Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 28 - Pursuit (I) - Chapter 7.3

When she returned to the base, Mari informed Masaki and the others that Lu Ganghu was defeated.

Despite this, Li Lei didn’t rejoice.

Since Lin wasn’t with Mari, she could assume what had happened.

“Lin-jie… is Lin-jie dead?” Liu Li Lei asked with shaking lips. “She was secretly communicating with the NSU army and… was killed by her ally, another NSU

agent…?”

“Yes,” Mari replied solemnly.

“Liar!”

Li Lei broke into a fit towards Mari.

“You say this based on the unfounded words of an NSU agent!” Li Lei yelled.

Mari’s solemn face – calm and serious – contrasted Liu’s face flushed with anger.

“Lieutenant Lin, codename Taiga, was ordered to organize your escape to Japan in order to create an excuse for the NSU to declare war against Japan. The agent I questioned, Sasha Foo, admitted this.”

“That’s nonsense!”

;”Lieutenant Lin, don’t you think it’s strange that when you escaped from the air base in Primorsky Krai, Vozdizhenka, the NSU reacted late? The Far Eastern army was deployed north of Vladivostok, yet the only sent fighters in pursuit after you flew over their heads. Ordinarily this shouldn’t be possible. The NSU wouldn’t have ignored a plane that could turn out to be a bomber.”

“But…”

“In addition, the Far Eastern army should have been wary about observation from the air.”

Liu Li Lei finally stopped objecting, starting to accept what had happened. She was able to recover quickly because she had been told about Lieutenant Lin’s situation in advance.

“You’re not to blame here, Lieutenant. You were used. Sasha Foo confirmed this.”

“Lin-jie just used me…”

Watching Liu Li Lei’s shocked muttering, Mari frowned. She felt anger towards the New Soviet Union, especially Lin Yiyi, for using this child as a disposable pawn. She also was angry at the Great Asian Alliance for making her a Strategic Class Magician at her age.

“We will now interrogate the other members of your escort detachment. You cannot be in contact with any of them until we are certain that there are no NSU spies hidden among them,” Mari said.

“Please wait!” Masaki spoke up. “Lieutenant Lin is a fourteen-year-old girl. Separating her from her compatriots in a foreign country is a bit…. Haven’t you already learned who is a spy from Sasha Foo? So you don’t need to keep them in isolation anymore!”

“Masaki-san…?” Liu called Masaki with a confused face.

She hadn’t expected Masaki to object. He had proposed taking her to his home previously, saying she needed to be separated from Lin-jie so her thoughts were spinning as she tried to make sense of his reasoning.

“Sasha Foo only knew about one spy – Lieutenant Lin,” Mari said.

“Then…!”

Mari sighed slightly at Masaki’s raised tone. It made the situation feel urgent.

“Ichijou-kun, I understand your reasoning, but this is a necessary measure. Surely you understand this.”

“…”

Masaki and Mari weren’t personally acquainted, but they knew their relationship as senpai/kohai when looking from the point of view of the University of Magic in general, so Mari spoke as a senpai – not as a member of the military.

“Luckily, Lieutenant Liu speaks Japanese fluently. I want you guys to keep her company.

Okay, Lieutenant Liu. That’s all I have to say. On this note, I say goodbye to you.”

Mari saluted to Liu Li Lei before leaving.

“Lei-chan…”

Akane turned to face Li Lei. She was looking down, barely managing to stay standing.

“Let’s sit down?”

Li Lei didn’t resist Akane’s hand grasping hers, and the fourteen-year-old girls sat down side by side on the sofa. However, Akane didn’t know how to proceed. All she could do was be with her.

Neither her nor the adults knew what to do next.

Masaki was the next one to speak.

“Lieutenant Liu. I don’t think Lieutenant Lin betrayed you.”

“Masaki-san?”

“Nii-san?”

Akane and Li Lei spoke simultaneously, looking up in sync.

Masaki couldn’t help but flinch at their reactions, but he caught himself and continued his explanation.

“I can’t say for sure, and I can’t claim to know exactly what she was thinking. We only met a week ago, and we quarreled the entire time, unable to understand each other.”

Masaki paused for a moment before continuing.

