ITalkToSky here,
Long time no see guys. I just wrapped up a research paper. Just when I thought I will get some breathing room, two more projects lined up back-to-back. If that is not enough, my back and my hip conspired to kill me even though I am still quite young.
Complaining aside, let's get to the story.
00000
Monday, fourth week of September
"Mizuki, wait up."
A booming voice called out from behind. Mizuki instantly recognized the speaker. Few men would so naturally drop any honorific when calling her name. She turned around to meet the hulking muscular frame.
"What is it Leo-kun?"
"Ah, well…"
Leo scratched his head awkwardly. Either he forgot his words or never thought what to say once he stopped her in the first place. Mizuki had a strong suspicion toward the later. She would have found such bumbling gesture a little endearing at other times.
"Yes?"
"You see…um, sorry about lunch time. Like, not inviting both of you and all that."
"No worry at all," Mizuki tried to sound understanding, but her tone came out stiff.
After the debacle last week ending up with her carted off to the Public Moral Committee office and the matter about Tatsuya's captivity, Miyuki found both Lunaire and Alice to be unbearable eyesores. Naturally, Marisa and Mizuki were included by extension. She never said anything openly, but even the blunt Leo noticed the obvious stink eyes.
It did wonder to ruin the appetite during lunch.
Not desperate for Miyuki's company to say the least, Marisa and Mizuki gladly skipped their gathering. The rest tactfully stopped inviting them. Perhaps, they wished the matter would fizzle out as both sides cooled their heads.
"If that will be all, then excuse me."
"Wait, just hang on a minute, I want to ask something."
"Sure."
Leo took a deep breath as if prepared to face some unfathomable monster. He was not wrong in a way. Mizuki seemed like a bookish girl. Her glasses fit her to a tee. Yet, from both his own experience interacting with the girl and some ludicrous anecdote from Mikihiko, it became impossible to gauge what she could and would do at times. She was a monster that came in an adorable package.
"I will give it to you straight. I don't get it. What is the deal between you and Miyuki?" Leo scratched his head roughly. "Or rather, what is the beef between Miyuki and your friends?"
"…You certainly don't mince words." Mizuki appeared taken aback.
"Is there really a point not to? We are really just making a mountain of an ant hill. Fights happens. We are young and all. There is no need to treat it as some sort of a taboo. That will just make things difficult for everyone."
Mizuki cocked her eyebrow, unconvinced. Some matters were beyond the point of just sitting down and making up nicely. Yet, she felt a faintest sliver of respect. Leo noticed the problem and decided to do something about it, even if it was not through exactly the smartest or the most subtle method.
"There is rumor that Miyuki had a serious fight with Lunaire and Alice bad enough for the big wigs to be all hush-hush about it. I am not sure what to make about it. They all don't seem like the sort to take things too far. At this point, I don't know who did what to whom and why."
Leo paused slightly. His green eyes peered into their bright topaz counterpart, gauging for any reaction. The art of cold reading and such long eluded his clumsy grasp. Yet, he could always rely on his unnaturally sharp gut feeling. Without any explanation, he simply knew that he was being sized up.
"Ah, why must this be so complicated?" Leo let out a low groan. "At this point, who cares who started it? Is it so bad that they cannot just make up and move on?"
"You wish to know the root cause, yes?" Mizuki succinctly replied.
"I mean…yeah. I guess knowing the reason for all this awkwardness will be nice and maybe we can work out a solution or something like that."
"But why did you come to ask me, a third party? Should you not first start with Miyuki-san?"
"I tried but…" Leo blinked sheepishly, losing the wind in his sail. "She does not seem to be in the best mood to..."
"Did Erika stop you?"
"…"
Mizuki hit the nail on its head from his reaction. Given that Miyuki bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on every time she spotted any of them, a direct question was probably counterproductive. Mizuki understood Erika's reasoning in holding back her more impulsive and passionate frenemy.
"And you probably found my mast…Lunaire and Alice too difficult to approach."
Leo chuckled awkwardly at such comment but did not deny it. To him, Lunaire and Alice seemed not the sort to mind too much on the decorum, provided that the other party maintained basic courtesy. If not for their apparent lack of common interest, Leo would find the two pleasant to hang out with and kept closer in touch.
Unfortunately, this cold war situation made approaching them a more uncomfortable affair. Leo understood well enough that Miyuki would not be all too happy to see him interacting with her opposition, so that was left as the last resort.
"I appreciate your candidness. It is good for a change."
"Uh, thanks?" Leo craned his neck, not entirely sure where Mizuki was going with this sudden compliment.
"Unfortunately, I will have to disappoint you. I cannot answer your question."
"For some reason, you made it sound like you don't want to answer rather than you don't know." Leo's green eyes narrowed.
Leo asked a question he already knew the answer to, so Mizuki tilted her head to the side and merely smiled. That gesture caused his brows to furrow and his fists to ball up.
"If that will be all, I will excuse myself." Mizuki ended curtly and turned on her heel.
"Wait, Mizuki," Leo unintentionally raised his voice as he circled around her. "Wait!"
Mizuki froze, seeing the hulking mass of muscle baring her way. Her eyes narrowed reflexively and locked onto the face of the man before her. Much to her puzzlement, she did not see the look of frustration she expected. Instead, Leo wore a sheepish look.
"Sorry…" Leo quickly took a step back after realizing that he breached her personal bubble. He raised his hands and waved them disarmingly.
Mizuki's eyes glanced sideway, and her shoulders drooped down. She sighed deeply and shook her head. This certainly became problematic. On one mind, she already said too much. Yet, she could not simply leave in good conscious. His straightforward and naïve nature would be the death of him.
If Mizuki brushed him off this time, there was no way Leo would stop poking his nose where he did not belong. While it was unlikely for a boy from common background to stumble upon something hugely significant, she learned not to tempt fate. Yotsuba was not the sort to leave loose ends, so it was not out of question for them to silence Leo as a precaution.
