Tail and Hacker
It was Sunday, but Tatsuya had to head to school. Not for remedial classes—the Thesis Competition preparations were reaching their climax, demanding his presence even on weekends.
For now, though, Tatsuya was astride a large motorcycle, with Miyuki seated behind him, her arms wrapped snugly around his waist. This wasn't a leisurely ride or a date. Following Yakumo's warning, Tatsuya was en route to return a holy relic to its rightful place. Their destination wasn't FLT's headquarters but the Third Division, where Tatsuya had outmaneuvered Sayuri to secure their assistance in analyzing the relic.
They'd chosen the bike over public transport to avoid collateral damage if attacked again. The route was slightly longer, but for Tatsuya, who trained rigorously, and Miyuki, adept at inertia-control magic, the distance was no burden. Still, when Tatsuya pulled over at a café open early in the morning, Miyuki tilted her head in confusion.
After ordering, Tatsuya leaned forward, elbows on the table, shielding his mouth as he spoke softly to a puzzled Miyuki.
"We're being followed."
Miyuki's eyes widened, her reaction exaggerated not out of fear but because she hadn't noticed.
"I didn't sense anything," she whispered, leaning closer. "A car? Or another bike like us?"
Her hushed tone drew the attention of a waitress, who blushed and averted her gaze, pretending not to notice the intimate exchange. Miyuki was too focused to care, and Tatsuya brushed it off, leaving the waitress's odd behavior unremarked.
"A crow," Tatsuya replied tersely.
Miyuki blinked, then gasped as realization hit. "A familiar?"
"Yeah, an incarnate one."
An incarnate familiar was spiritual energy temporarily given form. Not truly solid, it was a construct of psion particles, shaped by illusion magic to control light reflection and animated by weight, deceleration, or movement magic to mimic a physical body.
"Not a local practitioner," Miyuki murmured. "Who could this magician be?"
Incarnate familiar magic was exclusive to ancient practices, and in this country, such techniques were largely obsolete.
Tatsuya waited until the waitress delivered his coffee and Miyuki's milk tea before continuing. He'd closed his eyes in silence while waiting, unaware that the waitress had been captivated by his composed demeanor. He ignored it, as did Miyuki.
"I can't pinpoint their identity," Tatsuya said. "Mikihiko might have, though."
He slid their cups aside and took Miyuki's hand. The gesture fueled the waitress's misconceptions, but Tatsuya's focus was practical—he needed to act, and her assumptions were irrelevant.
"Taking it straight to the lab isn't wise," he said.
"…" Miyuki's eyes softened, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"Miyuki?" Tatsuya prompted.
"Oh! Yes, you're right," she stammered, snapping out of her daze.
Tatsuya suppressed a sigh at her distracted state, his hand still holding hers.
"Here's the familiar's coordinates," he said. "Take it down."
His curt command sharpened Miyuki's focus.
"Understood," she replied, her voice steady.
"I don't want my abilities exposed here," Tatsuya explained. "An emulator would escape before I could ready my CAD. You're my only shot, Miyuki."
"Yes!" she responded, her excitement evident, cheeks pink at being relied upon.
Under the table, out of the waitress's sight, Miyuki discreetly activated her CAD. Her magic triggered instantly. Through Tatsuya's enhanced perception, he saw the familiar's form freeze and its psion particles scatter into nothingness.
Though they'd dispatched the tail with ease, Tatsuya felt a nagging doubt as they arrived at FLT's Third Division, nicknamed "Captain Silver and his crew" with a mix of envy and derision. The lab was in an unusual uproar, prompting Tatsuya to linger silently at the entrance.
"Young master!" Ushiyama, Tatsuya's trusted partner, finally noticed them after a minute—a record delay in a place where Tatsuya was rarely overlooked for even ten seconds. The chaos was clearly exceptional.
"Sorry, didn't see you there!" Ushiyama bellowed. "Hey! Who's the slacker that didn't flag the young master's arrival?"
His shout made half the staff flinch, their eyes glued to their terminals. Tatsuya's expression shifted.
"Don't stop working!" he barked, his voice as commanding as Ushiyama's. "Keep monitoring!"
"Yes, sir!" the staff replied, diving back into their frantic tasks.
"Hacking?" Tatsuya asked.
"Well… yeah," Ushiyama replied hesitantly.
Tatsuya frowned at the vague response, but Ushiyama quickly elaborated.
"It's hacking, alright, but something's off. The intrusion's top-notch, but the goal? No clue. It's like they're poking around aimlessly."
"Pure curiosity?" Tatsuya ventured.
As they speculated, a staff member called out, "Unauthorized access stopped!"
"Don't let your guard down!" Ushiyama ordered. "Maintain full surveillance all day!" He turned back to Tatsuya. "Sorry about that. So, what brings you here?"
"I'm leaving an item in your care," Tatsuya said. "A request from headquarters. The hacking might be an attempt to interfere, but leaving it here throws them off."
"An item?" Ushiyama asked, taking the holy relic from Tatsuya. His eyes widened. "Who's this from?"
"From the director's wife, Sayuri Shiba, a manager," Tatsuya replied.
"Why would she…" Ushiyama trailed off, baffled.
After a brief explanation, Ushiyama ordered a staff member to secure the relic. Tatsuya, his mission complete, prepared to head home.
On the way, he couldn't shake the thought that the hacking and the recent prowlers might be connected.
Tatsuya, always reading between the lines…
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