by Sato Tsutomu
The P94 bowed in a fluid motion that matched any live human and walked towards the seat near the entrance.
After taking a seat, she became motionless.
The power source for the 3H was a methanol fuel cell.
There was an option to refuel methanol — literally drinking it in this case, so the user didn't have to worry about exhausting the fuel.
However, there was no need to waste fuel needlessly, since the act of standing was rather taxing on the power (standing on both legs was a rather challenging exercise), so the model remained sitting when not in use.
Tatsuya moved his head around (no ulterior motive implied) and placed his fingertips on the keyboard.
The sound of lightly tapping the keys rang out.
Tatsuya's left hand left the keyboard and moved towards the pearl-colored display. This was the access point for users to directly interact with the large CAD plugged into the display. The user could supply psions needed by the Activation Sequence through this display, where the CAD would then read the Activation Sequence.
He was currently projecting the movements of the Magic Sequence.
Normally, the sequence involved breaking down the Magic Sequence into steps and removing individual steps before they came to fruition in order to test whether the desired result was brought about by the processes.
On the surface, he was following this procedure, but in reality he was using his "eye" to directly observe each aspect of the Magic Sequence.
His superlative talent in developing magic was largely thanks to this hidden ability (Elemental Sight), although other magic pioneers might label this as cheating — he was not the sort of person to quibble over things like that.
His physical eye was watching the screen while his mental eye was glued on the information dimension.
His work continued for roughly an hour.
Suddenly, he felt an uncomfortable feeling within his body.
Drowsiness suddenly sneaked up on him.
(Did I overdo it......)
Wishing to take a break outside, Tatsuya moved to get up, but—
His limbs were heavy.
Like his body hadn't woken up yet.
Highly trained individuals could use their will to control the physical body's desire for sleep.
Pulling several all-nighters in a row was another story, but he didn't recall that he led such an unprincipled lifestyle.
A danger signal flashed across his brain.
His physical body plainly was behaving abnormally.
[Physical functioning dropping abnormally]
Sleepiness itself is not something that poses an obstruction to combat ability.
However, when unable to awaken based on one's own consciousness, then this drowsiness became an impairment to combat ability.
[Personal Restoration: Semi-Automatic Activation]
His Personal Restoration ability recognized the necessity.
[Magic Sequence: Loaded]
[Core/Eidos Data: Retrieving from Backup]
Begin activation.
[Restoration: Commence...... Complete]
In an instant, his body returned to "a state before drowsiness came upon him".
But the primary problem still hadn't been addressed.
The only thing that he had consumed since leaving the house for the lab was the coffee from the cafe and the cup Pixie prepared for him. Neither of the two items contained hazardous materials. That was because he already used his "eye" to verify this before partaking in them. Thus, the only direction where chemicals could come from was—
(Gas!)
The circulation system must have been tampered with.
After taking a quick inventory of the information in the room, he confirmed that a fast-acting sleeping gas had been introduced into the air for a short period of time.
So what should he do now.
It was a simple matter for him to "decompose" the gas.
However, there were magic monitors all around the campus, so if he used "Decomposition" in a large, open space like this repair room to remove all the gas, the magic he kept hidden all this time would be revealed. That was not a desirable outcome.
Miyuki, Honoka, or Shizuku would be able to identify which gas particles were harmful and expel them from the room, but that sort of magic was a little too difficult for him.
At any rate, holding his breath also had its limitations.
Right now, the only thing he could do was leave. He could just leave the device behind without a problem. After locking the computer, Tatsuya turned towards the entrance.
Yet — before him, a slim figure halted him in his tracks.
The figure standing before Tatsuya stretched out a hand towards Tatsuya's mouth.
Since the movement wasn't particularly swift, Tatsuya wasn't clear what the figure was trying to do.
"Her" hand stopped shortly in front of Tatsuya's face.
"There is an abnormality in the circulation system. Please wear a mask."
3H (Humanoid Home Helper) Type P94, the feminine robot named Pixie offered him a simple mask.
At first glance, this appeared to be disposable cloth dust mask, but this was a high quality gel filter sufficient to block anything larger than carbon dioxide particles. Applied to the face, the filter was able to block almost all poisonous gases while not hampering breathing in any way.
They even have these, Tatsuya thought as he put on the mask and closed his eyes.
"Corneas in danger of contamination. Need to be directed outside, by hand."
Despite the clear need for linguistic improvement, Tatsuya got the meaning she was trying to convey perfectly. The newest 3H model P94 appeared to have crisis management protocols installed, or maybe this was simply the Robotics Club's "education".
Tatsuya knew that sleeping gas did not contain elements that harmed the eyes.
That was because she said so only after he closed his eyes.
Still, he made no motion to walk outside.
"Pixie, override and activate the ventilation system. To prevent secondary hazards, I will remain here. Remain in Monitoring Status. In order to allow assistance, do not prevent others from entering. You are forbidden from obstructing them."