As cold as it sounded, Mizuki had no real obligation to protect Leo. She could not save everyone, especially not the one who intentionally courted disaster. Yet, it did not feel right to just leave him be. At the very least, he was a step above mere acquaintance.
"Leo…" Mizuki's brows tightened into a deep frown. She made a split decision, which she hoped she would not regret. "Listen to me and listen well."
Leo felt a chill ran up his back. He heard from Mikihiko about Mizuki's intense hidden side but had never experience it for himself. "Al-alright."
"You show admirable courage and initiative to not settle for the status quo and seek out the truth yourself. For that, I commend you." Mizuki paused briefly. "However, I am sure you realize something from our conversation, if vaguely. This is something far larger than our little group."
"…"
"You have sharp instincts, Leo. You probably have some leads and conjectures from the limited information on hand. But I urge you not to go around probing them out."
"Just what is this all…"
Mizuki thumbed her forehead. "You are already asking question."
"As if I can remain silent hearing that!" Leo strained out. "What is it with you people? You always jump into dangerous matter without a word. Will it kill you to let your friend help you?"
"It won't kill us. But it certainly will kill you."
Leo recoiled as if offended. Mizuki did not budge and met his eyes straight on. She knew what she was insinuating and meant every word.
Leo was a man with potential. Built like a brick house that could walkway after taking a motorcycle hit head on and armed with keen senses to boot, he would make a phenomenal brawler under Meiling's close tutelage. Yet, that was merely his potential. The bluntest comment she had for the boy before her was that he had courage but little ability.
"Are you saying that I am too weak?" Leo gritted his teeth. His hands balled into fists.
"In the bluntest terms, unfortunately…You have neither the personal strength nor the backing to play this dangerous game." Mizuki's eyes soften briefly with sympathy before regaining their steel. "I am sorry. Knowing your nature, you probably won't stop unless I put it so harshly. There is nothing good waiting for you if you keep digging. Just wait it out."
"That's unfair."
"How so?"
"Have you ever considered the feeling of a friend unable to do anything when his buddies are in trouble?"
"…" Mizuki fell mute.
"Who can do nothing but watch how everything pan out?"
"…Then, have you ever considered the opposite?" Mizuki sighed deeply, deflated. This bitter taste in her mouth would not leave her any time soon. "How would it feel to needlessly endanger the life of their friends? Even if they are willing, they are sorely underestimating the burden they are undertaking. It would not be an understatement that we would be ruining the rest of your future at best and cut it short altogether at worst."
Leo opened his mouth, but no word left his lips. His expression revealed his shock before contorting from the emotions bubbling beneath the surface. He trembled. Mizuki could hear his teeth grinding together.
"Have you ever considered the guilt I would have to shoulder for the rest of my life?"
When she ended her words, Mizuki swerved around him to leave without sparing a glance behind. Leo did not follow her this time, so he did not see her lips pressing thin. As she walked further, she tugged her blazer inward as if seeking warmth. She prayed that Leo would follow her advice, especially after she went ahead and pull a drama routine on him.
Leo stood there, long after the echoing footsteps faded from his ears. His hands clenched tight.
Friday, fourth week of September
"Why are we still here?"
"Just to suffer?" Mizuki offered.
Marisa leaned forward in her seat to get an eyeful of Lunaire. "Who was it again who convinced us that it is a good idea to go to school?"
"…Me." Reminded that he essentially bribed Marisa into this many months ago, Lunaire slumped in his seat. "But in my defense, there is no way I could have anticipated that a certain high school girl would turn everything on its head."
The imminent collapse of the Hakurei Barrier turned the magical school into a massive waste of time. About a third of day was being spent earning a diploma they did not want nor needed. The prospect of dropping out seemed increasingly tempting to the magicians. Especially when they were forced to sit in an assembly and listen to a list of policy changes.
Not that the magicians had problem with Mayumi's final act as the student council president. Doing away with some regulations that marginalized half of their student bodies was long overdue. However, they would rather be in class where they could be doing something more productive on their computer terminals.
"…For those reasons, I propose that we abolish the system of limitation on eligibility for student council officers."
No sooner than a heartbeat after Mayumi finished revealing her final proposal of her term, one of the students in a row of seniors quickly raised her hand. The haughty and challenging expression told the soon-to-be former president everything about her intention. Mayumi watched silently as the first challenger pranced up the stage to the questioner seat.
"On the face of your argument is sound. But is there a current problem with the system that requires you to change it? What I mean is, is there a Course 2 student you'd like to choose for the student council?"
"And here comes the drama," Mizuki slapped her own forehead. Her masters were no different, performing their facepalm and groan routine. It took a special blend of ignorance and audacity to start a formal argument with a personal attack.
"I am vacating the position of student council president today. I will not be naming any new officers, so I haven't given any thought to that."
"But you could try and make it so the next president can elect a Course 2 student near to their heart, couldn't you?"
"I have no intention to let retired emperors make all the decisions in the student council." Her slightly silly tone earned a few chuckles. "Naming the next officers is the sole prerogative of the next president. I have no intention whatsoever to interfere with that."
"Which means that there are Course 2 students the next president wants to surround herself with. That's the reason you suggested changing the system, isn't it?"
From the back of the hall, Alice gawked, wondering what the girl was trying to achieve other than committing self-humiliation. The girl could not even get her own point straight whether it was Mayumi or the next president who wanted the change. Marisa was stuck with a silent "wow" in her throat, while Lunaire felt his gut twisting.
"My answer to that question is no. The reason I make this proposition now is because this is my last chance to do so. Because I believe it is the student council president's duty not to leave any seeds of conflict for my underclassmen." Showing that she was the bigger woman of the two, Mayumi opted not to call out the girl on her insults.
"If there are no Course 2 students already named to a position, it wouldn't be cause for opposition." The senior student countered.
"This is not an issue of whether or not such a candidate exists. Systems reflect the ideas of the group. A system in which Course 2 students can't be officers, where regardless of their abilities they cannot hold office is a declaration that they don't have the right to be officers. This sort of elitism is wrong."
