Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 11 - Visitor Chapter (III) Page 4

  Tatsuya pulled out a gun from his waist.

  This was not the handgun-shaped CAD he usually held, but a real gun that he also took off of Lina.

  He turned in mid-air and returned a gift of lead towards the shooter poking out from the window. After Tatsuya’s bullets pierced his chest, the man’s body slid from the window back into the car.

  Immediately, Tatsuya landed atop the third man.

  His right foot stamped on the shoulder while his left foot snapped the collarbone as it landed.

  His body, free of any more magical influences, landed behind the third man just like that.

  The ensuing rain of bullets that splashed around his body was a clear sign of how panicked the opposing shooter was.

  Though it was difficult to hit the enemy taking cover in the car, there was thankfully only one opponent left.

  After using gunfire to suppress the enemy and charging into the car, Tatsuya surveyed the situation and couldn’t help but feel a little let down.

  Besides the two who had been shot and killed, there were two other men knocked unconscious on the floor.

  Based on the CADs on their wrists, both of them should be supporting Magicians.

  It appeared that Far Strike had a few unintended effects. This also reinforced that Yakumo’s training was particularly effective.

  As insurance, Tatsuya stomped on every man’s chest to check for any reaction before hurtling the bodies of the slain and unconscious out the car.

  Since Lina’s gun had a small muzzle, the bodies luckily didn’t show any major wounds. Though everyone had a few holes on their bodies, not a whole lot of blood escaped.

  After making a copy of all the records on board, Tatsuya set about wiping all the onboard machines.

  After taking into consideration that the next group of guests would clean up after him, Tatsuya did a cursory job wiping away the blood and exited the vehicle.

  Throughout this entire sequence, Tatsuya pretended that he was oblivious to the mysterious individual spying on him.

  "—When I carried Angie Sirius over to the vehicle, there was no trace of the subjugated reserve force."

  "Were they taken by the observer?"

  "I assume they decided that this outweighed my continued observation, since by the time I returned, the immobile Chiba Naotsugu had also disappeared."

  After listening to Tatsuya’s situation report, Hayama adopted a contemplative posture. Given that there was no way to see if he was putting on an act, this could only be chalked up as an older man’s extensive experience.

  "Looks like our observer is closely connected to the Saegusa Family."

  "The Saegusa Family? Are you sure it’s not the Chiba Family?"

  "Tokyo belongs to the Saegusa Family’s jurisdiction. We have also caught wind of Koichi-sama’s subordinates taking certain actions."

  Koichi-sama was the head of the Saegusa Family, so Tatsuya naturally understood that this was referring to Saegusa Koichi. The names of the various heads within the Ten Master Clans were common knowledge among Japanese Magicians.

  "Limiting the usage of magic to a minimum and primarily relying on close quarters combat to settle the issue are both born of the fact that you are aware of the surveillance, but ultimately this was something to be avoided if possible given the observer."

  None of the string of events that started since April were instigated by Tatsuya. He had always become embroiled in the events because he had been dragged in. Regardless, Tatsuya was very cognizant that a guardian like him being so conspicuous was not a wise course of action, so he demurred.

  "Still, we are also aware that Tatsuya-dono has not done anything worthy of blame. Although protecting one of the candidates for the next head of house, Miyuki-dono, is your mission, you are definitely not the only one assigned to this task. Even if she is not yet by Maya-sama’s side, it is far too early for the other families to be aware of Miyuki-dono’s position. Of course, given that this is Koichi-sama, he may already have caught on……"

  Caught on must refer to the idea that Tatsuya was someone affiliated with the Yotsuba Family. Tatsuya was inwardly impressed that this was still "caught on" and not a "growing concern".

  "In spite of this, we cannot allow them to seize any evidence that would move beyond speculation. Tatsuya-dono, please transfer the copied data over to me. I will begin handling the USNA military side."

  The light words that dropped from Hayama’s mouth sounded like a proud boast to Tatsuya’s ears.

  In terms of numbers, the Yotsuba Family were plainly outnumbered by the Saegusa and Ichijou Families. Yet, their combat prowess were comparable. In 1-on-1 confrontations, the Yotsuba would have the advantage. Despite their limited numbers, they were more than capable of becoming the counter-terrorism trump card and carrying out actions that went beyond the reach of the law that the government needed. In terms of black ops and assassinations, none among the "Numbered Families" could match the Yotsuba Family.

  "So long as we don’t leave an opening for the JSDF to intervene, Koichi-sama shouldn’t be able to intercede directly."

  The other agents were another story altogether, but at least Hayama’s words were trustworthy.

  At the same time he hit the switch for the communication line, Tatsuya bowed deeply before the camera.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The instant she saw Tatsuya’s face as he arrived to pick her up, Miyuki’s eyes widened in shock.

  "Did something happen?"

  "No, nothing’s the matter."

  Though the response was immediate, Miyuki understood very well that those were only superficial words meant to cover the situation.

  "Onii-sama, you aren’t hurt right?"

  All of a sudden, Miyuki hugged Tatsuya tightly.

  This actually threw Tatsuya for a loop.

