At the exact moment Tatsuya discovered the Parasite Dolls, a phone rang in the hotel suite where Miyuki and Minami waited.
"Hello? Yes... please wait a moment."
Minami, holding a handset of an elegantly archaic design where the microphone and speaker were joined by a single arm, covered the mouthpiece and turned toward Miyuki.
"Miyuki-sama, it seems you have visitors downstairs."
"Visitors? For me? Did they give their names?"
"Yes."
Minami exchanged a few more words with the front desk before turning back, her expression noticeably more rigid. "It is Lord Mitsugu and Lady Ayako. They are waiting in the lobby."
"Tell them I will be down immediately."
Minami's tension was contagious. Miyuki gave the instruction and hurried to the mirror to check her appearance, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes.
When Miyuki and Minami arrived in the lobby, the Kuroba father and daughter were indeed waiting.
"Ah, Miyuki. It has been quite a while," Mitsugu said warmly.
"Uncle, forgive me for being out of touch. And Ayako, it's been three months, hasn't it? Thank you again for all your help during that incident in the spring."
"You are quite welcome. It was only possible because of your and Tatsuya-san's hard work," Ayako replied. Her smile was polite, but Miyuki didn't miss the faint, challenging spark in the younger girl's eyes.
"There's no sense in standing around," Mitsugu said, his suggestion carrying the weight of a command. "Let's sit and talk. You there—Sakurai Minami, wasn't it? You come along as well."
Miyuki had no formal obligation to obey Mitsugu, but she had no reason to refuse either. Quietly, she followed him.
While Miyuki was listening to Mitsugu, Tatsuya stood outside the Old Ninth Institute, his brow furrowed as his "vision" delved into the section where the psion concentration was highest.
(What is this? It looks like mental interference magic.)
Through Elemental Sight, Tatsuya could see an activation sequence similar to "Luna Strike" embedded within every gynoid.
(Luna Strike uses the shock of an illusion to paralyze consciousness, forcibly loosening the ego's restraints and causing emotions to run wild. Is this... a spell designed to make the Parasites go berserk?)
The sheer pointlessness of intentionally causing a weapon to lose control baffled him. Suddenly, his terminal chirped an alarm. Tatsuya's consciousness was jerked back from the informational dimension to the physical world.
It was an emergency email. He opened it instantly. The sender field was blank—just like the mail sent to his house. The message was brief: Leave this place immediately.
The moment Tatsuya realized who the sender must be, the telltale signs of a magical attack flickered in his "eye."
Emission-type lightning magic and mental-interference illusion magic. He had been caught completely off-guard. There was no time to draw his CAD. Deciding in a fraction of a heartbeat, Tatsuya slammed his psion-charged palms together.
CLACK.
With the sharp sound of the ritual clap, an explosive wave of psions erupted from him. It was Gram Demolition—a counter-magic that used sheer psion pressure to blow away magical sequences. Because he hadn't given the energy a specific direction, it required a massive amount of psions, but it worked. High-density psions flooded the area, shattering the incoming spells.
Tatsuya vaulted onto his bike and ignited the engine in one fluid motion. The thick fog of residual psions acted as a magical smokescreen, masking his retreat and preventing the Institute from mounting a pursuit.
The following morning, on the journey back to Tokyo, Miyuki's mood was a stark contrast to the excitement of the previous day. She was trying her best to appear normal, but to Tatsuya's eyes, her smile was clouded. After they met up with Yakumo and boarded the private compartment of the linear train, the unease Tatsuya felt only grew; her expression was the picture of a woman forcing herself to be happy.
"Miyuki, did something happen? Or is there something weighing on your mind…?"
"Tatsuya-sama," Minami began, stepping in as if to shield her.
"It's alright, Minami," Miyuki interrupted, reaching into her pouch. She held out a small data card used for mobile terminals.
"What is this?"
"Uncle Mitsugu and Ayako-chan gave it to me at the hotel last night."
"They came to the hotel?"
"Oh, yes," Yakumo chimed in, his tone as airy as ever. "It is a Yotsuba-affiliated hotel, after all. Was that a problem?"
Tatsuya's gaze sharpened, turning toward the monk sitting beside him, but Yakumo remained entirely unphased.
"They said it contains data on the 'P-Weapon'—the Parasite Dolls—and the results of the investigation into this experiment," Miyuki explained.
"Parasite Dolls… so that's the true form of the P-Weapon."
"That is what Ayako-chan called them."
Not Mitsugu, but Ayako. Hearing that, Tatsuya finally understood the source of Miyuki's gloom. It wasn't just the information—it was the fact that her cousin had been the one to deliver it, performing a duty for the family while Miyuki felt she had merely been a tourist.
"Tatsuya-kun, won't you show me what's inside?" Yakumo asked.
"Master, we'll be at the station soon."
"We still have nearly ten minutes."
"It's less than ten."
"It's fine, Brother," Miyuki said softly.
Tatsuya had intended to wait until they were home out of consideration for Miyuki's feelings, but Yakumo cared little for such delicacies. Since Miyuki had given her consent, Tatsuya pulled a cable from his terminal.
"Master, do you have your device?"
"Of course. I came prepared."
Once Yakumo had connected his terminal, Tatsuya began playing the data from the card. It consisted mostly of text and simple diagrams, so he scrolled through it at his usual high speed. Yakumo followed the pace without effort. Information that would have taken twenty minutes for a normal person to digest was consumed in three. Yakumo looked faintly satisfied.
"It seems the trip was worth the effort."
"Is this... data on a sorcerer who defected from the Great Asian Alliance?" Tatsuya asked.
"A continental sorcerer who was smuggled into the country last week," Yakumo confirmed, adding the specific timing.
"The timing seems almost too perfect," Tatsuya noted.
"It's likely no coincidence. They were probably invited by someone who intends to exploit this experiment."
"Someone looking to exploit it? You mean... it wasn't the Kudo family's intention to bring them in? No, I see."
"This affair isn't going to be straightforward," Yakumo mused. "Though the underlying structure might be simpler than it looks once you strip everything away."
Tatsuya found himself agreeing. One conspiracy entangles with another during the planning stage, and by the time of execution, dozens of conflicting agendas are layered on top. In the end, the true essence of an incident often remains hidden until the dust has finally settled.
Just then, a message appeared on the compartment's display: Arriving at Station.
"Minami, thank you for your hard work."
Time was up; the meeting was over. Tatsuya's words carried that silent intent. Minami let out a long breath, and suddenly, the muffled announcements from the train's speakers flooded their ears. The psion shield and sound-proofing field she had been maintaining finally dropped.
Tatsuya reached out and lightly patted Minami's head in appreciation. She narrowed her eyes, looking deeply content.
------------------------
I've posted 40+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"