Guess what? Double release once again. Hurray I guess. On another note, I really enjoyed a lot of things these past few months. Marvel's What if, Arcane, Mahouka's 10th anniversary video. So satisfying. Like, I stopped playing League of Legends, now I almost feel like playing it again. Really wasn't expecting from a LOL series. Oh, I also loved the opening song from the upcoming Mahouka's game, Reloaded Memory. If I'm not mistaken, it was sung by Miyuki's and Lina's VA. I really like when VAs show off their singing skills.

One thing I forgot to mention last chapter, another reason (excuse) I took so long to release chapters, I kinda needed to read the novel again. I know that since it's my fanfic I can write what I want but I still hoped for it remain at least a little faithful to original. Like, same enemies appear, I really want to avoid creating new characters as much as I can. Though I already changed the chronological order from some events.

I also have the problem of... length. My chapters are really short. You might think "why don't you just combine the chapter then?". It's because I try to write them in a way that gives off that feeling of "it's the end of the chapter" at the end so if I just combine this with the next chapter it becomes weird. Not sure I explained it well (probably not). I try to end the chapter with something like "...and that's all for today" or "...to be continued" so inserting more stuff right after that doesn't work. I just have a problem writing too much stuff at a time. I write and write and write and when I look back, turns out I didn't even write that much.

I don't own anything.

"Mahouka" - speech

(Mahouka) - thoughts or small notes

Mahouka - place, time

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, aboard the Enterprise

(...How did it come to this?)

Benjamin "Ben" Canopus was in a predicament. More specifically, someone close to him was. He was entrusted with a simple mission, escort Edward Clark to the Enterprise and follow his orders for the duration of the mission. Benjamin believed that it was a good chance to keep an eye on Edward since there was word that he might be plotting something. If it was only that, it would be easy to report Edward's wrongdoings and have him detained. However, Benjamin never expected Edward to have fallen so low.

"You must keep everything you heard to your heart, Colonel. If you fail to do so, I may fail to keep Angie Sirius's identity a secret as well."

Just remembering that voice made Benjamin's blood boil. Edward was plotting against Japan, an allied country, and was even threatening their own Strategic-Class Magician. Certainly, it was only a matter of time til Edward threatened Lina directly instead of using her against Benjamin.

Though Edward claimed to have only the USNA's best interests in mind, he did not act the part. Benjamin could tell that Edward served his own ideals rather than serving the actual country and never saw anything wrong in doing so. Edward couldn't acknowledge his own hypocrisy and blamed everyone who did not see eye-to-eye with him.

(What are my superiors thinking? Or could it be… They are using Edward Clark as a disposable?)

Despite the fact that the USNA was "willing" to send their strongest magician to another country, there was no way that the opinions were unified. Even if they knew that Edward was acting in the shadows, only a small group took action. "Shiba Tatsuya is dangerous, there's no telling when he will turn his hand against the USNA", that notion inspired fear and insecurity among the ones who believed that he was the SCM who used the The Great Bomb. If Edward Clark's plot succeeded, good, on the other hand, if it failed, they would pin the blame on Edward and have him act as a scapegoat. Maybe that was the reason why they weren't seriously investigating Edward's plans. By claiming they weren't aware of what Edward's plans were, they could bury everything with Edward, accomplancy by inaction. To the point, they even overlooked a meeting with two of the Thirteen Apostles, Igor Andreevich Bezobrazov from the New Soviet Union and William McCloud from the United Kingdom.

Edward was clearly driven by his prejudice against individuals that could threaten the USNA's supremacy. Igor seemed to be driven by something similar, a distaste against individuals with power to threaten himself. Only William seemed to be against the power itself and not Tatsuya as an individual.

(To think that two SCM were also involved… What am I supposed to do in this situation? As a soldier, I follow orders but if these orders do not act in favour of the country, what am I supposed to do? What is even loyalty? To save the country or to serve the country?)