There was a loud applause in the auditorium after that. And Course 2 students weren't the only one clapping.
"You're trying to trick us with words!" Not knowing when to quit, the girl shrieked. "There's a Course 2 student you want in the student council! That is why you want to abolish the requirements! Your real move is favoritism, isn't it?"
A few sporadic desperate voices in the audience agreed, but they were immediately squelched by the storm of boos.
"Please, quiet down." Miyuki's clear voice called for attention, trying to reign in the chaos a little.
"President Saegusa, your real goal is to get that freshman over there in the student council, isn't it?" The gril shouted hysterically, pointing her finger straight at Tatsuya. "I know all about it! You went together to the station yesterday after school."
That remark was most likely made out of despair and self-abandonment. But that one statement produced a surprisingly large effect. The storm of booing ceased, and it became eerily silent. The students all looked back and forth between Mayumi and Tatsuya.
"What? That worked?" Lunaire let of a surprised yelp. It boggled the mind that people would still lend ears to someone who kept spouting baseless accusation one after another.
"I want to change channel, ze."
"This is way to early for an evening drama."
"How about never?"
For once, there was a shift in Mayumi's expression. With one brow raised, she tilted her head quizzically as if not understanding the words she heard. "He worked right next door and his sister worked in the same room with me. Is it that unusual?"
"Well…" The senior faltered. With just a few words from Mayumi, the thoughtlessness of her comment finally struck her. There was nothing she could do but slink down from the stage in a matter completely opposite of how she arrived.
Hattori who finally recollected himself moved the proceeding along. In the end, the opposition faction's attempt at interference came to naught. After that, the auditorium had been filled with a tense air. There weren't even nay cheerful hoots or jeers going around. Little by little, the electronic votes were collected. The proposal to abolish the student council officers restrictions passing by a majority.
Then finally, it was time for Azusa's election speech.
It was closer to a general policy speech since she was the only candidate. Still, there would still be a formal vote of confidence using paper. The magicians did not quite understand the point not using electronic ballot when they did it a few minutes prior.
Azusa stepped up to the stage, her face a mix of enthusiasm and nervousness. She quickly bowed and met with a loud applause. There were some whistle and cheers in there, too, but they suddenly stopped once she began her speech. The atmosphere in the auditorium felt like when a cute and feminine female singer got up on a live stage crowded with male fans.
Despite being the top achiever in both theory and practice in their class, her humility, approachability and petite appearance carved out a slightly different position at school for her than Mayumi's had been – that of an idol who was easy to get along with.
She presented her political views and policies with unexpected eloquence. It was essentially a continuation of the current student council's stances. Many parts of the speech certainly tended toward high school student-like ideals, but in general, it went acceptably.
For the most part, the magicians remained ambivalent. With bigger fish to fry and little time spare, they could not care less about who was in charge.
The troubled happened after this statement though.
"With respect to today's decision. I would like to appoint capable officers to the next student council, regardless of whether they are in Course 1 or Course 2."
"Does she mean the Course 2 kid over there?"
"I didn't know Azusa liked wild younger men."
It started with truly low-level hoots. They were the basest of comment born from the opponents' unhappiness after having found themselves quashed right at the start without a chance to do much. In their subconscious, they probably figured Azusa would ignore their heckles. Not an unreasonable assumption, but they miscalculated one thing. It did not take the sharpest tool in the shed to realize the consequence of heckling an idol at her own concert.
"Who was that just now?"
"How dare you make fun of Nakajou!"
"If you've got something to say, say it to all of us!"
"Hang the cowards!"
In a heartbeat, the auditorium spiraled toward pandemonium. Men clamored up from their seat, searching the crowd with the eyes of hungry wolves.
"And it was going so well." Lunaire and Marisa said at the same time.
Deciding that they were quite done, and this was their queue to leave, the magicians and Mizuki rose from their seat. Before they could stretch their legs however, a sharp bellow cut through the commotion.
"I have a question!"
A brief sentence uttered with unshakable solemness drew the attention of the entire auditorium. Their eyes converged on a figure squaring up against the stage. To the surprise of many, the owner of that commanding voice was a slender girl. Even after becoming the center of attention, the girl stood poised with her hand raised.
"O-of course, I will do my best to answer. Please come up to the stage." Azusa quickly jumped on the opportunity to diffuse the mayhem even if she could not reign in the look of surprise just yet.
"Mibu?." Lunaire raised his brows. That voice and brown semi-long ponytail was a dead giveaway for the identity of the woman.
"Did you ask her to do this?" Alice got a vehement head shake from Lunaire. "Curious…"
"I wonder what she is trying to pull, ze. Got any idea, Mizuki?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Mibu-san did not mention anything the last time we met."
"Now, this is getting mighty interesting."
"Reign in your expression a bit. There is no telling who might be watching." Casting a quick glance toward the stage, Lunaire barely spotted Mayumi tucked away in the corner.
Marisa shrugged. "Whatever, it is not as if they aren't already suspicious of us."
"But no one knows of our connection with Mibu. It is best we keep it that way." Alice corrected.
"Alright, alight. Let's just go back to watching the show." Marisa gestured right when Sayaka stepped up the stage.
"Firstly, to clarify the overall direction of your policies, is it correct to say that you wish to transition toward a more meritocratic system." Sayaka's voice was calm and measured, exerting an imperceivable pressure like a sheathed Katana. "As long as one possessed the necessary skillset, they would be considered for the position regardless of their magical competency."
"That is correct."
"Then I must ask. Will the scope of this change include the presidency election system?"
"Eh?" Azusa soft squeak was heard clearly from the speaker.
A soft murmur erupted from the crowd. Most did not quite catch on the relevance, given that Azusa never once mentioned the presidency election system. Oppositely, the more politically inclined members on the stage all sported a wide-eyed look.
Lunaire cover his lips. "Oh no."
"Does Mibu have some beef with Nakajou-san?" Alice asked airily.
"Poor her, not even the president yet but already is being thrown into hot water."