The P94 accepted the chain of commands from Tatsuya.
"Avoidance of secondary hazards, logical and confirmed. Overriding ventilation system."
The air conditioning system and the ventilation system that was on a separate system had been activated.
The 3H itself was only a voice-machine interface for the automatic household system.
The small fuel cell that served as its power source and upright frame that stood on two legs were not suitable for physical labor.
Owing to its humanoid design, the number of sensors installed was also limited, so it wasn't suited for precision tasks either.
Based on the 3H's design, individual activity did not need to match the strength or precision of actual humans and was designed to facilitate the usage of the automatic household system.
After going through voice recognition, they were able to receive verbal orders. This was like remotely controlling the HAR that shared the same outward appearance as humans. The HAR was originally intended to be an add-on and never meant to cover all the bases for household management.
Still, the add-on functions were so well done that most people forgot the HAR's original purpose as an interface.
Not just everyone else. Even Tatsuya actually forgot today.
(Being overly accessible has its pros and cons......)
Tatsuya ruminated whether he had that embarrassing thought only because he refused to admit defeat as he waited for the sleeping gas to be expelled.
Taking the 3H's operations into account, the air conditioning system was being restored at the same time.
Tatsuya sat down in front of the terminal again and removed the gas mask. In order to refrain from scaring the person checking to see if he had fallen asleep, he closed his eyes a
nd relaxed the tension in his body.
The person he was waiting for quickly arrived.
After the gas was removed, Tatsuya sat there with closed eyes, concentrated, and quickly detected someone creeping into the room.
He preemptively ordered the P94 to refrain from searching each individual before entering because he considered the possibility that someone would enter right now, which fell perfectly within Tatsuya's calculations.
"Shiba?"
The familiar voice of an upperclassman.
The statement was made to check if Tatsuya was actually asleep and would immediately offer a false offer of worry if he rose. However, based on the terrible alibi due to his awkward choice of timing to enter the room now, he was a complete amateur.
Naturally, Tatsuya continued to feign sleep.
"Shiba, are you asleep?"
Once again making sure that there was no answer, the invader glanced around as if looking for something, but his eyes quickly focused on the device. He abandoned the terminal as a target because he saw that Tatsuya already locked the computer. Or, maybe he never wanted the data in the first place.
The invader had no idea that Tatsuya was watching with narrowed eyes, nor was he aware that Pixie was sitting there in Monitoring Mode and recording the entire sequence. And so, the invader plugged the hacking tool he used on the recording cameras into the device and started trying to remove the Activation Sequence data.
"Sekimoto, what are you doing?"
The sudden query caused the invader to jump in fright and frantically whirl around.
(That's a wrap......)
Too bad the merry solo act ended so soon, Tatsuya thought to himself. Of course, the people in question, both the person being interrupted and the one providing the interruption — were entirely unaware of his terrible interest in entertainment.
"Chiyoda, why are you here?"
"Why? I came here because I received word from the security system that there was an error flag from the air conditioning system. Sekimoto, why are you here and what are you holding in your hand?"
"Impossible...... The alarm should have been disconnected......"
His panicky state, or maybe the presence of this unexpected surprise, caused Sekimoto to misspeak, prompting Kanon's eyes to go hard.
"Indeed. The alarm was sent manually and not automatically."
Pixie was the one who raised the alarm instead of Tatsuya.
The robot determined this was the proper action and followed through, which was another type of "automatic", but Kanon had no way of knowing. Compared to that—
"However, your earlier words can't simply be seen as words in the wind."
The most important thing was Sekimoto's accidental confession.
"What do you mean, the alarm should have been disconnected."
Criminals didn't always adopt logical paths of action. Still, there is a heightened degree of anxiety during the act itself, which was why they fell for traps that they would be able to avoid during normal circumstances. This was one of the key clues that enabled investigators to determine a suspect no matter how long ago the crime occurred. Currently, Sekimoto succumbed to the same cognitive trap that criminals often fell for.
"Sekimoto, remaining silent now is the same as admitting you did the deed."
Kanon's tone was fairly restrained, but she was clearly very sincere.
Kanon moved her left hand before her chest.
A running CAD was held in her hand.
It was already filled with psions to guarantee that the Activation Sequence would work.
This was not a contest, training session, or practical joke. This was a direct descendant of the Chiyoda Family from the Hundred Families preparing for live combat—
"Haha, Chiyoda, don't be ridiculous. I'm the criminal? Criminal for what?"
Sekimoto was trying to use false bravado to cover for himself, but this would only work when a large number of companions was with him and definitely not in a one-on-one confrontation.
"The criminal who tampered with the air conditioner by mixing in sleeping gas. In other words, the red-handed criminal engaged in industrial spying."
"How rude, Chiyoda! I was just making a backup because I was worried that we may lose data due to the system malfunction."
