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.
It wasn’t strange for female students who applied for magical universities to suddenly drop out to raise children.
Mutations with unstable life expectancies were not under this restriction, but even now, well into the second or third generations, there was still a duty in the eyes of the public to bear children at a young age. Their mother marrying late and their aunt who maintained her steadfast resolve to remain single were both exceptions, accepted only because of inescapable physical reasons.
Miyuki was the picture of perfect health, so none of those reasons applied.
Not to mention, she was seen as the next head of the Yotsuba Family, a bearer of exceptional genes.
In reality, she wouldn’t do anything of that nature with any boy save her brother. These were Miyuki’s true feelings. No, the real truth of the matter was that she detested all the other boys except for Tatsuya.
It wasn’t a biological issue, so something like dancing was still acceptable. However, in Miyuki’s heart, the only who was allowed to touch her was Tatsuya. The only one who could do as he wished with her was Tatsuya alone.
The reflection in the mirror was that of herself clad in her underwear. As she looked upon herself, Miyuki couldn’t help but think. These fingers and this hair, lips, bosom, the secret places that no one was allowed to see, everything was available for Tatsuya to touch if he willed it. If it was Tatsuya, she was willing to do anything.
—No matter if it was her body or heart, everything that she was belonged to Onii-sama—
This was Miyuki’s truth, a wish that came from the bottom of her heart akin to prayer.
Yet, Miyuki also knew that these feelings would never come to pass.
That was what she thought.
(Even if I’m just a shameful little sister…… No, it would be even better if I seem like an unreliable, shameful little sister. If this will allow me to stay by Onii-sama’s side forever……)
As she thought this, she also worked hard to ensure she was not resented by Tatsuya.
All of this summed up the conundrum Miyuki was faced with.
After stepping into the classroom for Year 1 Class E, Tatsuya noticed the unusual atmosphere and swept his gaze back and forth.
He immediately found the reason.
The arrangement of the 25 seats in the class was normally harmonious with boys and girls mixed together.
Tatsuya sat behind Leo, Mizuki sat to his left – and the source of the turmoil came from one row across from the seat next to the window.
Fuming, Erika sat there looking out the window. Displeasure seemed to ooze out of her very being as she sat in that posture.
(Well…… I guess that can’t be helped.)
Tatsuya had a clear grasp on the source of the displeasure. Based on that adoring look from last summer, it was very hard for her to accept what happened last night.
"Tatsuya…… Erika-chan, what’s going on?"
A voice called out to Tatsuya after he swept a quick glance over Erika before sitting down.
While watching Tatsuya’s face, Mizuki kept half of her attention on Erika.
Even if it wasn’t 80% or 90% of her attention on Erika, the only thing she could acutely perceive was that Tatsuya knew something.
Based on the looks from Mikihiko and Leo that looked like Mizuki’s own, they also noticed.
However, there were things in this world that Tatsuya was unable to answer even if asked.
At the very least, he couldn’t say "Last night, Erika’s second brother was defeated by Lina".
"What is going on here?"
In the end, Tatsuya had no choice but to play dumb.
One of his friends’ positive points was that they wouldn’t fuss for too long. Their reasons differed in that this was Mizuki’s nature, whereas Mikihiko and Leo had personal experiences with "things that they didn’t want other people to know".
Still, it was inevitable for them to be somewhat influenced by this unnatural atmosphere.
The uncomfortable mood continued until the rare occasion when the five classmates separated during lunch – the term 'classmate' was used intentionally because Miyuki and Honoka were usually included in the mix.
Any change in the situation happened after school.
Just as he told his sister last night, Tatsuya swiftly negotiated (in secret) with the holder and privately borrowed Pixie.
This was not for amusement purposes, but for an interrogation; except, the storage room belonging to the Robotics Club wasn’t suited for that.
That being said, her garb was simply too eye-catching for waltzing around campus. He also wished to avoid any rumors or suspicions (of his interests), and with his objectives in mind, being conspicuous was simply not favorable.