Even leaving aside Lina, whom Benjamin thought of as a daughter, he still had to think about his real family. There was no telling what would happen to them if Benjamin tried anything suspicious. For now, he could only wait and pray that Lina could handle things on her end.

Aboard the Enterprise, command room

"This ship is really impressive, father."

"This is not a ship, Raymond. It's an aircraft carrier."

"I know, I know. But it still works as a ship."

While Benjamin was struggling with his thoughts and feelings, Edward and his son, Raymond, were taking a walk on the Enterprise. Just as Raymond commented, the Enterprise was certainly something else. It has the same power output as a carrier run on nuclear power despite not using nuclear power. Though, "impressive" doesn't always mean "good"...

"But won't it be bad if the Colonel finds out? With his rank, he can access the restricted areas on the ship."

"No matter. Even if he finds out, he can't do anything about it."

"Hee… Father really doesn't go easy, even on his own allies."

"He who controls information, controls the world. To begin with, allowing immature youths, such as Angelina Kudou Shields and Shiba Tatsuya to take part in military affairs was a mistake. Even our mightiest soldier becomes powerless as soon as I use the right information against him. That little girl (Lina) is a weakness to him."

Just as they were talking, Benjamin indeed walked into one of the restricted areas and he saw it. The truth behind the Enterprise's power. It certainly wasn't run on nuclear power, it was worse, it was run on magic. Multiple magicians were inside, all working on magic to operate the Enterprise. The aircraft carrier's mysterious power source was magicians. Seeing his own country treating magicians like tools, Benjamin felt something inside himself beginning to crack and he realised how powerless he could be despite being one of the strongest magicians in USNA, second only to Angie Sirius (as long as she uses Brionac that is).

"But will it really work?"

"If my guess is correct, Gu Jie is planning on attacking, not the Ten Master Clans, but the japanese magician community itself. It's hard to believe that someone who managed to stay under the radar for so long would get confident just by getting his hands on a few missiles. But if he succeeds, it will be the perfect opportunity to strike."

"Announce Project Dione to the whole world, as well as the cooperation with the New Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, right?"

"Precisely. When the japanese magicians start growing desperate for a solution to the anti-magician movement, they will jump at the chance to take part in my project."

"And then, we will expel Shiba Tatsuya to Jupiter, huh?"

"Indeed."

"But won't it be difficult now? He just got engaged. I think it will be difficult to force him."

"That is why we are preparing earlier than originally planned. Contacting Igor Bezobrazov and William McCloud before Gu Jie made his move was not a part of my plans. But as soon as the attempt ends, in success or failure, we will reveal our project to the world and force Shiba Tatsuya to participate. All magicians in Japan will pressure him into joining and I also plan on having Angie Sirius take part in the persuasion."

"Will she really? From what I overheard, that girl seems really taken with him."

"She may be a little girl, but even she should understand. We are doing this for our country. And if she still refuses, I will just have to go through with my threat."

"To reveal her identity? Even among the STARS, her identity is a secret to most, won't father be questioned if something happens? That girl will become a clear target if her name and face become known to the world."

"Considering that we are dealing with a magician capable of directly converting mass into energy, I believe it's a risk we must take. And looking at the circumstances, that girl will know that she has no way to refuse."

"I see. It is a little bad that Tear (Shizuku) will have to suffer too, seeing her beloved flying into space. But I guess there's no way around it."

Raymond did feel a little sad but that was it. He enjoyed his friendship with Shizuku but he wouldn't place it above anything. If Shizuku needed to suffer, he would make her suffer, if she needed to die, he would kill her. That's all there was to it.

"You too, refrain from making any moves, Raymond."

"But father!"

"You already tipped some people about Gu Jie's theft of the missiles. The Ten Master Clans too, must have already taken precautions against Gu Jie. We will just have to hope that Gu Jie has planned properly."

"...Yes father."

Though Raymond had seemingly and grudgingly agreed to keep his hands off, in his heart he had not agreed in the slightest. Raymond lived for the thrill of being a mastermind of some sorts in these big incidents. For now, he already made his move so he was satisfied, but just for now. If something else happens in the future, there will be no stopping him from trying to intervene.

