Tenth Tensei: Information Erasure

"You ready for the test today?" Tetsuya sighed, "I'm not good at magecraft myself so I'm not feeling all that confident."

→Me neither.

What is the name for a third level anti-team Light magecraft?

"Huh?! Oh come on man, at least give me a warning first!"

"Okay class, it's time for your exams!" The teacher called as he entered the classroom, "But first...attendance...here it is. Alright, call out when I say your name!"

"Okay." The teacher sighed once he finished taking attendance, "Time for your exams."

"Teacher." Tetsuya raised his hand with a frown, "You forgot Sayaka."

"Huh?"

"Sayaka. She's not here today but you forgot to call her out."

"I don't see an Sayaka on this list."

"Huh?"

"In fact, I don't remember there ever being a student named Sayaka in this class."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Tetsuya cried, "Sayaka's been here since last year!"

"I have no idea who you're talking about." The teacher frowned, "Sit down and be quiet, you have a test to take!"

"But-"

"Quiet!"

"Hey..." Tetsuya walked up to me once the test was over, "You remember Sayaka right?"

→Of course.

Yeah.

"Thank god." Tetsuya breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought I was going crazy for a moment there. In fact, I was so anxious, I didn't pay attention to the test at all. But seriously...first she disappears and now nobody remembers her? What's going on? What if someone else disappeared from our class and I just don't remember it? What if I disappeared? This is getting really scary."

→I wouldn't forget you.

Sayaka hasn't fully disappeared yet.

"Yeah. Thanks." Tetsuya gave a small smile, "But something fishy is going on. I'm going to search for Sayaka. Starting at her house and then working my way back to when she first disappeared."

→You must really like Sayaka.

That's a lot of work.

"Part of it is because it's Sayaka, sure." Tetsuya admitted, "But it's also the idea of forgetting something you never want to forget. Like something was taken from you without ever knowing. Something like that...I can't let something like that happen without doing something!"

→I know how that feels.

Anything I can do to help?

"Thanks. But I think I'm going to do this alone." Tetsuya nodded, "If it really is dangerous, I don't want more people ending up getting erased. So long as there's one of us that still remembers then we haven't lost right? Even if it's just you, so long as I'm remembered then I existed. Just try to keep good memories of me okay? Alright. I'm heading out! Wish me luck okay?!"

Tetsuya ran out of the classroom with a determined look on his face.

"Erasure?!" X cried, sitting up on the sofa quickly, "You mean nobody remembers her?! That's real suspicious."

→We still seem to remember her though.

Tetsuya still remembers her too.

"Hmmm..." X nodded, "This definitely smells like a Servant's work. The only reason why we might be immune is because we're tied to the Holy Grail. Well, you are anyway as a Master. And me too as your Servant. I don't know why Tetsuya might be immune though. Regardless, I think I read something like that a while ago."

X pulled out her tablet and began to flick furiously through notes.

"Here." X showed me an article with the picture of a mysterious shadowy figure that was seemingly reading a book beside a large bonfire.

"This guy's been seen around around various locations. Always next to a giant fire, reading a book. He throws his book into the fire and both him and the fire disappears."

→Sounds suspicious.

How is this relevant?

"The one who reported this was also reported missing. Following the posts related to this it seems the user was posting on site, while watching this figure. After this post, he hasn't posted again and nobody seems to know who the poster's true identity was despite his history of posting."

→Sounds promising.

How do we find this figure?

"There doesn't seem to be a pattern to where this figure appears though." X sighed, "All we can do is patrol around and hope we find him."

→Hope Du Stallion III is fuel efficient.

"Du Stallion III is the most fuel efficient! I just gotta make a few adjustments..."

Sounds like a long night.

"I'll tell Nimue to make a few bentos...or a ton of bentos."

"Come to think of it, you haven't had time to explore the city, have you?" Nimue smiled as she handed us a stack of bentos, "Take the time to explore and get used to this city. You may be stuck here but it's really quite a nice city."

"We're not going for a joyride." X said as she tried to take the bentos from me, "This is serious business."

"Yes, yes." Nimue said, swatting X's hand away from the bentos, "Alice, make sure to not let X eat her bentos early okay?"

Alice didn't reply.

→I'll make sure she doesn't eat too much.

"Thank you, dear."

Alice, help me with these bentos.

"Order acknowledged." Alice said as she took the bentos from me.

"Alice, you traitor!" X cried.

"I packed a bentos for each of you and an extra one for X if she starts getting peckish." Nimue explained, "Tomorrow is a weekend but don't be out for too long, okay?"

"We'll be back in time for breakfast!" X promised.

"I know you will." Nimue sighed.

"Don't you think you're mothering a bit too much, Nimue?" Kanjo laughed.

"Nonsense." Nimue crossed her arms, "I still can't fight so I have to make sure they're safe somehow."

"Right, we're leaving now." X said.

"Ah! X, you put on your safety gear right now!"

"But Nimueeeeeee-"

"That over there is Semiramis' Special Cafe." X said as she pointed to another restaurant, "They're actually a pretty shady place. Like, it's really strange that that place is still open. I don't think most people going there are even there for the food. Last time I tried their food, I almost died."

→This city has a lot of restaurants.

Know any places that aren't a restaurant?

"There's nothing more important than a good restaurant." X nodded, "Anyway, do you see anything?"

→I think I see a Mexican restaurant.

"That is neither Mexican nor a restaurant. That's just Taco Bell."

There's a McDonalds.

"Oh, that place isn't actually a McDonalds. It's actually a club run by a DJ named MC Donald."

"Wait, no! The fire! The figure! Do you see anything like that?"

→No.

Nope.

"I guess he wouldn't be hanging around in the middle of town." X sighed.

→He's probably some place remote.

Where was the last place he was spotted?

"I guess we're heading to the city's edge." X said, turning Du Stallion III down the empty streets.

"That's the Murdrum Airport." X said as we drove around the airfield's fence, "That's mostly been shut down for a long time since planes can't seem to leave. Flights to Murdrum has been canceled too with the excuse of a natural disaster that tore apart the airport. Honestly I'm surprised we're still getting away with that."

→You said the airport's closed?

Nobody goes there right?

"Yeah. Wait." X said as she stopped Du Stallion III, "...What's that light out on the runway?"

→There's somebody there too.

I think I see someone.

"No way… Let's go!" X said, turning the Du Stallion III around.