Therefore, Tatsuya first ordered Pixie to change into a girl’s uniform. The uniform was actually a costume for humanoid models that Mayumi borrowed from the Arts Club. There was some concern that the differences in the human skeletal structure and the machine’s design might interfere with changing clothes, but the 3H’s body proved to be more flexible than imagined, so both removing clothes and changing were possible. The lines in the lower half of the body were somewhat unnatural though, but Tatsuya had already planned ahead by preparing a uniform that was one size larger so that this detail wasn’t as obvious. Anyone who passed by along the halls would only assume that she was a female student. –Just in case, it should be stated that Tatsuya had no peculiar feelings while watching a humanoid robot changing clothes.
After all this, Tatsuya brought Pixie to an empty room in the labs and began his interrogation.
Setting aside the awkwardness of hearing a voice reverberate through his head and feeling the mysteriously burning hot gaze that had nothing to do with optics coming from robot's optics, Tatsuya began his questioning.
The questions he asked pertained to the "vampire incident". In particular, the victims clearly bore no sign of injury, yet an unbelievably massive amount of blood was missing from their bodies. Questions regarding this mechanic and the motive behind it. These were the topics that drew Tatsuya’s attention ever since he heard about this incident.
"Were Parasites responsible for removing the blood from the victims?"
((YES.))
"Why did you need blood from living humans?"
((Blood loss was not our intent. That is the side effect of failed reproduction.))
"Please give a more detailed explanation."
((Our reproduction process begins by separating a part of ourselves and transplanting that portion into the body of a potential host. The separated portion will absorb the psions and pushions in the blood to grow, thus replacing the lost blood within the flesh of the vessel.))
"Hold on…… Replacing blood with yourself? As information bodies, you shouldn’t have energy. Where does the energy from the replaced blood go?"
((It is consumed by the body during the assimilation process. If assimilation fails, then it would be transformed into gas and expelled out of the body along with the separated portion.))
"I see, so that’s how it works…… Continue."
((If entry into the flesh is successful, then we are able to tap into the astral form of the information body.))
"Mutual use of the body, the information body and the material form, much like the theory behind magic."
((The astral form is the route that leads to the spirit. Once a connection has been made between the astral form and the vessel’s spirit, then reproduction via assimilation has succeeded. Unfortunately, there are currently no examples of such success.))
"Reason being?"
((Unknown. I would like to know as well. Knowing the reason, only that feeling remains in my heart.))
"……How many of your companions are in this country?"
((At the time I took refuge in this vessel there were six.))
"Can Parasites communicate amongst one another?"
((YES.))
"What is your communication range?"
((Anywhere within this country’s borders would be possible.))
"Where are the other Parasites currently located?"
((Locations unknown. Since residing in this body, the link to my companions has been severed.))
Pixie never hesitated when answering Tatsuya’s queries.
There was no way to differentiate expressions on that face, but her cognitive pattern appeared to be in high spirits. This, at least, didn’t seem like a misconception on his part. Exactly how accurately emotions could be conveyed across telepathy and to what degree those feelings could be disguised were both uncertain, but the feelings being sent across seemed like genuine happiness that she was able to assist Tatsuya.
Despite the callousness of this statement, it was undeniably chilling to be perceived in a positive light by a monster. Still, all of this could be relaxed when one recalled that the host was an "object" and not a human being. He made a clear distinction between the two, so this was nothing more than both parties using each another, thus he proceeded without a guilty conscience.
As the two of them sat alone (to be precise, more like one person and one machine) in the classroom, Erika entered the classroom during the lull in the interrogation.
"Tatsuya-kun, may I come in for a second?"
There was no way of telling if she calculated that this was the perfect time to make an entrance after eavesdropping or if this was pure coincidence.
Given that this was Erika, nothing would be awry even if she had overheard anything. Then again, since the question and answer session was done via telepathy, no one could overhear them no matter how hard they tried.
He had no complaints about the sudden request for entry.