At the same time, in Japan

"Anything on your end, Mayumi?"

"Haaah… Nothing yet, Kyouko-san."

Mayumi and Kyouko were currently inside Kyouko's car, driving towards the Chiba Dojo. The plan was for them to either discuss their findings or discuss why there were no findings. The Saegusa clan, entrusted with keeping an eye on the seas, Kyouko, entrusted with surveillance on the cities and places with security cameras, and the Chiba Clan, dealing with police force. While they could talk through video calls, Mayumi and Kyouko had plans to have lunch together so they thought that maybe Erika could join them after the discussion. If there was a problem in this whole idea, it was…

"Kyouko-san, you understand that, most likely, the one who will trade information with us is not Erika-san, right?"

"I perfectly understand it, Mayumi."

"...Is this really okay?"

"Hm? Why wouldn't it be?"

"No, I mean… Erika's big brother, Chiba Toshikazu-san, he.. Had a crush on you, didn't he?"

"Ahaha…. I guess he did. Or at least his eyes were all over the place whenever I talked to him."

"Geez, Kyouko-san. It's frustrating that I feel like I'm the only one worried."

"Are you afraid that I will have a sudden change of heart? Though, that way you would have more time with Tatsuya-kun, right? Less people to share him with."

"T-That's not what I'm worried about!"

"Fufu! I'm just teasing you Mayumi. I heard from Miyuki-san that you liked to tease Tatsuya-kun at school so I thought I should give it a try."

"T-There's no need to remember that now, is there?!"

"Sorry, sorry. I apologize."

Though Kyouko apologized, she was still giggling a little. Mayumi was pouting and turned her face away from Kyouko, as if throwing a small tantrum. A few seconds later, her face became worried again and she couldn't help asking again.

"...But is it really fine? Won't it be… awkward?"

"...It's fine. It's not like we were ever in a relationship."

"I know that but… Surely something like what happened between Miyuki-san and Ichijou-kun won't repeat itself, right?"

"I don't think there's anything to worry about. There's a fundamental difference anyways."

"Unlike Ichijou-kun, Inspector Chiba (Toshikazu) never tried to hinder your engagement with Tatsuya-kun?"

"That's right. I'm not sure if it was a difference in personality, strength of feelings or maturity though."

Masaki could simply be more assertive than Toshikazu, perhaps his love towards Miyuki was stronger than Toshikazu's towards Kyouko, or maybe he was simply not mature enough. Kyouko was sharp but even she couldn't tell what happened inside other people's heads when they were blinded by love.

"Personally, I think it has to do with maturity."

"Because Ichijou-kun did something… 'daring' without thinking too much?"

"That as well, but… it's more about the fact that he never took Miyuki-san's feelings into account. He thought about betting everything on his first love and he thought about confronting the feared Yotsuba, but he never spared a thought about what Miyuki-san wished for."

"...So you are saying that Inspector Chiba did?"

"I think that he at least didn't try to push forward disregarding everything else."

"I see..."

"Oh, we are here."

Mayumi almost said that she never expected Kyouko to give it so much thought. Kyouko acted so relaxed sometimes that Mayumi could almost forget that Kyouko too had her own share of troubles. When she thought about it, Miyuki, Kyouko and Mayumi herself, had people who either liked them or were fiance candidates.

As they entered the house, they were guided inside and in one of the rooms awaited Toshikazu and Erika. Toshikazu seemed fine, for the most part, he gave a formal smile but it was still possible for a trained eye to see some sadness in his face. He was probably bitter over the fact that he gave away his love interest without trying to win her even once. But he was an adult and he was representing his family today, so he kept his feelings bottled inside. Unknown to Mayumi and Kyouko, he refused Naotsugu's offer to take his place. Toshikazu believed this was a necessary step towards moving on. Erika thought about teasing him but decided against it as it would be too cruel.