Sayaka squarely face Azusa. Standing straight, she gave of a sharp and pressuring impression. Azusa felt she had no choice but to meet her eyes, despite wishing to turn away. Under her gaze, it felt as if she was being judged.
"Please allow me some time to bring in the context for the audience. How does one become a student council president in First High?" Sayaka paused briefly and scanned at the crowd. She received mostly puzzled look, but no overt hostility for now. "Looking at the past, the first requirement is to become a member of student council. Not a single outsider has ever become a president. Second, one must then be nominated as the candidate to then have a chance to run for presidency. Some people might have already realized. These two requirements are directly influence by the reigning president of the council. They have complete authority on the officer appointment and the nomination of candidates."
Azusa began catching on to the angle that Sayaka brought up and felt the growing dread. If not for extensive practice to steel her nerve, she would have trembled. Of all the possible arguments she thought up and prepared for, this was not one of it. Her mind churned rapidly for any defense.
"In the most cynical way of putting it, the opportunity to even run for presidency in the first place is earned not by the confidence from their peers, but the previous leader's. This is hardly meritocratic. I wish to know whether there is any plan to address this issue. And if yes, what are they?"
Hushed whisper began spreading about the hall that even Azusa on the stage could hear it. A bead of sweat trickled down her brows. She held her hands behind her to stop the fidgeting while her brain assessed the situation.
It was a simple yes or no question. Answering was anything but easy, however, considering the full scope of the issue.
Azusa showed her stance quite clearly in her policy speech. First High would be transitioning toward a more meritocratic system, evaluating people on what they could do rather than Course 1 and Course 2 status. It was implicit that more changes would be incoming over the duration of her presidency. She would give them time to grow accustomed with the culture shift step by step, preventing resentment from building up.
Unfortunately, Sayaka decided to dunk her in the hot water. She pointed out the end goal of Azusa's presidency, an almost complete abolishment of Course 1 privilege. There would be no sugar coating this bitter pill. This put Azusa in a lose-lose situation.
If she accepted the point, Azusa would thoroughly antagonize her opposition and possibly drive some Course 1 students on the fence to the other side. Those people could not even stomach the thought of Course 2 students on student council, let alone being their president. Her detractors would dig in their heels and appose her every step of the way from that point.
If Azusa answered with a no, however, she was practically done for. While it would preserve the status quo with her opposition for the moment, it would also paint her as a hypocrite. Her previous promise of meritocracy would sound much emptier and the arguments about personal connection more plausible.
A minute passed by as Azusa's brain churned under the Sayaka's scrutinizing eyes. Finally, the presidential candidate puffed up her chest and regained eye contact. With clear voice, she said, "you input is heard loud and clear. Effort will certainly be made to improve accessibility and transparency of the election system. However, please note that serious consideration must be taken to avoid the repeat of unfortunate event in the past.
Student council president of magical high school was a highly coveted position due to the credential it added to one's resume. There was only nine or less holding said title every year. The last attempt to democratize the election ended up in a chaotic magical slugfest among the candidates.
Sayaka blinked. A trace of surprise surface for a split second on her steely countenance. She did not quite expect Azusa to admit frankly that revising election system was not on the menu at the start. The corners of her lips began rising ever slowly. "Very well, I look forward to the most exciting election of the past 6 years then."
After declaring she had no more questions, Sayaka spun on her heel. Unlike the previous one, she walked down the stage with her back unbent among the buzzing whispers of the audience. For many, the exchange was only sinking in.
From behind her, Mayumi and Mari eyed her with both shock and worry. The former chewed her lips vexingly. Her own words earlier came back to bite her. Mayumi ended her term just soon enough that the dumpster fire landed on her successor instead. She never interacted much with Sayaka, but the tidbits she heard about the Kendo Belle never hinted anything like this.
"Why do you think she is doing this?" Lunaire tilted his head.
"Maybe she saw the opportunity to improve the standing of Course 2 students and rattling the Course 1 at the same time?" Mizuki mumbled. "But Mibu-san does not really care about that anymore though."
"She may just be testing the new president, ze."
"You mean she just wanted to put Nakajou in a tough spot just to see how she would react? That's how it looks like to me." Lunaire chuckled. "Wow, that's just hazing."
"It is not just hazing." Alice offered. "She secured the promise to improve how the school is run as a cherry on top. Though I will admit, it is a bit mean."
On her way down, she looked toward the silverly head sticking out at the sore thumb at the back. Noticing Sayaka's look, Lunaire could not help but think she was asking whether she was in trouble or not. It was a little endearing but also frustrating. If she were unsure, he would appreciate it very much if she at least dropped some hint before stirring the murky water.
Making sure that Sayaka was still looking, Lunaire raised her a thumbs up.
Then promptly made a slashing motion across his neck.
A week later, Yokohama
In one nondescript park nested in the recess of Yokohama, a woman with striking lilac hair ambled about. Neat black suit and pencil skirt marked her as a typical office lady but contrasted strongly with her youthful face. Carrying a bento box in hand, her eyes wandered aimlessly for a bench. For no particular reason, she seemed to settle upon the one with an empty cup of soda on one side.
As soon as she sat down, a gruff voice came from the seemingly normal cup of soda. "So, you are Reisen, I presume."
"Correct, so you are Nobu?" As soon as the disguised rabbit answer, a strong rotten stink almost made her gagged. It was hardly the smell Reisen expected from a Tanuki youkai.
"One and only," the voice answered. "Now, let's get down to business, so I can finally go and take a damn shower."
Reisen squeezed her nose even harder. "You sure need it."
"Look lady, my job is not to smell like roses and lilacs. I am here to deliver the info, plain and simple!" The voice grew irate, but quickly deflated. "I did not intend to smell like this, okay? It was an accident. Whose bright idea was it to have me disguise as a soda cup?"
"…" Reisen craned her neck while still covering her nose.
"Some people with way too much time threw me in the trash, alright?" The cup lurched violent. "What am I supposed to do? Switch back to my real form in their hands?"