“But I don’t think that Lieutenant Lin’s worry for Lieutenant Liu was faked.”

“Even if Lieutenant Lin was a spy for the NSU. Even if your escape was just part of the NSU strategy…”

Masaki looked straight into Liu Li Lei’s eyes.

“She defended you from both the NSU and the GAA by escaping to Japan.

This is an indisputable fact.”

“Ah…”

Liu Li Lei sighed faintly.

“Also, Lu Ganghu’s sabotage ended up failing, partly because Lieutenant Lin left the base.

While I don’t know what she was planning, in the end, Lieutenant Lin defended you at the cost of her own life, so even if it wasn’t her intent, she deserves respect for the outcome.”

“Wa…”

Liu sounded if like she was about to cry.

Seeing this, Masaki stopped his speech and left her to Akane.

“Ahh…”

Li Lei covered her face with her hands and cried. Akane put her arm around her shoulder, sending Masaki a reproachful glare.

Masaki answered with his eyes, as if to say, “I’ll take my leave” as he ran away from the lobby.

However, rather than receiving an exasperated stare from Akane, her look was warm, as if saying, “nothing can be done about you.”

“How is this guy a “Man-eating Tiger”! He is useless!” Minoru shouted angrily.

His temporary annoyance had exceeded his self-control, and he shouted loudly. If the study made by Zhou Gongjin hadn’t been soundproofed, he would have surprised Minami.

“He couldn’t buy me any time at all!”

After venting his anger, Minoru calmed down a bit and thought about what to do.

He had helped Lu Ganghu enter the country secretly in order to cause turmoil around the murder or attempted murder of Liu Li Lei to allow him to move from his current location, known by Tatsuya, to a new refuge. He had been vigilantly tracking the movements of Lu Ganghu through the network created by Zhou Gongjin, waiting for a convenient moment, but Lu Ganghu hadn’t even bought Minoru a single day!

Lu Ganghu and his squad initially hid in a secluded area of the mountains near Matsue, after which they infiltrated the city of Komatsu, but just 2 days after entering the country, Lu Ganghu was killed - the same day he entered the city of Komatsu.

Thus, Minoru’s plan to buy time through Lu Ganghu ended in utter failure. Lu Ganghu had been killed my Chiba Naotsugu, a member of the Sword Corps sent to Komatsu, in part thanks to Minoru – he was the one who warned the Japanese military, causing events to proceed so quickly.

However, despite his involvement in causing his plan to fail, his anger was still mostly directed towards Lu Ganghu’s weakness. He understood he was guilty, but he directed his anger towards Lu Ganghgu anyway.

“I need to calm down.”

Minoru stopped walking in circles around the room and sat in a high-backed chair.

“Anger isn’t helping here. I need to think about how to proceed now.”

He needed to leave the shelter as soon as possible. The chance of him being found soon was almost certain – unless he overestimated Tatsuya, the shelter would probably not even last another week.

“He might find this place as soon as tomorrow

…I used to think I had more time, that I would only have to leave here “some day”, but… for the location of this shelter to have been somewhat determined already…

Tatsuya-san, the Self-defense forces, and the Ten Master Clans al know my general location. This whole area is under constant surveil ance, so that if we went outside the protection of Ghost Walker – of Sekirei Hachijin, we would be caught. We couldn’t even escape through Parade.

It might be pessimistic, but it’s safer to assume that Tatsuya-san received a clue to help him break through Parade. Knowing that, there is no way I escape.

It’s too difficult for me alone, so… maybe I can get helpers on the side?”

“Then what about help from us?”

This thought didn’t come from Minoru.

He felt it through his connection to the Parasites.

“Raymond?”

“Minoru, you aren’t acting normal. You even stopped maintaining your mental barrier.”

Realizing his mistake, Minoru immediately hid his emotions behind a barrier once more.

“Even though you heard it, you can’t do anything about this, can you?”

Minoru responded to Raymond once his barrier was back up.

“I am aware of the situation, but I didn’t read your thoughts. I learned about this with my own method of collecting information.”

“Hlioskjalf?” Minoru thought. He was aware of the existence of the backdoor terminals into Echelon III.

“We are currently anchored in Sagami Bay.”