"It's been a while, Inspector."

"...It certainly has, Fujibayashi-san."

"It hasn't for me though."

"...Erika-san."

Seeing Toshikazu's somewhat stiff response to Kyouko, Erika tried sending a helping hand in the form of a random obvious response but Mayumi called her, transmitting through her eyes that it was better not to say anything. Seeing as Erika was here just to hear, rather than sharing information, she decided to stay as quiet as she could.

"Well then, let's get to business, shall we?"

"Indeed, though, we don't really bring good news."

"It's fine, Inspector Chiba. We managed to pinpoint a few locations. There's a high chance that Gu Jie is in one of these places."

"That's reassuring to hear. On our end we only have a few disappearance reports. We believe it has to do with Gu Jie but we are not sure why he bothered leaving those tracks."

"It probably has to do his magic."

"That being?"

"Gu Jie uses Zombification, magic that controls corpses."

"Corpses?!"

"Yes, he can control corpses to use them as expendable soldiers."

"...Despicable."

For the first time since the greetings, Erika opened her mouth. Obviously, that same opinion was shared by everyone in the room. Not only civilians but using magicians like that, it was the same concept that Tatsuya hated, using magicians like tools.

"As a distraction it certainly is a troublesome magic but Gu Jie himself should be rather weak in a direct confrontation."

"So, Fujibayashi-san, does Gu Jie possess any other ability worth noting?"

"Well, Inspector, he should have one but… combat-wise, it's not really relevant."

"But will it intervene with our search for him?"

"You could say it already has. It's not confirmed but we believe he can use the same magic as Zhou Gongjin, the Surgery of Perpetual Youth."

"Is that… an Ancient magic?"

"Indeed. As the name suggests, it can make an individual remain youthful, until his death at least. But there are severe drawbacks. One's lifespan will not be increased by it and if you are not compatible with Ancient Magic, you will die a few months after the surgery."

"Don't tell me… he offered that magic to others without mentioning the side-effects?"

"That was how Zhou Gongjin acquired the cooperation from a few soldiers before his death. We believe Gu Jie had done something similar."

"Soldiers, huh? Then, should I assume that Gu Jie could be hiding in a military base?"

"That is also a possibility. Among the locations we pinned down, there is one military base but we still don't have enough to narrow his location to a single place."

"If only it was that simple, Fujibayashi-san. I fear that it's partly due to.. Lack of motivation on our side."

"Hm? Is there a problem within the police force?"

"...Rather than saying that it's the Kanagawa Prefecture's problem, it's actually..."

"The problem is deeper than just the police. People deeper in law enforcement, perhaps even the military, right?"

"Were you aware of it, Saegusa-san?"

"You could say I had an idea that something was up."

Even if they are supposed to be allies, there are always people or factions that do not get along within the TMC, the Magic Association and the army. As the eldest daughter of the Saegusa, Mayumi had a general idea and Kyouko, as a member of the 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, also had a good grasp on the situation. Kyouko herself, was almost leaving the military entirely. She became a soldier partially to avoid being forced to marry after her fiance's death, but that was not needed anymore. There's also Saeki's recent behaviour, Kyouko and Kazama realized that Saeki had an odd belief.

"Does it have something to do with the… recent announcement?"

"You could say that, though the root problem was already. One of my superiors carries a dangerous ideal and it's not something recent."

"Err.. you wouldn't be talking about Kazama Harunobu-dono, right? I mean, I just briefly heard about him from Tatsuya-kun but I don't get a bad impression from him..."

"Don't worry, it's not him, Mayumi. It's someone above him in the chain of command. Saeki Hiromi, the Silver Fox. I believe the Inspector already heard about her."

"Only a little. She is not a magician but her analytical skills are top notch and they say she is very cautious."

"That is correct, Inspector. She is also someone who believes that depending on the TMC too much is dangerous."

"...As a member of the Saegusa, I feel compelled to ask, what exactly does 'depending too much' mean? I mean, I can understand the idea but somehow I don't think it corresponds with reality."