A look of understanding surfaced on Reisen's face. A good citizen came along, saw the empty soda cup on a bench and threw it to the trash. "I recommend a better choice of disguise next time."
"That is not how things work in our line of work. Our disguise is assigned to us on a case like this." The soda cup turned the side with product logo to her. "If I chose my own disguise, you would never find me. Period."
"I see, my condolences." Reisen conceded. While Nobu's transformation spell emitted out some noticeable mana signature, she needed to be relatively close to pinpoint the source. It would have taken a good few minutes more if she did not know he would appear as a soda cup at this park.
Realizing that she waited precious minutes chatting, Reisen retrieved a roll of magazine from her handbag. While a rare sight, some paper print still circulated around in high tech society. Turning to a specific page, a detail map of Yokohama was shown.
Still out of their depth in terms of cybersecurity, their organization turned toward the more archaic, yet tried-and-true methods.
"Now listen, I think we found where the spies are holding up." Multiple spots on the map lit up. The tanuki could not point when in disguise, so he could only rely on illusion. "My buddies and I were tailing those who seem to show an unusual level of interest to your facility."
The Tanuki lent to them from Mamizou were proving invaluable. Their relatively small size of their bestial form and natural shapeshifting ability allowed them to inconspicuously observe and track even the most cautious spies.
"There are quite a few places." Reisen mused. "A lot of it is residential sector…"
"It is a good place to hide. To casual observer, they look no different than normal citizens. Go to work at dawn and come back alone in the evening. They are usually not seen interacting with anyone or congregating anywhere suspicious."
"This will be problematic."
"Yeah, going around busting doors will do great wonder to your reputation." Even without moving, Reisen could feel that the cup was shrugging. "Unless you wish to go with assassination – I wouldn't recommend it – we can only collect evidence, intercept their dead drops and let the country take care of them."
"I am sure they will be more than cooperative." Reisen dawdled sarcastically.
"And that is where my problem ends and yours begins." The Tanuki snorted and then his voiced dipped low, conspiratorially. "Though, if you want some action, there might be something for you. Turn to the next page."
Reisen stared quizzically at the two lit spots on the map depicting central portion of Yokohama. "What am I looking at?"
"Well, you see that beaut' right here." A spot near the Yokohama Chinatown blinked. "This seems to be the main warehouse that those continentals used to store their gear."
"Truly?"
"Yeah! It took us quite a while to find it. They were being really sneaky about it, took all the proper precautions. Hehehe," Nobu mustered a really shady laughter. "There has to be something important there."
"Do you have the confirmation?"
"As I said, they stored their gear there. We snuck in and made sure, so no worries about wrong intel. If you want guns and big bombs, just go nick it from them."
Reisen narrowed her eyes. "That is worrying."
"Yeah, if I were you, I would expect some uninvited guests coming over soon. That is…" The cup of soda slid an inch closer. Reisen instinctively scooted away due to the smell. "Ahem…that is if you don't hit them first."
The moon rabbit rubbed her chin. A preemptive strike sounded tempting. But practically, it meant quite little. Reisen was no overconfident to say that their facility was beyond secure. Even on the odd chance of everything failing, the enemy would be greeted with an empty shell. There would be no problem no matter who came. Instead, it could be more beneficial to document this incident to rub in the military's face for added political slap.
"What about the other place?"
"Ah, that is not nearly as interesting as the other place. The UNSA intelligence section was holed up in there, no weapons or anything, just computers."
"I am once again surprised."
"You will be surprised just how much you can get away with in the ventilation duct…" Nobu went silence for a few seconds, before continuing in a whisper. "Our time has run out. If you need a reminder, you still have tails to deal with."
Reisen nodded in acknowledgement. She noticed them on her peripheral ever since she left the facility. While giving them a slip was trivial, making sure more don't tag along was much harder. These voyeurs seemed to come out of the woodwork.
Pretending to look at her terminal, faking panic as if forgetting her time, Reisen hurried stood up with her untouched bento box. However, before she could take a single step, Nobu called out.
"Pss! Hey, take me with you."
"Why?"
"You have been sitting here for a while. They might suspect that I am a dead drop of some kind. I don't want to test my escape techniques just yet."
Reisen reached out but stopped right before touching the cup. For the record, the cup was still a tanuki and stank like wet kitchen waste. "Do I have to carry you all the way back?"
"Dammit all." Nobu fell silent briefly, then started cursing softly at the lack of time. "Just throw me into that pond over there."
"Good thinking," Reisen nodded. "Cup goes in. Tanuki comes out."
Scarlet Devil Mansion
"Sorry, I am late." Lunaire's tired groan was heard from the door. "Nitori is being difficult."
Nitori waved her arms wildly. "We were on the verge of greatness."
"Yes, yes, you said that to me like what…seventeen times this week?"
"This time it's…"
"Different, I know. I know. We were this close." Lunaire rolled his eyes as he ushered the blue-haired child ahead of him to the seat. "Now, let's not keep the others waiting any longer."
Nitori walked up to one of the two empty seats and threw herself on it. She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. Her gesture was met with an amused snicker from Marisa. Alice and Kirin watched on with a wry smile, knowing the quirky nature of this Kappa in particular. Patchouli though appeared rather unamused of her tardiness, which ate into her reading time.
"Hehe, still running into some problems?" Alice asked.
Lunaire answered after a long sigh. "Yes, more problems."
"If it is too easy, it won't be fun at all, ze."
"It can't be help. Despite its creator, it is still the product of divine wisdom and power."
"Why do I smell roasted bird in here." Lunaire sniffed exaggeratingly. The comment earned an amused laugh all around. "But anyway, sorry for being late."
"It is fine, really. I am the one calling this meeting out of blue anyway." Alice waved casually. "Let's get the matter out of the way.
"All the better," Patchouli added.
Alice ignored the slight grumbling from Patchouli and broached. "Remember Aya's report from the last general meeting?"
"About the annoyances crawling around the port, yet again?"