Since this wasn’t his room and he wasn’t changing, there was no need to require people "to knock". However—
"I don’t mind if you want to ask me something, but please rein in that killing intent of yours a little. I’m not completely blind, you know."
—He honestly wished she would calm down a little.
"Ah, sorry."
Erika herself seemed to be oblivious to that matter. She blushed in embarrassment after Tatsuya pointed it out.
"No, so long as you understand."
She truly appeared to be unaware, seeing how the porcupine-like aura that clung to Erika’s body gradually faded into thin air.
In other words, she had added those emotions into the mix. He couldn’t help but feel that she shared a few points of similarity with his sister, so he had to earnestly suppress the wry grin threatening to leak from his lips.
"Pixie, lock the door."
"Understood."
Switching places with Pixie, Erika now stood before Tatsuya.
Despite his encouragement for her to take a seat, she declined to do so. Erika maintained her standing position as she looked down at Tatsuya as he sat in his seat.
Since he understood the feelings running through her, Tatsuya didn’t press the issue.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"You already know."
"Just the anticipated conversation?"
"Exactly…… Last night, a brother of mine engaged in a disgraceful performance."
Erika’s response was within expected parameters, but Tatsuya had more than one answer prepared ahead of time.
"That’s it?"
"At any rate, this comes first."
I see, so some things come first. Just as Tatsuya was about to say this, Erika continued on.
"Who was the other guy?"
There was no small talk involved as she asked her question directly. Speaking of which, seeing that she didn’t even wait for an explanation of the opponent involved, she must be very agitated.
"USNA Military, Stars High Commander, Angie Sirius."
In response, Tatsuya’s answer was also concise and direct.
Maybe because she didn’t expect him to answer immediately, a cloud of confusion gathered around Erika.
"So, what are you going to do after hearing that?"
Taking advantage of Erika’s momentary bemusement, this time it was Tatsuya who raised a question.
"That sort of thing…… Do you even need to ask?"
She appeared to be a little shocked at the direct question coming out of the blue, but she immediately fired back with a fierce look on her face.
"I can surmise what course of action you have in mind, but…… I recommend you give up, Erika."
"Are you saying that it’s impossible for me?"
This was not the unconsciously expressed fury from before.
Tatsuya didn’t even bat an eyelid as he absorbed this intentional display of wrath.
"It is impossible. Not because of talent, but from a results perspective."
"……What do you mean?"
The first half of that phrase was still buoyed by fury, but the latter half was switched by astonishment.
"You saw the news this morning, correct? It doesn’t matter if it was the images or the words."
"I did. Which one are you talking about?"
"The news about the small USNA vessel left adrift."
"That one…… You can’t mean?"
"How astute of you."
Upon seeing the change in Erika’s facial expression, Tatsuya’s words were not simple courtesy, but honest praise.
"Though this remains a mere possibility…… But 'Sirius' will likely not appear again. Even if both sides remain in a standoff, there is no benefit to be gained here for either side."
Erika didn’t have an answer or rejection for Tatsuya’s suggestion.
"Tatsuya-kun……"
In comparison, she was staring in all seriousness at Tatsuya as if she beheld a completely unidentifiable stranger.
"Who… What are you……?"
No, not "as if". She actually saw him as an enigma.
"That sort of thing, at least for my family…… That is beyond the Chiba Family."
"Is that so?"
Tatsuya wasn’t playing dumb here, but he had no other options at this point.
"Not just our family. This is definitely impossible for families like Isori, Chiyoda, and Tomitsuka. I don’t know exactly how this happened, but the only ones capable of getting that kind of result would be the Ten Master Clans. And even then, only……"
"I believe that’s far enough, correct?"
"A lineage of incredible power. A family whose power base surrounds the capital, or a family who has free reign to act regardless of territory or jurisdiction."
She couldn’t stop speaking.
"Erika, enough."
"Removing the Ichijou Family station in the north…… Then there is only Saegusa, Juumonji, or…… Yotsuba. Tatsuya-kun, you can’t possibly be……"
"Silence!"
"Ah!"