"Major Saeki puts too much faith in the military. I'm not sure that the person herself realizes but she believes that the military should hold the power. Rather than saying that she doesn't like relying on the TMC, it's more accurate to say that she dislikes the idea of the TMC holding more military might than the army itself."

"But that is too unfair! It's true that the TMC tried to make their lineage stronger with the passing generations but that doesn't mean we were trying to create our own army!"

"I also find that notion a little strange. Being unsatisfied with one group holding too much power is understandable but… believing that the military should hog all the power almost sounds like..."

"A dictator. I bet that no one told her the image she gave off because of her rank, am I right?"

As a matter of fact, Erika was the one to release the blunt response. Unsurprisingly, it was a direct, impolite but precise comment. If Saeki was here, she would have gone red to the ears from the rage. But, as Erika said, Saeki seemed to not understand that the next step to her ideal, would be a coup d'état, or at least anyone looking would believe that Saeki intended on overthrowing the government and implanting the army as the center of the country.

"Well, Major Saeki didn't give that image before but seeing the recent growth in power and influence among the TMC and seeing the Strategic-Class Magic that was used against the GAA, I think that she grew desperate."

Kyouko almost said Tatsuya's name but Toshikazu was still not aware of Tatsuya's identity as a SCM or as Ryuuya Ooguro, the mysterious flying magician that Toshikazu saw during the Scorched Halloween. He was not even aware that Ryuuya Ooguro was an SCM, something that few among the military knew, even if only his alias.

"Fujibayashi-san, are there any chances that the situation might escalate?"

"...Inspector, if you mean, a fight between the TMC and the army, I will say no. I do not believe the situation will aggravate that much."

"That is to say, we will do something about it before it gets to that point, right?"

"Haha, not exactly us, Mayumi. That area is more the Yotsuba's field of expertise. And speaking of Yotsuba, Tatsuya-kun said he will join our search."

"Erm.. Do you mean Shiba-kun as an individual or the Yotsuba as a whole?"

"Just Tatsuya-kun. Aside from the Kudou Clan, Tatsuya-kun is likely the one who knows the most about Ancient Magic among the TMC. And since our enemy happens to specialize in Ancient Magic, he was the logical choice."

"I see… So Shiba-kun will be joining us today?"

"Ah, Tatsuya-kun is busy today but he said he will be joining you at your next assignment, Inspector."

"Eh?"

Toshikazu already expected Tatsuya's absence today as he never received any kind of warning or message regarding his presence. But Kyouko's next words were a little different than what he could expect.

"My… next assignment? I was under the impression that I was still part of this case and..."

"Oh, you misunderstand, Inspector. You are most certainly still with us on this one. It's just that soon Major Saeki will give you orders to investigate a mansion in Kamakura."

"How did…. Oh, I see. Fujibayashi-san was already briefed since you are still part of the 101 IMEB."

"Indeed, but you will still receive the orders from Major Saeki, so officially, you still don't have the authority nor the reason to start the investigation."

"I see. And I assume that that mansion is one the locations you pinned down."

"That is the case."

"Oh, on that note..."

Mayumi felt like she was becoming air since only Kyouko and Toshikazu were talking and decided to interject. Erika… didn't seem to care much though she still looked slightly bored. Since it was a serious talk she was still focused, just a little bored but still absorbing every word.

"Since Tatsuya-kun will be accompanying you I don't think there will be a problem but please be careful. The man you will investigate is a 'Doll-Maker', ancient magicians that specialize in magic that manipulate corpses."

"Corpses… So he possesses the same magic as Gu Jie? What is his name?"

"Oumi Kazukiyo. He is someone marked as suspicious by the Magic Association and he had connections to Dahan in the past."

"So he is our most likely candidate, huh?"

Toshikazu had an unusually serious expression, likely because it seemed they would be able to close this case before any more victims appeared.