Ever since their Yokohama facility came online, there was a marked increase of illegal entry at the port facilities. The authority managed to capture some at times, while none at others. Regardless, such incidents would inevitably be followed by a series of attempted break-ins at their facility. None succeeded, of course, but it certainly did not improve Aya's and Reisen's mood. Catching them was only fun for the first few times.
The trend was so obvious that whenever such incident was detected, the police would dispatch some men to patrol the neighborhood. Obviously, they were no match for the professionals sent and acted mostly like decorations. Though to give them some credit, they proved quite handy to cart off the captured men for interrogation.
"No, not about that." Alice shook her head. "It's about the recent rumor and the company image."
"Ah, that…"
"Ano…what is it about?"
"Ah, I almost forgot that Kirika-san was not in that meeting." Alice nodded understandingly.
Kirin occupied the position of a head of the CAD research section. This lofty position qualified her as part of the upper echelon of the organization. Yet, the general meeting was actually the colloquial name of the Sage Council meeting, the highest decision-making body of the organization. It was well beyond her paygrade.
"I will give you a brief summary then." Alice cleared her throat. "The measures we put in place to ensure secrecy work well, perhaps too well. No one knows the secret of the Philosophie-series, not to the lack of trying. Speculation ran rampant about how we managed to achieve such an unthinkable feat."
"Without any basis to ground their thoughts, the ideas can become quite outlandish." Patchouli added.
Seeing the churning gears in Kirin's head, Lunaire snickered and added his own translation. "There has been a growing voice from the public that since we have something to hide, there must be something nefarious going on behind the Philosophie. Some say that it is possible that our special induction stone might be the produced similar to something like…Sorcery Booster."
Sorcery Booster was a highly illegal magic amplifier. The device contained self-regenerated blueprint of a magic sequence in a specific system that can assist magician in casting spell. Essentially, it did half the work for the caster, allowing them to cast larger scale of magic with the same effort. Despite the obvious military value, Sorcery Booster was outlawed due to its highly unethical production method well beyond what even a nation could stomach.
Briefly, the process involved inducing a certain emotional state within a magician, usually through torture and psychochemical treatment. This was done to align and standardize psionic pattern within the brain, which are then harvested to be used in the device. Sorcery Booster was nothing more than a literal cerebellum-in-a-jar.
"That is…"
"A preposterous accusation, I know." Lunaire sighed. "However, Philosophie is simply too good to be true in their mind."
Kirin showed a growing look of horror. Normally, those speculations would not pose an issue if the induction stone were registered as a patent. Partial disclosure of synthesis method was part of the process.
"Added to that, the CAD manufacturers coveting our technique also discretely fanned the flame from behind…"
"Neither the Ten Master Clans nor the government are in a hurry to step in. You get the idea." Lunaire rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"They should!" Kirin cried.
"And miss this prime opportunity for us to spit out the method, of course not." Alice snipped. "While we can probably demand them to put a lid to it directly, they will probably do it half-heartedly. Furthermore, it will be a show of weakness on our part, that we care about the public opinion and are no longer untouchable."
"Then perhaps indirectly, like…" Kirin racked her mind as she spoke but was cut off by a raised hand from Alice.
"Indeed, the more indirect measures are already being considered at this moment. However, it is not in the scope of the meeting today." Alice clapped as the conversation finally moved on to the main topic. "We are all in the same mind that we should not put all the eggs in the same basket. Even Aya admitted that her PR solution could be a stopgap at best and ineffective at worst. There is really nothing more we can give other than empty assurance."
"So, you are saying you found some promising solutions? Enough to call us all here?" Lunaire leaned in closer.
"Rather than found, it is still in idea stage. I have consulted some of the Kappa in my spare time, but so far I kept it to myself until now."
"Why?" Marisa chimed in.
Alice's lips parted but closed again without a word. She took a deep breath before answering. "Because this is big. By that I mean the impact. I dare not do this alone. We will need everyone's approval before we can even consider doing this. But before that, I want your opinion."
"Whoa! What is with all this heavy talk all of sudden, ze."
Lunaire watched Alice with interest. For the most part, Alice was prim and proper without being too much of a prude. She showed a variety of expression like any other, but this one was quite rare. Her olive-colored eyes glimmering with her every blink, but she pressed her lips tight as if holding herself back from saying something. Alice appeared excited, but not the garden variety.
Oh no, it was that look, Lunaire thought.
As a magician like her, Lunaire also had episodes like those. He was not quite sure about the exact mechanism of it. There were moments in his life as researcher when his curiosity outweighed his rational thoughts. He wanted to know without stopping to ask himself why. While he did not quite wear this same look, he could imagine.
Alice wore the look of a mad scientist…who was yelling "you only live once" and was about to do something.
Lunaire felt he should stop it. But at the same time, a similar expression began creeping up on him. Marisa quickly followed suit. Patchouli remained blank-faced, yet the page on her book did not turn for the past few minutes. She picked up just from instinct alone and was listening intently. Even Kirin noticed, but her reaction showed a growing dread.
"So, my idea revolves around releasing something big that will blow the previous controversy out of the water."
"Isn't that the idea for developing nuclear fusion from Okuu's control rod in the first place?" Lunaire tilted his head. "That thing is far from complete. It will take at least a year before it is in any state for the reveal…Unless we invest huge amount of money to hire more engineers and physicists on our payroll."
"We are not going to do anything of that sort. Rather, it is going to be a new project." Alice gently rapped her fingers against the table. "One that can be completed much earlier.
"Easier said than done. Philosophie works against us. The initial wave is so large that it will take an even larger bang to surpass it, something on the level of virtually unlimited clean energy."
Energy, like money, made the world go round. By worming their way into this sector, they could increase their influence while feeding mana dependency to modern society. Before long, humans would find their lives intertwined so deeply that there was simply no other choice than to embrace it.
"But what if I tell you that there may be a way to achieve just that?" Alice grinned as the other leaned in. "So, I was considering a simpler way to generate energy. It does not require the output comparable to nuclear reactor. Oppositely, it needs to be accessible to common people, so I started thinking small, battery and the likes."
