by Sato Tsutomu
"......So, what's the next step?"
Leo had also learned to read the mood.
They weren't going to make it, he hinted with his words as he asked Tatsuya for further instructions.
"We require additional information. Erika said there appears to be a major incident in process that far surpasses our expectations. Aimless action may be like sinking into the quagmire."
—They needed to obtain necessary intel from the Magic Association.
The main and side branches for the Magic Association had secret lines reserved for the Ten Master Clans and Tatsuya held the authority to directly access the Yotsuba Family line. Once linked to that line, even top secret information from Joint Chiefs was at his disposal.
If Tatsuya was alone, he would be able to reach the Kantou branch of the Magic Association in the Bay Hills Tower in approximately ten minutes despite the fighting in the streets. He wasn't engaged in high speed running exercises every morning for nothing.
However, Miyuki would be unable to keep up with Tatsuya's pace without roller skates or Flying-Type Magic. Leo, Erika, and Mikihiko might be capable, but one look at Honoka, Shizuku, and Mizuki told him that this was beyond them.
"How about the VIP conference room?"
As Tatsuya subconsciously creased his eyebrows, Shizuku made this proposal as she pointed at the building they just exited.
"The VIP conference room?"
Tatsuya didn't know of such a facility. He knew of the VIP waiting room, but this shouldn't be a slip of words. Also, the room Tatsuya had in mind was a mere waiting room and only possessed a standard phone line.
"Yeah. That's the room reserved for cabinet members and financial group leaders, so a lot of information can be accessed there."
"There's actually such a room?"
"That's because this conference room isn't open to the public."
"......It's amazing that you would know about it."
Erika's comment was wholly admiration, to which Shizuku bashfully replied with a hint of delight.
"I know the ID key and access codes as well."
"Incredible......"
"Uncle really spoils Shizuku."
Honoka's interjection caused Tatsuya to nod his head as if to say "that makes sense". That particular father would definitely do that.
Given that this is a room for "Kitayama Ushio", they would definitely be able to tap into the police and coast guard's communications.
"Shizuku, please lead the way."
Hearing Tatsuya's words, Shizuku nodded vigorously, which for her was a rarely seen overreaction.
◊ ◊ ◊
After using Shizuku's access code to enter the VIP conference room and examining the police map data on the monitors, they found that the entire shore was flagged as red and dangerous. In addition, the red danger zones were rapidly expanding in land.
The enemy's numbers remained unknown. Still, based on their invading pace, they had undoubtedly invested a significant amount of troops. There were several hundred at the bare minimum, Tatsuya estimated, probably company strength around 600 to 800 men. The situation was deteriorating far beyond initial estimations, causing Tatsuya to crease his brows again.
"What the heck is this!"
"That's going too far."
"So many people...... How did this happen?"
Owing to his friends' exaggerated reactions, his dark visage did not attract any attention.
"Onii-sama......"
Although he wasn't conspicuous, there was no way Miyuki would remain oblivious. His mental waves would directly cause his sister to waver because their hearts were connected as one.
Repeatedly caressing his sister's head as her eyes shimmered with unease, Tatsuya turned to his friends.
"I think everyone understands the situation without going into the details and the situation is dire. If we waste too much time here, we will be captured before the JSDF arrives. That being said, escape will not be an easy prospect. At least going by land won't be with all traffic systems offline."
"In other words, we go by sea?"
Tatsuya shook his head at Leo's question.
"That would be a slim hope. The mobilized ships are likely unable to accommodate all the evacuees."
"So we head to the shelter?"
Tatsuya nodded at Mikihiko's proposal, but he didn't appear to be very confident.
"That's probably more practical...... The infrastructure is fairly sturdy, but that won't help if the building itself is destroyed."
"So, let's take the underground tunnel."
Although Erika urged him onward as if she wanted to rush out the door, Tatsuya replied back with "please wait".
"No, don't go underground. Go above."
"Eh, why? ......Ah, that's why."
Seeing Erika comprehend the reason why before any explanation was necessary, Tatsuya couldn't help but think "As expected of a famous family skilled in combat magic".
Still, his "please wait" referred to more than that.
"Also, can you give me a little time?"
"That's not a problem...... But what for?"
Seeing Tatsuya ask for further delay despite knowing better than anyone that every second was precious, Honoka tilted her head and asked for the reason. While this question was built on the prerequisite that "Yes" was the answer, this was her way of expressing her emotions to Tatsuya.
"I want to delete the data on the demonstration devices."
"Ah, yes. That might also be one of the enemy's goals."
Everyone nodded at Mikihiko's added note.
"Shiba, Yoshida."
Tatsuya and Mikihiko led the group along the way from the elevator to the back stage and were called to a stop by a heavy voice that came from the abdomen.
Tatsuya and Mikihiko only knew one person who could speak with such a vigorous voice.
"Juumonji-senpai."
Turning their heads, they found Juumonji Katsuto advancing with Hattori and Sawaki following him. All three wore Kevlar with light bulletproof plates. The fact that Katsuto, with his powerful magic barrier ability, was wearing personal body armor was sufficient to drive home how dire the situation was.
