Leo prowled the nocturnal streets of Shibuya again tonight. However, unlike his usual habits, he wasn't wandering aimlessly. He had been gathering rumors about a shady group from acquaintances, chasing down eyewitness accounts, and physically tracking leads.
(Why am I play-acting the detective like this?)
Unreasonable crimes were happening elsewhere. It wasn't out of a sense of justice. Was it territorial instinct? hardly; Shibuya wasn't exactly his home turf. Nor was it curiosity, as he had little genuine interest in the culprit's true identity.
(I guess I just can't bring myself to ignore it.)
Reflecting on his own state of mind, that was the only conclusion he could reach.
He walked through the night. He pushed forward through the darkness. For some time now, he had been hearing a disjointed, chittering buzz—akin to the beating of insect wings. It wasn't a sound that registered in his ears, but rather something grazing the deepest layers of his consciousness.
He didn't understand its meaning. To Leo, it was nothing more than noise.
(A conversation?)
Leo's intuition was sharp. Voices were being exchanged deep within his consciousness, near the domain where magic is processed. As if drawn in by a magnetic force, he began to close in on the source.
(I did promise not to do anything dangerous, though…)
Recalling the vow he had made to Kotona the other day, Leo muttered an excuse to no one in particular, a wry smile touching his lips.
The "Stars" represent the core magical combat force of the USNA military. However, that does not mean every magician in the American forces is assigned to the unit. In reality, of the three state-sanctioned Strategic Class Magicians in the USNA, only Angie Sirius belongs to the Stars. The remaining two are stationed at the Alaska Base and the Gibraltar Base abroad.
And now, the two figures moving briskly through the Shibuya night were hunters from the USNA military, dispatched to dispose of a fugitive. Their affiliation was "Stardust." Like the Stars, they were a magician unit reporting directly to the USNA Joint Chiefs of Staff—but they were the Stardust, the ones who failed to shine as Stars.
Tonight, they had captured the Psion waves of a deserter—a Stars Satellite Class Soldier named Charles Sullivan, code name "Deimos Second"—and had closed within walking distance.
"Target is in the vacant lot ahead."
At the words of the hunter who had stopped, her partner nodded and pulled an information terminal from inside her coat.
"…Pull up the map."
"Wrong file."
Peering at her partner's screen, the first hunter looked at the displayed image with exasperation. (Please, let's agree not to ask where she found that particular image). However, since she paused before retorting, perhaps she didn't entirely hate seeing it.
"One hostile signal. Let's pincer him. I'll take the right."
"Understood… He's starting to move. Hurry. but we engage simultaneously."
"Roger."
The two hunters split left and right, moving to flank Charles Sullivan.
Their target, Sullivan, had his face obscured by a hat pulled low and a muffler. Between them, he wore a grey mask depicting a black bat with spread wings. Hidden beneath that mask, his mouth twisted into a faint sneer.
(Military pursuers, is it? Only two Stardust to handle me? They certainly underestimate me.)
(Likely because they only know the man you used to be.)
Hearing the thought waves sent by a compatriot who had vanished from sight, the entity that was Charles Sullivan replaced his sneer with a bitter smile. Since becoming his current self, he could keep no secrets from his brethren. Privacy was a non-existent concept.
Yet, the current Charles Sullivan did not find this unpleasant.
(I see. If they only know me as a Satellite Class, I can predict their tactics. I require no backup.)
(I will prepare it regardless, just in case.)
In response to Sullivan's projected thought, a buzzing noise returned—like the sound of wings echoing from a beehive. The tangible reply came from a compatriot lurking very close by.
The encounter happened immediately after.
Lina observed from a slightly removed position as the two Stardust agents began combat with the target on the front lines.
(First Fomalhaut, and now Sullivan… Is that neuron structure really the cause?)
Having shared what she heard at the embassy with Tatsuya and listened to his theories, Lina now tried to adopt Tatsuya's way of thinking as her own.
(Sullivan is being controlled, too… But by whom? And for what purpose?)
Lina did not believe the two facing the deserter would lose. Stardust or not, if they were the type to fall behind against a single Satellite Class opponent, they would never have been assigned this mission.
(Once we capture him, I'll need the area around his cerebrum examined again. If the same neuron structure found in Lieutenant Fomalhaut has formed, we can assert that Tatsuya's theory is correct.)
Logically, she knew this. But emotionally, Lina simply hoped that was the case.
Even if disposing of deserters was Angie Sirius's job, killing a compatriot was too heavy a sin for a sixteen-year-old girl.
(When did I become so weak? Was it after I killed Fomalhaut? No… deep down, I probably hated it long before that…)
The old "her" would never have felt such heartache over disposing of a traitor who disturbed the order—or so Lina thought. But that was only because she had convinced herself she had to think that way, locking away her true heart. Once she allowed herself to think, sealing those feelings away again was no easy task.
(It's not like I can talk to anyone about it, either…)
The face of a single boy floated into Lina's mind. A boy, though he was the same age as her. A boy who seemed far too mature.
(Tatsuya…!? Wait, this Spirit pressure—!)
It wasn't that she had been lost in thought. But realizing the situation on the front lines was deteriorating, Lina banished her musings and rushed toward the battle.
(He's clearly stronger? Are you telling me that neuron structure improves the quality of a magician?)
The preparations should have been perfect. They had even brought a Cast Jammer, just in case. Yet the two Stardust agents, Q and R, were struggling significantly—pushed to the brink of defeat.
(If he escapes, this gets messy.)
With a serious expression that betrayed no trace of the fragile thoughts she held moments ago, "Angie Sirius" rushed toward Charles Sullivan.
(Choosing Tatsuya over the mission… she's in deep, isn't she?)
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