Chapter 5
[The Trial of the Illusory World]
The next day, Tatsuya left his home at the time he normally commutes to university, as opposed to early at dawn.
He was riding in a self-propelled car, with Hyougo at the wheel, instead of his motorcycle. He intends to call him again when it is time to return home. But in case of emergency, there are also flying devices at the ready as an alternative.
Beyond accessories, his current outfit is a more casual and appropriate hiking getup than yesterday's Freed Suit. It was more comfortable this way, and given it was more likely to come across tourists around the seas of trees at this time of the day, less conspicuous.
As such, Tatsuya and his four companions ventured into the Aokigahara sea of trees, aiming for the windhole that leads to the ruins.
"Tatsuya-san, were there so many obstructions in the way yesterday?"
"Not really, no," Tatsuya's answer to Ayako's question is not without some nuance. Though there were magical obstructions in place to keep him away from the path, there wasn't a direct, human interference.
Even then, it was an old magic maintained remotely by religious rituals, this kind of magic is common in places that are considered sacred in a magical sense, Shambhala related or not.
"Then that means the Keepers are taking this seriously." Fumiya was not a hundred percent clued in on what Tatsuya left unsaid, but the thought of an unwanted party attempting to interfere with them was enough to rouse his belligerence.
"Fumiya, we are not on a hunt today," But his sister was quick to rein him in. "And we need to think before acting, there are more players at work than the ruin keepers, right, Tatsuya-san?"
"Yeah. It looks like the military is on the move. And, for some reason, Mikihiko is there, too."
"Yoshida-kun is here…?"
Miyuki involuntarily muttered at the mention of an unexpected name.
Even if it wasn't a question, just an expression of surprise, Tatsuya interpreted it as a question to himself. "I think Erika dragged him out here."
"Erika is here too?" This name had a lesser impact on Miyuki. Of the people they know, Erika is the kind to follow where trouble goes.
"I don't know about Mikihiko, but it sounds like it would be a hassle if Erika found out about us. Ayako, mind giving me a hand?" Lina reached for Ayako for a joint maneuver,
"Of course I don't, what exactly do you need me to do?" Ayako by asking what was the plan and her role in it.
"I'll send out a [Walking Shadow] decoy, and you'll help keep the surveillance off my back, okay?"
Immediately after Lina finished her response, three copies of her and Tatsuya could be seen walking off in three different directions.
[Walking Shadow], a new variation of [Parade] that Lina acquired after starting university. Instead of restricting the projected illusions created by a psion body with information about the defined appearance to the caster, this version allows for the creation of multiple doppelgangers. Those copies can move around in a somewhat random pattern, in accordance with pre-programed instructions.
While it has no other function than to walk about, the main draw is that it can act independently from the main body, making it the perfect magic to throw someone off one's trail.
"Can you just make it just a little harder to see? Ok, go ahead."
As Ayako answered "yes," their outlines blurred, looking as if they were spirits in a ghost photo.
That was the work of Ayako's [Electromagnetic Wave Disruption], a subset of her signature magic [Polar Dispersion]. As the name suggests, the magic disrupts electromagnetic waves, making them harder to discern.
When applied to an object, [Electromagnetic Wave Disruption] also disrupts the electromagnetic waves that are being reflected. And, since visible light is an electromagnetic wave, the interfered object will appear blurred, as if seen through frosted glass. Because it is defined to disrupt only the emitted or reflected electromagnetic waves, if applied to an individual, his or her vision will be unaffected.
The doppelgangers walk away, gaining distance from the blurred main body. It's not enough to fool a person, but it's enough to throw off surveillance.
◇ ◇ ◇
The Aokigahara sea of trees is not a haunted or magical place as the urban legends make it out to be. Like other dense forests, a person can get lost if they walk too far deep, but as long as they stay in the outer areas, there will always be well-maintained boardwalks, trails and sight-seeing areas for them to follow along.
Mikihiko, who had been walking along the trail checking for signs of any intruders, suddenly stopped and looked up at something in the distance between the trees.
"Miki, what's wrong?" Erika, who was walking next to him, asked quizzically.
"Hm? Oh, sorry, I just thought I felt Tatsuya's presence for some reason… And my name is Mikihiko."
"Just roll with it already. …So, what's about Tatsuya-kun's presence?
"I'm not sure, maybe… No, it must have been just my imagination.
By the time Erika had just tuned in on the topic, Mikihiko seemed ready to backtrack on his statement.
"What's the deal with you? Get over yourself! Have some confidence!" But Erika brought him right back up. "I don't have a clue what Tatsuya-kun could be doing here, but if he is, it wouldn't surprise me if the hostile magicians are here on some kind of off-the-books mission. If so, then maybe even the reason the military is involved is to curry favor with Tatsuya-kun."
"So you think this mission has something to do with Tatsuya?"
"It sure looks that way, why else would a job like this come out of the blue? You and I know it's not unusual for magicians to do things they're not supposed to, but now suddenly they're saying they're going to crack down on it. And it's not the police, it's the NDF at that. There are too many shady things going on here."
"You think Tatsuya being involved explains the National Defense Forces decisions?"
"Without a doubt. Right now, Tatsuya-kun is our best trump card in terms of deterrence to ensure the safety of the country. He's a giant political nightmare that they need to walk on eggshells with, probably more so than the USNA president. It's no wonder they would be scrambling to do something."
"I don't think Tatsuya is going to destroy Japan like that…" Those words were accompanied with a subtle twitch in Mikihiko's expression. More specifically, it was limited to a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.
He knew too that the government and military officials were afraid of Tatsuya. He also knew Tatsuya enough to understand that he wouldn't destroy Japan. Unless they lay their hands on Miyuki, that is. Even then, Mikihiko wasn't so sure Tatsuya would never do anything against the government, even if they didn't inflict harm on Miyuki.
That is why Mikihiko, unconsciously, picked "Japan" instead of "the government".
"Well I sure hope so. …Alright let's quit wasting time. If Tatsuya is coming here, let's get the pests out of the way, else it's going to be a mess."
"─Yeah, I agree. Let's get into it and start the cleanup."
Mikihiko did not object to Erika's characterization of his fellow ancient-style magicians as "pests".
For her part, she was not speaking out purely on metaphor, and Mikihiko could easily imagine a magician who would get in Tatsuya's way and be exterminated as if he were an insect.
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