"Everyone else is together. Did you guys not evacuate in time?"
In other words, they should "quickly evacuate".
"Just in case, we are going to delete the data on the demonstration devices to prevent theft. In regards to everyone else, I think moving as one group is preferable to splitting up."
In order to hide the fact that they literally hacked into a secret conference room, Tatsuya hesitated briefly over how to explain his companions before going with that white lie. (The first half was true.)
"But the other students have already gone into the underground tunnel."
That was Hattori's comment.
"What's wrong with the underground tunnel?"
Deftly noting the subtle change when Tatsuya creased his eyebrows, Sawaki immediately asked.
"I can't say that it's wrong...... But the underground tunnel doesn't lead directly to the shelter so there is a possibility they will run into other organizations. Possibly."
"You mean there's a chance they will walk into a fight!?"
Before Tatsuya could finish, Hattori immediately exploded with a question. No, although phrased as a question, in reality he already reached an answer.
"Freedom of movement will be restricted in the underground tunnel. Unable to hide or flee, the chance of being forced into a head-on confrontation definitely exists. Thus I opted to advance above ground."
Katsuto's decision was swift.
"Hattori, Sawaki, go after Nakajou now."
"Yes."
"Got it."
Seeing the two of them sprint off, Katsuto glanced at Tatsuya. There was a hint of a reprimand in that look.
"Shiba, when compared to your cunning, it appears that your actions are a little too cautious."
Of course, Tatsuya got the drift of what Katsuto was driving at. Still,
he didn't just frankly accept it either. At any rate, he made no rebuttal.
"No need to say anything else. Let's move."
"Understood."
This time, Katsuto was following Tatsuya.
Acknowledging the need in Tatsuya's aim, Katsuto chose to assist in this endeavour. This was something Tatsuya comprehended without a word being spoken.
"What are you people doing!?"
Returning to the backstage with the demonstration devices, Tatsuya's opening comment completely set himself aside. Here, not only Suzune and Isori failed to evacuate and were crowded around the device, but there was also Mayumi, Mari, Kanon, Kirihara, and Sayaka nearby standing on guard.
"Data deletion."
What they were doing was plainly obvious. The real question Tatsuya wanted to ask was "why are you still here". Tatsuya had no response for Suzune's literal answer.
"Saegusa, you guys didn't evacuate?"
"Rin-chan and Isori-kun are both doing their best, how can we just leave them and flee first?"
Katsuto verbalized Tatsuya's thoughts but was also rendered speechless by that perfectly natural response.
"We'll handle this one. We'll leave the one in the resting area to you, Shiba-kun."
"If you can, please destroy the models left behind by the other schools as well."
"After finishing here we'll also head for the resting area. We'll decide our next step there."
After receiving Isori, Kanon, and Mari's request (order?), Tatsuya and Katsuto turned around.
By the time Tatsuya finished combing the resting areas of the other schools with Miyuki accompanying him and returned (he didn't bring anyone else because he didn't want other people to see him decompose the data specifics, leaving behind an empty storage device), Suzune and the others had finished their work in the backstage and have already returned to the resting area.
"Welcome back. That was fast."
"And the result?"
"All data on the remaining devices has been destroyed."
In regards to the question from the engaged couple, Isori and Kanon, Tatsuya replied in this manner.
"Eh...... How did you do that?"
Though this was the expected result, astonishment was unavoidable. Seeing Kanon wear this expression as she pressed her next question, Tatsuya replied simply.
"That's a secret."
"Kanon, you cannot inquire about other Magicians' spell work. That is against the rules, remember?"
The one who spoke up was none other than Isori.
Kanon was plainly unwilling to drop the issue, but still obediently backed down.
"So, now we have to decide what to do next."
After saying this, Mari looked towards Mayumi.
"There is only one hostile vessel invading the harbor. Currently, no other enemy vessels have been discovered in Tokyo Bay. Although the enemy numbers on land have yet to be identified, the enemy has a stranglehold on the entire shoreline. Land-based communications are practically completely disabled, another thing we have to thank the mobile forces for."
"What is their goal?"
Mayumi and Mari exchanged a glance at Isori's question.
"Right now, we can only guess......"
Mayumi was the one who answered.
"By targeting Yokohama for their attack, they must be aiming for the sole possible target in Yokohama. Strictly speaking, Kyoto is the same."
"The side branch of the Magic Association."
Kanon interjected before she could finish.
"To be precise, the target is the main Magic Association database. Since all major data is compiled in Kyoto and Yokohama, we also have to take into consideration that many specialists and scholars are gathered here for the Thesis Competition."
Mayumi chuckled wryly at Kanon's anxious attitude and added a few pointers of her own.
"When does the rescue ship arrive?"
In response to Mari's question or more like what she wanted to verify, Mayumi's answer was not very positive.
"The coast guard's cargo ship needs another ten minutes to arrive. However, based on the number of people that gathered and need to be evacuated, the ship will not have sufficient capacity to carry them all."