“Did you use Independence as a cover?” Minoru asked.

“Right.”

The entrance of the USS Independence Aircraft Carrier into the war occurred suddenly and unnaturally. Part of its purpose was to help Raymond and his colleagues penetrate into Japanese coastal waters.

“We aren’t the only ones who have infiltrated the country. The Il egal MAP has already penetrated Tokyo.”

“Illegal MAP… the Illegal Mystic Assassin Platoon of the USNA Army?” Minoru confirmed.

“You are wel aware, but they technical y don’t belong to the army.”

“Official y, no, but in reality, yes, is it?”

“Wel , you can say that.”

Minoru heard Raymond’s laugh after this thought, but whether he had imagined it, or whether Raymond’s humor had been transferred was unclear.

“Continuing, one of the platoons of the Il geal MAP – the Horsehead platoon – is embarking on a mission to kil Tatsuya.”

“To kil Tatsuya? They won’t succeed.”

Minoru didn’t believe anyone could kill Tatsuya as he currently was. While he thought it might be possible to beat him, he didn’t think there was any way to stop Tatsuya from escaping.

“Yeah. We think so too.”

Minoru heard Raymond’s chuckle again.

“But the Illegal MAP is pretty capable. They should at least do better than Lu Ganghu.”

As soon as Raymond made this comparison, Minoru understood his intent.

“You suggest I use this as a chance to escape from here?”

“Yes,” Raymond responded. “If you get to Yokosuka, we wil help you escape from Japan along with your girlfriend.”

Minoru couldn’t immediately answer. He needed to think about Minami first.

Could he take Minami with him from Japan?

“What do you say?” Raymond asked again.

However, this time Minoru gave an answer.

“I will gratefully accept your help.”

Tatsuya and Miyuki were no longer alone at the dinner table. A third person had been added to their number – Lina sat with them as well.

The three had eaten together yesterday, as well. Miyuki invited Lina to eat with them until she got settled.

Miyuki’s home cooking was delicious, as usual.

Lina was shocked by this fact. Her surprise showed on her face when she brought the fork to her mouth for the first time, tasting it. She had unconsciously murmured,

“oh… how tasty,” as her eyes rounded and she grew visibly more alert.

“If you want to learn, ask Miyuki to teach you to cook, but don’t try to say you wil prepare tomorrow’s dinner in order to compete with Miyuki…”

Tatsuya had some unspoken thoughts when he saw Lina’s reaction.

As soon as Tatsuya finished eating, the videophone rang.

He stopped Miyuki from getting up, as she still hadn’t finished eating, and headed into the living room himself to accept the call there.

He had never spoken to the man who appeared on the screen before, but he recognized the man’s name and face from his file.

“Shiba-dono, sorry to bother you at this time.”

“Please to meet you. The head-dono of the Fujibayashi family, I presume?”

“That is correct. I am honored that you know of me.”

The person on the other end of the call was Fujibayashi Nagamasa, the head of the Fujibayashi family and a famous practitioner of ancient magic.

“Your daughter helps me often,” Tatsuya said.

“On the contrary, I should apologize for that fact that Kyouko constantly gives you impossible tasks.”

If Tatsuya’s data wasn’t wrong, Fujibayashi Nagamasa was 55 years old – older than Tatsuya’s own father. While the age difference made it odd for him to speak politely, Fujibayashi Nagamasa’s words still contained gratitude.

“I sincerely apologize that a person related to our family has caused you so many problems,” Nagamasa continued, turning the conversation towards the main point.

“No, I do not hold the Fujibayashi family responsible for this in any way.”

Tatsuya repeated what he had told the Electron Sorceress.

“I appreciate such words, but even if I don’t have a blood connection to him, he is still my nephew. The nephew of the head of the family can still be considered a member of the family. We aren’t entirely unrelated to this, and therefore we cannot stay indifferent to this. As the head of the Fujibayashi family, I want his trial to be an internal affair of our family. The Kudou family has already given permission.”

“The Kudou family agreed to this?” Tatsuya asked.

Tatsuya hadn’t expected this. Kudou Minoru was the son of the current head of family, but also the murderer of the previous chapter. The Kudou family had already entrusted the capture of Minoru to the Ten Master Clans.