  "No, Miyuki, please calm down a little."

  "I can’t possibly calm down! This "smell"…… Onii-sama, you fought against Lina, right!? And, it wasn’t one-on-one, right!? You 'smell' like you fought against ten people at least!"

  Just as Tatsuya could use sight to capture "information", so too could Miyuki detect "information" through touch. However, Miyuki was more capable than that, as she could also use smell to receive knowledge that was practically instinct. Although Tatsuya carried no traces of physical injuries, he still carried the "scent" of battle.

  "Please, I’m asking you to settle down a little."

  Having someone feel concern over him was something worth cheering about, but there was no way to converse if she could not calm down.

  "You should know that no one is capable of leaving a mark on me."

  Anyone else might have been bemused by those words, but Miyuki immediately grasped the meaning within.

  Gradually, her excitement settled.

  Five seconds later, she had entirely calmed.

  "……Onii-sama, my sincere apologies for my display."

  Not only was she apologizing verbally, but even his sister’s body was huddled together in embarrassment. Tatsuya couldn’t help but smile – maybe he felt a smile was the only proper way to respond – and slightly shook his head.

  "No worries. I was the one who caused you to worry."

  "Such a thing…… Of course a sister would be concerned for Onii-sama’s safety."

  Of course? Though that question flashed across Tatsuya’s brain on reflex, he was well aware that voicing that aloud was taboo.

  It was nothing more than a thought.

  True, feeling concern for others was a matter of course, but Miyuki’s fervor was slightly atypical.

  "Naturally, there’s no way Lina could beat you no matter how she challenged you. That’s because there’s no one in the world who can beat Onii-sama."

  As he watched his sister spout her usual fervent words, Tatsuya self-consciously watched her with slightly colder eyes.

  As long as Miyuki believed in him, he had to meet that expectation no matter the cost. This thought truly existed some
where in his heart, an understanding born of both determination and pride.

  Yet, at the same time, his own objectivity that was completely unrelated to this understanding saw that this was far too dangerous.

  If not for the fact that his opponent was an emotionally immature young lady of 16 years, if both sides had brought their full might to bear, he might have been the one who fell in the end.

  However, even if he wasn’t relieved of his duties, it would be terrible if his principle detected this sort of defeatist thinking.

  Which is why, more than ever, he needed to present an indomitable front.

  "So long as you are waiting for me, I will bow to no one."

  Except, these words seemed a little overkill.

  Rather, the presentation was a tad "overkill".

  Tears formed at the corners of Miyuki’s eyes.

  Seeing the warm gaze Miyuki directed towards him, Tatsuya realized that he had made a tactical error.

  Nonetheless, there was no way for him to take back the words he spoke.

  Nay, even if he could erase them, this situation was beyond his control.

  In addition, Miyuki was in a state that went well beyond any easy means of defusing.

  (……Oh well, still better than being mercilessly interrogated.)

  Right now, Tatsuya’s mind was filled with escapist thoughts.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  By the time Lina returned to her apartment, it was already the next day. Furthermore, it wasn’t right after midnight, but rather "far later". At the very least, the sun hadn’t risen when she returned home, so at least she could draw a little comfort from that.

  While all of her equipment had been confiscated, for some inexplicable reason Brionac was still with her, so personal safety wasn’t going to be an issue.

  Unfortunately, since her communication device had been taken away, there was no way to call a car to pick her up.

  Furthermore, since she always used electric currency, she wasn’t carrying her purse. Even more importantly, in order to prevent any investigation on her combat operation, she didn’t bring any personal items either. Thanks to that, even 24 hour public transportation was denied to her, forcing her to walk all the way home.

  Since her Specialized and Generalized CAD were both gone, Flying-Type Magic and high speed mobility magic were both inaccessible. By the time she finally arrived at the apartment she lived at thanks to intermittent Leaping techniques, Lina was practically on the verge of tears.

  If anyone had been unfortunate enough to witness her state, Lina might have fired with Brionac on reflex out of incredible shame.

  Thanks to biological identification, Lina managed to get inside without much trouble.

  At the same time she breathed out a sigh of relief, fury roused within her.

  (Do you hate me or something, Tatsuya!?)

  From an objective perspective, Lina had a mountain of reasons to complain about him. Even so, the majority of them came from her emotions. In the end, thanks to her military training, she broke through these feelings and remembered what her priorities were.

  First, she opened the signal to the command center. However, no matter how she signaled, she failed to receive a reply.

  Cold sweat dripped down Lina’s back. In order to dispel the dark premonition in her heart, Lina furiously shook her head.

  She tried using the communicator in her room once again to call the command center. Earlier, she still bore hope that "the signal wasn’t going through", but as she repeatedly called out, this hope flickered and died.

  What happened to the colonel, Lina couldn’t help but think.

  Lina swiftly equipped herself with CADs and other weapons, told herself to buck up, then jumped off the balcony into the night sky.

  Her destination ahead of her was the skyscraper that housed their secret command center.

  By the time she discovered that the place was abandoned, it was well after an hour since she began her thorough search.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The next morning.