Mayumi's information was on par with the details that Tatsuya and company received upstairs. In other words, there would definitely be people unable to evacuate.
"Nakajou-san and the others who headed for the shelter unfortunately made Shiba-kun's fears a reality. They ran into mobile forces en route and have been bogged down. However, since the enemy numbers are quite few, they should be able to run them off after not too long according to Nakajou-san's last transmission."
After Mayumi, Suzune continued to speak.
"The situation is as everyone heard. While we don't know how much room is left at the shelter, we're going to be too late for the boat. In that case, I believe we can only head for the shelter. What does everyone else think?"
Mayumi, Mari, Suzune.
Isori, Kanon, Sayaka.
Tatsuya, Miyuki, Erika, Leo, Mikihiko, Mizuki, Honoka, Shizuku.
There were the above 14 people here.
Katsuto had taken Kirihara, who originally stayed to protect Suzune, and went to verify if anyone else hadn't escaped in time.
The three Year 3 students kept their mouths shut.
Probably because they wanted to hear their underclassmen's thoughts.
That being said, their thoughts were all in accord with Mari.
"......I also agree with Mari-nee's opinion."
The Year 2 students like Kanon probably thought they didn't have any other choice.
All the Year 1 students turned their eyes towards Tatsuya.
With Mari's interrogative eyes on him, his eyes...... were watching an entirely different direction.
Faster than the eye could follow, he raised a silver CAD.
"Onii-sama!?" "Tatsuya-kun!?"
As if in response to Miyuki and Mayumi's questions, Tatsuya aimed at the wall and pulled the trigger.
Tatsuya never forgot for a single moment that there were many witnesses present.
However, there was no time to ensure secrecy at this point.
It was pure coincidence that he was able to notice this.
Maybe this was the instincts that Yakumo honed in him talking. Yakumo repeatedly taught Tatsuya not to overly rely on "Elemental Sight" and that looked to pay dividends now.
Engulfed in a powerful sense of danger, Tatsuya extended his "sight" beyond the wall to read the signal that a large physical object was barreling down on them.
If Katsuto was present, the outcome might be different.
If enemy soldiers rushed in, he could leave it to Mayumi or Mari.
Time permitting, he could also let Miyuki handle it.
Yet, in this instant, only Tatsuya's magic was able to handle the incoming large armored truck.
Height 4 meters, width 3 meters, total weight 30 tons.
Enlarging the scope another level to accommodate the uniform rise of the street and placing the entire large truck with armor plating in his targeting hairs, Tatsuya activated Decomposition Magic "Mist Dispersal".
In a flash, the large truck faded into dust.
The driver was ejected from the suddenly vanishing driver's seat and rolled straight forward to collide into the wall.
Thanks to inertia, the remnants of metallic and resin dust hitting the wall of the conference center were all that remained of that large truck's passage.
A few minor lacerations were found on the outside of the wall, but internally, no damage was incurred.
Yet, the world was not so convenient that no one detected what just happened.
"......Just now, what......?"
Mayumi's terrified question caused Tatsuya to want to cluck his tongue. Mayumi seemed to have noticed what just happened exactly like he worried she would.
Along his line of sight, she must have used Sensory-Type Magic "Multi Scope" to look beyond the wall. Ho
wever, fortunately — this was only deferring the question — there was no need to answer that question.
Mayumi's expanding vision caused her face to turn pale for another reason.
Also expanding his sight, Tatsuya grasped the reason why.
Looks like the people remaining in the conference hall have been identified by the enemy as dangerous personnel, Tatsuya thought.
Since the soldiers invading the conference hall had been captured and the battle at the entrance turned into a rout, the objective shifted from capture to eradication.
Part of his consciousness was coldly analyzing the situation as if he had no part in it while the remaining energy was channeled towards magic that could meet a rain of guided missiles.
Nevertheless, this time there was no need for Tatsuya to do anything.
The wall of the room they were standing in was covered by multiple layers of magic barriers.
Before the missiles could hit the wall, sonic waves fired from the flank detonated all the missiles en route.
"Sorry for the wait."
Hearing a sudden voice from the outside, both Tatsuya and Mayumi reined in their sight to the range of the naked eye.
As if waiting for this cue — although he really wanted to believe she had better character than that — a woman entered the waiting room.
"Eh? Eh? This can't be. Kyouko-nee?"
"Long time no see, Mayumi."
Suddenly appearing, Fujibayashi smiled and greeted Mayumi like an old friend.
◊ ◊ ◊
Katsuto ran into a rain of missiles because he detected the presence of powerful magic at the place.
Magicians could detect the usage of magic based on reactions to changes in phenomena.
Yet, this magic almost engendered no reaction whatsoever.
Despite this, Katsuto clearly understood that the "world" underwent massive change.
Not using the five senses to read the "meaning" was not a skill unique to Tatsuya.
Katsuto used magic to manipulate space, so he was exceptionally sensitive to changes in spatial distribution.
Distribution of matter was one of the core elements to basic spatial manipulation.