"Using hacking tools? That's frankly impossible. Isn't that right, Shiba-kun."
Sekimoto whirled around with shock to find Tatsuya smiling wryly with both eyes open.
Kanon had seen through Tatsuya's feigned sleep at a single glance.
"Impossible, the gas had no effect?"
"He's not a little cutie pie that can be undone by sleeping gas."
Tatsuya's wry smile deepened at Kanon's blatantly unfavorable tone.
"No way to deny that I'm not cute...... The rest is just as the Chief said. There is simply no way to directly prepare a backup for the device. Even if you tried, there would be no need."
The CAD plugged into the display device only recorded the Activation Sequence spreading out, and there was no way for an internal function to compile the Activation Sequence. Modification of Activation Sequences are often directly done on the computer, with a copy of contents included as well.
"Sekimoto, don't even try to think I'm that stupid. Even if my technical ability isn't all that great, I at least know that much."
Sekimoto clenched his teeth before Kanon's displeased glare.
He bore the appearance of a cornered rat that had been stripped of any excuse.
"Sekimoto Isao, remove your CAD and set it on the floor."
Kanon's tone changed.
She was now advising a criminal to surrender.
However, Sekimoto's response was,
"Chiyoda!"
The Activation Sequence spread out.
Sekimoto was a powerful member of the Public Moral Committee after joining in the second semester of Year 2.
There was no delay in his magic invocation, from reading the Activation Sequence to the construction of the Magic Sequence. His speed rivaled any representative from the Nine Schools Competition.
Yet—
"......Cut the bull, Sekimoto-kun!"
Sekimoto's magic dissipated. He realized an instant later that was because of Kanon's oscillatory-type magic using the floorboards as a medium.
When invoking magic, there was absolutely no need to recite the name of the magic used.
At the same time, calling out the name of the target was also meaningless.
Combat involving modern magic was decided in an instant.
Kanon had prepared her CAD first.
Even performing as pointless a gesture like calling out Kanon's name, there was simply no way for Sekimoto to seize the initiative from Kanon.
After Kanon called out, reinforcements from the Public Moral Committee and Club Activities Group burst into the room and Sekimoto was brought to the Student Guidance Center (aka "Interrogation Room").
During this time, Tatsuya never made a move.
Seeing Kanon's group leave, Tatsuya gave new orders to the waiting P94.
"Pixie, cancel Monitoring Mode, copy the visual and auditory recording starting from the moment the order was given into the memory cube and delete all files from the registry."
"Understood. Copying data files to memory cube...... Complete. ......Deleting records. Complete."
Pixie belonged to the Robotics Club, so Tatsuya didn't actually have that level of clearance. Still, since Tatsuya gave the order to make that recording, Tatsuya possessed the ownership power over the recorded files.
After placing the memory cube containing the evidence that even Kanon didn't know about into his shirt pocket, Tatsuya ordered the feminine robot to stand down again.
◇◇◇
Visiting hours for the hospital affiliated with the national magic university lasted from noon until 7 in the evening. Right now, the hour was just past 4, hence no one thought it was strange that a young man in a business suit with a bouquet of flowers in
his hand would appear in the hospital halls. Also, there wasn't a sense of wrongness with a man holding a bouquet, since the youth was clearly from a well-to-do family.
Still, his unique features should have been particularly memorable, but none of the other visitors or nurses paid him any heed. That certainly constituted an amazing situation.
Maybe because he was a frequent visitor or for some other reason, the young man was quite familiar with the hospital layout and didn't even hesitate before heading up the floors without even consulting the display board. After taking the elevator to the fourth floor, the young man came to a halt in the corridors.
In front of him, there was the figure of a bulky man which sparked the young man's recollection. This man, who was slightly older than him but still rated as a young man, was standing before the door leading to a certain hospital room.
Zhou once remarked to the young man's superior officer, Chen, that he would be visiting today. At the time, Chen didn't object to his visit to the young lady, nor did he make any comment.
So this was Chen's plan, Zhou could only rationalize it as such. Thus, someone being here to prevent his visit and even hamper his business was the real reason why Chen didn't object to his activities.
Not even hesitating for a second, the young Zhou pressed the alarm on the wall as if nothing had happened.
As the young man headed to the fourth floor from the third floor, a young couple came from the In Patient Wing. The man's name was Chiba Naotsugu and the woman was Watanabe Mari. The former was the second son of the Chiba Family bearing the proud title the Genius Swordsman while the latter was the former Public Moral Committee Chief from the magic university affiliated First High. The two of them were in the middle of a date.
"Nao."
In the eyes of her underclassmen, Mari was the heroic and valiant older sister, but before her lover she was a perfectly feminine, gentle young lady. Still, not only was this because she naturally wore an embarrassed expression while with her lover, there were a few apologetic traces in her expression as well.
"Well...... I'm sorry that I asked you to accompany me while you're so busy."