“They real y don’t want others to interfere,” Tatsuya thought.

“However, I also heard that Shiba-dono intends to take part in his pacification.”

“This case began because of a conflict between me and Minoru, so I believe that I must complete this business with my own hands.”

Tatsuya gave a clear answer, not allowing any misunderstanding.

He believed that he couldn’t just stand aside in this matter.

“I respect your opinion as an interested person, so in this regard, we should agree on our schedules for pacifying Kudou Minoru together. The day after tomorrow –

Saturday, July 13th, I am heading to the Sea of Trees to attack Minoru. Does this suit you, Shiba-dono?”

“…the day after tomorrow?” Tatsuya asked.

Tatsuya didn’t answer immediately because he believed that he would need more time to analyze Parade and Sekirei Hachijin. However, he also knew that Minami needed to be saved as soon as possible.

“…I agree. I will go with you.”

“Thank you. Then, the place and time of our meeting will be your choosing, Shiba-dono.”

“I understand. I will pass it to your through your daughter later,” Tatsuya responded.

“Do as you see fit. Then, see you on the appointed day.”

At this, Fujibayashi Nagamasa bowed low before ending the conversation.

Tatsuya tensed up once more as the events developed too rapidly, far exceeding his expectations.

“Makoto-dono, did I do everything right?”

After completing his call with Tatsuya, Nagamasa turned to Kudou Makoto, who was sitting quietly just outside of the camera’s view.

“Yes. That will do. Nagamasa, thank you for doing this.”

“As I said earlier, to Shiba-dono” Nagamasa started, “though I do not share a blood connection with him, Minoru is still my nephew. As he is a member of my family, I can’t ignore this problem.”

Kudou Makoto nodded silently in response to Fujibayashi Nagamasa.

The dimly lit dark room feel into a deep silence.

(To be continued in "The Chase (Part 2)") (Very light edits made by englishmuffins10)  

Afterword

Thank you for buying this volume.

How have you liked the 28th volume of The Irregular at Magic High School: Chase Chapter (Part 1)?

This arc is titled Chase Chapter despite only one fifth of the volume being devoted to the chase – the beginning. After that, it transitions into hide and seek.

After Tatsuya faces a situation his powers are not well suited to solving, he starts to discover a new ability, but to be honest, I still have doubts about the form in which the book should describe it.

In games, all possible means of combat are known in advance. However, real combat is not so simple – there are too many different possibilities to grasp, and there is almost always potential for a “secret weapon” using a clever new idea. When faced with an enemy using an unknown power, it looks like carelessness on the side being forced to adapt. However, in reality, both sides often prepared well – one side just prepared better and took the right risks.

The battle between Tatsuya and Minoru in this novel somewhat describes this – both sides were prepared, but Minoru had his “secret weapon” in the form of Sekirei Hachijin, and Tatsuya had his own weapon in discovering a new way to disperse spells.

While Tatsuya wasn’t able to complete a new ability in this volume due to my doubts as an author, one of the enemies was defeated by a new and interesting technology, so I, to an extent, at least followed my contract as an author to write an interesting story, didn’t I?

This time, Tatsuya’s friends, not seen for a while, recieved a share of the action. While there wasn’t any serious activity in this volume, the next volume, Chase Chapter (Part 2) has a lot of action planned.

In this volume, the majority of the combat activity was given to Mari’s fiancé, Chiba Naotsugu.

Masaki played the role of Liu Li Lei’s companion well, but his share of action was nothing compared to Naotsugu’s.

It was easy for me to write the scene containing the battle between Naotsugu and Lu Gnaghu, but when writing it, I felt that Lu Ganghu’s departure from the spotlight was undeserved. Still, it’s easier for me to imagine scenes of hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting than scenes of gunfire. I hope that as this series reaches its end, I will increase my skill in this direction, but it’s unlikely to bring additional income.

Volume 29, Chase Chapter (Part 2), is scheduled for release in 2 months. After this, the Rescue Chapter arc is planned.

Once that is done, the next arc will be Future, and after that, a short arc, Graduation.

I will be grateful if you stay with The Irregular at Magic High School until its end.