  The news on the television reported that a small USNA vessel was found in Japanese waters and had been rescued by the Japanese Naval Defense Force after said vessel was left adrift after suffering mechanical failure.

  However, the news failed to mention as to why a high ranking officer stationed at the Tokyo embassy was on board.

  Additionally on that day, the beautiful transfer student at First High continued to call in sick on account of physical infirmity.

  Chapter 15

  As he ate breakfast while watching the morning news, Tatsuya noticed that he was unconsciously nodding along and hurriedly stopped his head motions. Fortunately, Miyuki’s eyes were drawn to the television, so she remained oblivious to Tatsuya’s odd movements.

  "Mechanical failure? But I didn’t see any forecast regarding hurricanes or thick fog."

  Miyuki’s skepticism arose from the news that a small American naval vessel drifted within Japanese territorial waters.

  "It’s hard to imagine that machines would have such a large breakdown, so it probably has something to do with the motor. In this age of automated machinery, the chance that this is caused by human failure while moving in the wrong direction is slim."

  Seeing the pose his sister struck as she simply(?) accepted his word as truth while nodding along, he couldn’t help but feel that his soul was being corrupted. –Of course, Tatsuya was self-aware enough to know that was nothing more than a misconception.

  On the other hand……

  (Even if this is Oba-ue’s direct order, the execution speed is simply too quick.)

  Based on the time that the drifting vessel had been taken under "protection" and cross referenced against the time Tatsuya contacted Hayama, forget half a day, the entire episode from attack to clean-up was completed in barely half that time.

  In other words, they were currently embroiled in secret warfare while their fighting strength was highly restricted, but their opponent was a nation’s professional army. This was no militia found in small developing countries, but most likely the elite of the elite from a major superpower.

  No matter how capable the Yotsuba agents were, this was an unbelievable operation tempo.

  In short,

  (By the time I made contact, they had already distributed their assets.)

  In regards to exactly what their plans were, that he was not privy to. Maybe this was a natural coincidence, or perhaps they had planned on not interfering in the first place.

  Nor was it impossible that they simply wanted to see Tatsuya bow down to them and request for aid.

  (Regardless of what it is, it’s not like I feel like I owe them anything.)

  No matter what the background was, Tatsuya was satisfied so long as the end result was moving in the positive direction.

  Miyuki intentionally portrayed her agreement to the motor malfunction explanation while she sneaked a peek at her brother’s visage.

  Her brother didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary from her.

  While small motions that misled her brother strained her, she also wanted to keep a few things from her brother at times.

  Miyuki deposited the utensils and dinnerware in the kitchen and left the cleanup to the HAR (Home Automation Robot) before heading upstairs to her room to change.

  Standing in front of the mirror, Miyuki gave a small sigh.

  Miyuki didn’t even need to watch the news to know something was afoot.

  After Tatsuya left for his morning training after breakfast as usual, Miyuki received a phone call from Maya.

  The contents informed her that "the USNA troops threatening Tatsuya’s surroundings have been dealt with."

  Still, Miyuki remained unaware of which specific members of the Yotsuba Family conducted the operation. Thus, the only person to whom Miyuki conveyed her thanks was Maya. Despite knowing that these were methods to monitor her, Miyuki was genuinely grateful.

  Additionally, Miyuki requested
that Maya, who typically did not look at her brother or her with favor, to keep all of this from Tatsuya.

  (How sly of me…… If Onii-sama knew the truth about this, then he would think that I’m a terrible girl……)

  On one hand, Miyuki wished to prevent Tatsuya thinking of her as a dolt.

  On the other hand, she simultaneously tried her utmost to ensure Tatsuya didn’t view her as a smart child.

  From the bottom of her heart, Miyuki didn’t want to weigh her brother down.

  Yet at the same time, the one thing she absolutely abhorred was for her brother to believe "my little sister doesn’t need me anymore".

  Once she became the head of the Yotsuba Family and was fully independent…… Once he came to that conclusion, her brother may leave her side.

  Even if he wasn’t leaving, he would probably still keep his distance.

  That was the nightmare that constantly tormented Miyuki.

  Miyuki and Tatsuya were siblings by blood.

  As she grew older, leaving her brother was a matter of course - just as he would naturally grow apart from his sister.

  Miyuki also understood that one day she must marry.

  She would be forced to accept someone other than her brother as her husband.

  Though this was against Miyuki’s wishes, society and this country called Japan would never allow her not to do this, so long as she was a talented Magician with hereditary genes boasting powerful magical qualities.

  This was not something far off in the distant future, but something looming rather closely.

  In the modern age, Magicians were required to marry early. This was especially the case for female Magicians, so that they could marry quickly and bear children. The reason behind this was that the sooner a Magician was born generation-wise, the greater the tendency for him or her to wield innately powerful magic. Scientists referred to this as "magic seeping into hereditary genes". The differences between the greatest Magicians of each generation weren’t obvious, but the average power level was on the rise. Their parents’ generation surpassed their grandparents’ generation, just as they too surpassed their parents. While this would level off sooner or later, everyone was still bound by the overwhelming urge to bring forth the next generation as quickly as possible.