"Magical battery, sounds neat, ze."
"But that is hardly efficient. While I am sure that we can use some magically active substance to boost the performance of battery, it ran into the same problem as Philosophie. We need to keep the additive secret. From the consumer perspective, it will be hard to trust a battery, a potentially volatile component, without knowing a lick about them. Even then, the additives might not be economically viable. The final battery might end up costing way more than it is worth."
"Aww," Marisa pulled a long face.
"I went through so many ideas with the only constants between all the iteration being simplicity and smaller scale. I won't bore you with the details how I arrive at this thought." Alice cleared her throat. "Do you remember a well-documented phenomenon in modern magic that acceleration spell decreases the temperature of the targeted object. The world compensates for the unnatural increase in kinetic energy within the system by lowering some other form of energy, mainly thermal energy. It is not a one-to-one conversion but can be helpful in boosting the efficiency of ice bullet family of spell."
This explanation earned a collective nod around the table. Even Marisa, who only half-read the wall of text they fed every day to Course II students, remembered that tidbit. Only Patchouli blinked at the unfamiliar topic, though only briefly. This kind of compensation by the world to modification by magic was not unheard of in mana magic as well.
Alice raised one finger.
"So, what does this tell us? One, it is not particularly unusual for magic to violate the first law of thermodynamics. The conservation of energy is violated. Magic can create work out of nothing, yet there is a cost in term of spell efficiency. This is the reason why ice bullet family of spells exploit the phenomenon above to reduce the difficulty. The faster the projectile is forced to go, the colder the surrounding will be, thus easier to condense the projectile." Alice raised another finger. "Two, the phenomenon above tells us that it is theoretically possible for psionic magic to also violate second law of thermodynamics in the process of becoming more efficient. After all, the spell achieves the spontaneous transformation of thermal energy into mechanical energy.
"So…the second type perpetual machine is theoretically possible." Lunaire mumbled in a daze.
Magic, specifically mana variety, was not skimpy in providing ways to cheat reality in term of power generation. There were many laws that govern the area, but those were far looser than the conventional physics. Psion magic simply had no direct analogue.
Yet, Alice proposed there and then. Second type perpetual machine was perfectly valid within the psion magical framework. If they were to release such creation, they would be achieving the difficult but possible, like powered flight, rather than something utterly impossible like teleportation. Just like Philosophie, the world could be hoodwinked into thinking it was just another advance product of psionic magic.
"A magical device that convert thermal energy directly to kinetic energy…is…." Kirin stuttered. "Is such a thing truly possible?"
Lunaire nodded nonchalantly. "Of course, it is."
"…I kind of hoped that it isn't. I sense that my reality is about to collapse yet again."
"What are you saying at this stage? That is like saying you jumped into a pool not expecting to get wet."
"That's right. Isn't it? Ahaha," Kirin let off a soulless laughter. No one spared her a second look. Such episode would pass naturally.
"So, I propose for our next product to be…a gear that never ceases, so-called the Perpetual Gear. The mechanism of action will rely on magic engraving on the surface of the gear that continually gather mana in the surrounding to power the spell converting thermal energy into rotation. The Perpetual Gear will continue to move so long as the magic circle is intact and there is heat in the surrounding to extract." Alice explained energetically. "The energy extraction can be done by attaching generator to the system. The gear will continue to rotate at the same speed even with added load, thus allow virtually infinite energy to be extracted. The only real limitation will be the durability of the gear and the heat available."
Lunaire scratched his chin. His face showed much less enthusiasm. "Hmm, but it won't be the most useful thing in the world. There is only so much thermal energy in an area. If the load is large like for power generation purpose, the temperature in the area will become dangerously low very quickly."
"The application is not in large scale like that. Instead, it is in the self-recharging battery for mobile terminals. Their power consumption is not so large that the cooling effect will be noticeable by the user."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." Nitori's ears perked up the moment gear mechanism being mentioned.
"It could also potentially be used in larger system like in transportation." Alice offered.
In cars, the residual heat from operating various systems and from the surrounding air could be recycled to recharge the battery. While the efficiency would not be so high to reliably run the vehicle on the gear alone, the mileage of the full-charge battery could be extended tremendously. In addition, the car would continue to slowly charge itself when parked.
Perpetual Gear could play an even larger role in ships, particularly for the lumbering cargo ships. The ocean water was an inexhaustible heat sink. At the cost of top speed, it was possible to construct cargo ships that required no refueling. The space for fuel could be allocated for crew food stuffs or more cargo. It would be possible to sail across the globe without ever needing a port. Of course, the navy was going to love this as well.
"Virtually limitless energy," Kirin cradled her head with her trembling hand.
Patchouli raised her gaze from the book. "That sounds good and all, but what about the consequence?"
"Yes, that's right. The rest of the world is not going to remain silent about it, no matter the limitations!" Kirin's voice trembled. "We will be in over our head if we were to release it. The nations around the world will brand it as technology crucial to human advancement and force us to relinquish the production method. That is the impact of what you are proposing, infinite virtually free energy."
"The other nation may just say that humanity already has found the tool to solve all its problems." Lunaire snorted at this point. "And then accuse Japan of hogging it all to itself. No doubt, they won't take the blame and pass it on to us."
"But can't we just export enough of them, so everyone can get it, ze?"
"It is not that easy." Kirin shook her head. "The fact that we hold monopoly of its production gave unrivaled political leverage to Japan. It is only a matter of time before the gears worm their way into the economy of the world. By that time, Japan will be in a position to apply pressure to any nation by withholding this critical technology from them. No one will allow such a thing."
Either because they could not stand the thought of Japan holding them by their collars or truly wished to spread the boon of infinite energy to everyone, the people of the world would band together.
"Yes, that is the very issue that I wish to discuss."
Marisa scratched her head. "What a bummer."
"Unlike nuclear fusion which is larger in scale and has basis in conventional physics, we cannot slowly unveil this product in stages to soften the blow nor can we partially release the solution."