Erika shut her mouth not because of the coarseness of Tatsuya’s voice or the volume, but the intent mixed within.
"Any further would only result in things getting awkward for everyone."
Tatsuya calmly made that declaration.
Erika was not lacking in experience when it came to walking through the valley of death.
She was not falling quiet because she was overawed by his manner.
Rather, her extensive experience told her to do so.
Especially because she was about to recklessly cross over the line.
"……I’m sorry."
"As long as you understand."
The phrase was similar to the ones before. As usual, his tone was light.
However, cold sweat dripped down Erika’s back.
"Erika, even if you wanted to find out who Sirius is, there is nothing for it now. Thus, let’s just end things here."
"……You’re right."
She understood that half the reason why Tatsuya changed the subject was for herself, so Erika acknowledged Tatsuya’s proposal.
"Then, let’s hear what else you wanted to know. I assume it has something to do with the Parasite’s remnants?"
"Exactly, though this doesn’t really merit praise. You wouldn’t be Tatsuya if you couldn’t discern things of this level."
Finally, she had regained her usual self at least for appearance’s sake, which must mean she was aware of it now.
"Were those words of yours actually praise?"
"At the very least, I’m not demeaning you, right?"
During this charade, Erika was gradually resuming her typical state. This high degree of resilience was quite admirable.
"It’s not like I planned on leaving things alone. You can count on me to let you know if I hear anything."
As he said this, Tatsuya directed a look at Pixie that was full of undercurrents.
Erika also sneaked a peek at Pixie before the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in a satisfied manner.
"Definitely, OK? In exchange, I will also be open about this and not hold anything back."
It was precisely Erika’s personality to add a corollary to this part of their agreement now.
"Ah, agreed."
This was appropriate distance when it came down to his relationship with her.
"Then, Tatsuya-kun, sorry for bothering you."
"Ah, and please convey my regards to your older brother."
The hand Erika extended towards the door shook for a bit, but Erika quickly left the room as if nothing had happened.
Tatsuya had no further remarks for that.
After leaving the classroom where she had the secret conversation(?) with Tatsuya, Erika quickly walked down the hall. After returning from the sparsely populated experimental building to the main floor, Erika leaned back against the wall of the corridor.
And heaved a giant sigh of relief.
As if finally realizing how deep of a hole she was in, cold sweat ran down her temple.
Thinking back on what happened, she couldn’t help but think she was behaving strangely today.
Normally, she would never do something so silly like stepping on a tiger’s tail.
—Scratch that, rather than calling that a tiger’s tail, more like the untouchable scales of a dragon.
—Thanks to that, she knew clearly.
—She even knew the things that she didn’t need to know.
(……How terrible.)
Erika’s lips curled into a self-depreciative smile.
Once she drew back the curtain and witnessed what was going on, a lot of things suddenly made sense.
Originally, Erika didn’t agree with "that person" who even called on her second brother’s assistance to find out about Tatsuya. She thought that, as one of Tatsuya’s companions, she should obstruct such a thing.
She had planned on safeguarding Tatsuya’s secret.
Now, for some reason, she wasn’t just "wanting to protect" but being "forced to protect".
This was not to say that if Erika leaked the secret that Tatsuya would come down on her with a vengeance.
(I get the feeling that even if I let it slip, Tatsuya would just laugh and forgive me.)
Still, everything had a "what if", which prompted some serious consideration on Erika’s part.
There was no way she was going to put that to the test.
Just Tatsuya’s ability alone would be incredibly difficult, and on top of that – though that only remained a possibility.
(Ah~~~~ ……I’m so confused. Seriously, I should’ve "let sleeping dogs lie".)
Why the heck did she say that, Erika wordlessly complained to herself.
Now that she thought about it, there was a sense that she was being led around.
(That’s ridiculous…… That’s pushing it too far no matter how evil Tatsuya-kun’s personality is.)
Erika resolutely smiled to blow away all those hanging concerns.
She was furiously backpedaling away from the notion that he was capable of doing exactly that.
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