF Intelligence Department using the Parasite, that was sadly not going to happen.

  Still, it was hard to say whether this constituted being "fortunate".

  The next morning.

  "The Counterintelligence 3rd Division’s espionage detention center was raided. The captured Parasites have been executed."

  That was what was written on the message Mayumi passed along.

  Chapter 16

  —The Intelligence Bureau's facilities were attacked, and the contained Parasites had been killed—

  Tatsuya suppressed the urge to immediately contact Mayumi for a detailed report. Instead he went to the bathroom for the time being. Rinsing off the sweat from his regular training under the shower, he considered his next move.

  Miyuki still hadn't been told.

  He had just come back from Yakumo's temple. This was perfectly routine, and just because he had checked his mail before entering the shower she shouldn't have inferred anything from it.

  (No...... It'd be useless to try and hide it.)

  Should he just keep quiet, Tatsuya considered, then immediately rejected the idea.

  He wouldn't be able to keep anything from his sister's sharp intuition very long. And it would be one thing if it was completely unrelated, but Miyuki was just as involved in this matter as Tatsuya was.

  Deciding to not sneak around and openly come clean with his sister, Tatsuya exited the shower.

  Tatsuya's fingers flew over the console of the workstation in the basement. If it were to be described in words, it wouldn't be 'brilliant', but 'accurate', and 'fast', rather like his personality.

  It was a Saturday, so they only had a few morning classes. But Tatsuya had considered skipping if the investigation ended up dragging out.

  In that case, it would be something natural for him (he himself considered it to be 'natural').

  In Miyuki's case, it would be something natural for her, as well (to her, however, it would be more due to 'necessity'), and since skipping today would have been entirely of her own free will, she had wavered until the last minute.

  Fortunately, he found the data they were looking for immediately.

  Although he was accessing the Defense Forces server without being authorized, the resistance of the local system (local here meaning, not standalone, but merely localized) against the hacking program made by the 'Electron Sorceress' Fujibayashi Kyouko was decidedly inadequate. Compartmentalizing information in this way as a risk countermeasure meant that, whilst specific sections may be vulnerable, leaks would not impact the whole. It had both merits and demerits.

  Well, since it had led to a favorable result for Tatsuya this time, he could afford to be graceful.

  The video which was recorded therein contained something shocking.

  Not in the sense of ruthlessness or cruelty causing a physiological impact, but that the identity of the one who had gone and caused everything had a considerable impact on the siblings.

  Under the cover of darkness, a petite figure invaded.

  Illuminated by the light of the alarms was a masked, flaming haired girl.

  With a single glare of her golden eyes, the plain clothed soldiers were blown away, then she proceeded to carve a complicated pattern four times towards the door. As she then stepped aside, the door crashed down.

  On the other side was a small room. The width was about enough to fit two single beds, and the low ceiling was 2 meters tall. On the far side were three bunk bed
s.

  Deprived of movement, in a straitjacket, legs tightly bound, a man was lying on top of the third bed. While he looked different due to being completely pale, his face was unmistakably that of the Parasite who had identified himself as Marte.

  A pale mist emitted from the girl's mouth. It seemed the room was kept rather cold.

  In her hand, the knife had been replaced by an automatic pistol.

  The single shot she fired hit Marte right in the chest.

  All of a sudden, the man's body combusted.

  The source of the flame had likely been the bullet. It was probably a magic which blazed on the condition the bullet stopped inside the target's body.

  The flame haired girl, Angie Sirius, fired more shots into the top and bottom beds. Clearly, this was a killing with no regard for recovering the 'content'. The objective had been not merely to erase the 'container'; it was an 'execution'.

  While watching the girl calmly walk away off the camera, Tatsuya sighed unconsciously.

  He knew that Sirius' tasks included the neutralisation of rogue magicians. He also knew perfectly well that humane treatment for magicians was all just empty talk, but he couldn't help sighing nonetheless.

  The entire affair was highly unfortunate.

  Inflicting the role of a merciless killer on a 16 year old girl, just what were the USNA military brass thinking.

  Even the Mafia was more considerate in their personnel selection. This was no different from religious and fundamentalist nuts who drove boys and girls to terrorism in the name of holy war.

  "Onii-sama, that was...... Lina wasn't it?"

  Miyuki had been informed of Sirius' secret, 'Parade'.

  She could tell from that rough image that the killer was Sirius— Lina.

  "Probably."

  Miyuki seemed to be in shock, but Tatsuya could find no words to soothe her.

  There was nothing he could say about the murder itself. He didn't believe he was qualified to do any such thing. He himself had undertaken missions he could not reveal, and amongst the dirty work to be done, assassination could be said to be one of the cleaner acts.