"In a way, it might even be better than nuclear fusion and much less hassle. No fuel, highly variable scale as long as you don't try to draw ridiculous amount of power from it at once…" Nitori mused excitedly. "This sounds more interesting by the minute. What if…we combine them. Hehe, attaching the gears to fusion reactor might even allow us to convert almost 100% of thermal energy into kinetic energy. Oh…the possibility is unlimited."
"Stay on topic," Patchouli quipped.
"Fine, fine," Nitori whined. "I don't really get what you guys are kicking up the fuss about. All I know is that it seems this cool idea won't see the light of day until I finish the nuclear reactor, right. I get it."
Nitori was correct. At that rate, there was simply no point to pursue such research, no matter the potential it had. Their discovery would only sit around collecting dust.
"What about selling it only to the military and slowly introduce to the public?" Patchouli offered half-heartedly.
Alice shook her head. "That will defeat the purpose to build a more positive company image. On the contrary, it might be harmful for our image to reserve the technology that could do so much good with so little drawback for military use."
"Ahh," Marisa groaned deeply. "Why can't anything ever be simple?"
"What if we just disclose it all?"
A simple sentence silenced the ongoing discussion in a heartbeat. All the occupants turned as one toward the only male of the group, who was staring flatly back.
Alice blinked repeatedly. Turning her head sideway, she leaned forward. "Pardon me, Lunaire. I did not quite catch what you said."
"What if we just disclose it all?" Lunaire parroted.
"You are not thinking straight."
"Not everything. We tell them the what, but not the why."
"Stop with the suspense and explain simply," Marisa urged.
"We disclose the strict step by step the method to create the Perpetual Gear, but not the reasoning why such steps are necessary."
Alice asked with cocked brows. "I do not see the difference. You will require the fundamental knowledge and ability to manipulate mana to successful create any magic engravement. If they know all that, it is no different from telling them everything."
"Not necessary," Patchouli said.
"What?"
"You do not need to be magically aware to create magic engravements."
Fundamentally, magic engravement closest analogue would be electrical circuit. The pattern in the material forced mana to flow in a specific path that mimicked spell casting by magicians. The key was in the shapes and exact geometry. Therefore, just like how an illiterate could copy the strokes of text without understanding a word, it was theoretically possible to duplicate the engravement without any mana knowledge.
"That is only possible with the simplest patterns." Patchouli countered. "Mana induction is needed when carving out a more complex engravement."
While theoretically possible, directing mana flow solely by geometry alone for complex spell work could require a literal plot of land, the so-called traditional magic formations. For this reason, the compact engravements required some mana infusion during engravement to help with flow control.
"But who said mana has to come from a magician?" Lunaire chuckled. "The spirit-gathering array required only proper arrangement of terrain. I am sure I can cook up something smaller and include them in the blueprint. The mana accumulated by the first pattern can then be used to engrave the rest."
"Can such a thing really be done?" Alice asked.
"Low ambient mana and all." Marisa chimed in.
"The efficiency may be poor and will require a few hours to accumulate enough energy to finish the rest of the engravement. However, taking half a day to make is not too much to ask for infinite energy, no?"
"Not just time. It will be impossible to make too many gears in the same area." Patchouli squeezed her grimoire shut. "But if technically anyone can make them…"
"When other nations force us to hand over the blueprint, we can just give them what they want. If they follow the exact instruction to the tee, then they will be able to create their own Perpetual Gear."
"Won't they start asking question how exactly these patterns produce such an effect?"
"Then we can just stand on the table screaming 'we already gave you infinite energy. Is that not enough?'" Lunaire tilted his head, not even certain of the words he spat from his lips.
"There is no way that would work…" Alice trailed off.
Patchouli closed her eyes. "It…might."
Waging war was a costly endeavor in both life and resources. The deadliest conflict in history of mankind just ended 30 years ago. Many veterans of those days still walked among the living. No one truly wished to start another full-scale conflict without a proper reason.
It was one thing to wage war for infinite energy. It was entirely different to do so for mere explanation. They already had the item in their hands. There was simply no point in spending the lives and material for knowledge that they could simply reverse engineer by themselves.
"There is simply meaningless to attack Japan." Lunaire shrugged. "From their perspective, if they do, it is entirely possible that we will just disappear and all they will have left on their hands is a pointless war."
"When you put it that way…"
"We will be painting big targets on our back…But it is not like we are not already doing that." Lunaire chuckled.
"Don't tell me you are going ahead with this." Kirin asked, tremblingly.
"This is scary doable." Alice muttered as she surveyed the people at the table. "But should we do it?"
"I would certainly like to." Lunaire grinned.
"Definitely, hehe, I am itching for change of pace." Nitori rubbed her hands exaggeratingly.
"I mean we only have a little over two years, ze. Might as well make a splash now."
"I suppose."
"Okay, then," Lunaire stretched in his seat. "Since I said it is possible, I suppose I volunteered myself."
"Count me in as well. You will need help with the gears."
"Sure." Lunaire turned to address the rest. "I should have something by the next general meeting. Fingers crossed that our reputation does not worsen too much in the meantime."
At the sight of the sages coming to a unanimous decision to push forward the plan, Kirin wore a blank look of horror. It took her a few moments before she closed her eyes with a peaceful look on her face. With her two hands crossed before her, she appeared like a nun about to break out an authentic Gregorian Chant. Another strand of normality snapped that day.
00000
And there it is.
It might seem that nothing much is happening in this chapter, but I think it wraps up the issue in the story quite well. Miyuki is going to remain hissy after all that happened.
As for Mibu's stunt, it is both the natural progression from their political discussion a few chapters back and a possible plot point for later on. The student council roster might look mighty interest in the future, hehe.
Perhaps, the most important of all is the reveal of the second creation of Atelier de Dantalian, Infinite Energy Lite. It is about time they start shaking the world even more. They have less than 3 years, so they better make it count. If you can name the two anime series that inspired this idea, you get extra brownies point!