"During the operation, I will be monitoring everything in the area through the security cameras in the streets. Mayumi, Ichijou Masaki-kun and Juumonji Katsuto-kun will also be dispatched to the other locations in case we are wrong. Inspector Chiba, Inspector Inagaki and Tatsuya-kun will enter the mansion to investigate directly."

"Somehow… we have quite a lot of manpower. More than I expected for just an investigation. I mean, I'm aware that he is our best lead but still."

"Even if Gu Jie is not there at the moment, he will likely try to contact Oumi Kazukiyo later and there have also been reports of disappearances around the area of the mansion. If we take care of this, regardless if Gu Jie is there or not, we will be eliminating a potential ally for Gu Jie and we will confirm if these cases have anything to do with Oumi Kazukiyo. And since the Edward Clark seems to interested in this case, we wish to close as swiftly as possible."

"So, either we solve this case or at least take a huge step towards ending it. That explains all the manpower. Understood, in the meantime, we will start making preparations on our end."

"We as well. Thank you very much for your hospitality, Inspector. We will see each other after the end of the investigation, in three days' time."

"I also thank you for the hospitality. And, as you already know, we will be borrowing Erika-san for a little bit."

"O-Oh, I didn't do much. *cough* Erika, try not to trouble them too much."

"Come on, don't even start, Kazu-aniki."

Toshikazu wasn't expecting thanks, even as a formality so he stumbled a little. He saw them off and once again sighed to himself after they left.

"Haaah…..I understand that it was a meeting regarding my job but still… she called me 'Inspector' the entire time…."

Toshikazu wasn't referred to by his name not even once. There was only "Inspector". One could say that Kyouko was focusing on the job but Toshikazu understood the underlying meaning.

"It's hopeless for me, huh? Man, she was a really good woman. I should have taken this more seriously."

Toshikazu entered the dojo and tried practicing for a while. It's not like he was expecting to suddenly improve, he just needed an outlet for his grief and frustration.

Kyouko's car

"Still, we are quite an unusual group. I do talk with Mayumi sometimes but Erika-san is still new to me."

"It's not that different for me. While Erika-san is close to Tatsuya-kun, we never really spoke in school."

"To be honest, I didn't like you much, senpai."

"Ahaha… That is quite the honesty."

Kyouko thought about having some small talk but Erika dropped a bomb right off the bat and Mayumi was left laughing awkwardly. Erika was just being honest though she had no intention of picking a fight. She knew that as fellow brides, they had to get along, at least to a certain level.

"I mean, you were always close to that woman and during the Parasite incident, Tatsuya-kun was two-timing me with you."

"W-Wait, what?! What is she talking about, Mayumi?!"

"...Erika-san, you are saying it like that on purpose, right?"

"Hmpf, I wonder."

"Ahahaha… Kyouko-san, Erika-san is talking about the fact that Tatsuya-kun was helping both of us during the investigation. Oh, and by 'that woman', you are referring to Mari, right?"

"...Yeah, I mean, who else would it be?"

"Erika-san, you are unexpectedly protective over your brother."

"...I heard about it before, but Tatsuya-kun cooperated with both Mayumi and Erika-san at that time but… Erika-san assumed that Tatsuya-kun was helping only her side and got angry when she found out that Mayumi was also involved, is that it?"

"...Pretty much."

"I mean no offense but, that's unexpectedly cute of you Erika-san. Seeing you blushing like that. I normally see you as someone more confident."

"I'm also a girl you know. Even if only Tatsuya-kun makes me feel like this."

"I know, right? At school Tatsuya-kun is such a gigolo. I never gave romance any serious thought and then he just comes and starts making me feel strange, though it was not exactly bad."

"What about me, then? I was just running from my grief and ended up working in the same battalion as him..."

Though short, the girls enjoyed a peaceful conversation. Comparing their experiences involving Tatsuya among themselves, they felt they got a little closer to each other. Erika was the one with the strongest wall surrounding herself but she knew that for Tatsuya's sake and her own, she had to make an effort to accept Mayumi.