They knocked and waited for a response from within. Tatsuya and the others expected Leo to answer, but the voice that invited them in belonged to a woman.
"Yes, come in."
"Kaya-san, pardon the intrusion."
Ignoring her friends' visible confusion, Erika opened the door and strode briskly inside. As expected, Tatsuya was the quickest to recover; he followed her into the hospital room before the curtain could hide Erika from view.
Miyuki followed close on Tatsuya's heels without a moment's delay, and Honoka trotted in after her. Mizuki and Mikihiko exchanged a glance before entering and closing the door behind them.
"This is Saijou Kaya-san. Leo's older sister."
When Erika introduced her, Kaya stood up and bowed politely to Tatsuya and the others. While one wouldn't call her demeanor elegant or refined in the aristocratic sense, her manners were correct and disciplined, drawing a clear line between her and the students.
After exchanging pleasantries, Kaya picked up a flower vase. saying she was going to change the water, she left the room. To Tatsuya, however, it looked more as though she was fleeing from the reserve and awkwardness hanging in the air.
"She seems like such a kind older sister."
At Mizuki's guileless remark, a somewhat bitter expression crossed Leo's face.
Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Honoka—who all carried their own family burdens—immediately sensed that there were complicated circumstances involved. Mikihiko, who had spent a period estranged from his own family, understood as well. However, Mizuki, who lived in a happy and harmonious home, could not comprehend what Leo's expression signified.
"You went through a rough time. I told you not to dig too deep."
Tatsuya steered the conversation away, preventing anyone from prying further. Leo's family situation was, after all, none of his business.
"I showed you guys a pretty pathetic sight, huh?"
"From where I'm standing, you don't look injured."
"I wasn't going to go down that easily. It's not like I didn't put up a fight."
"So, where were you hit?"
At Tatsuya's question, the smile vanished from Leo's face.
"I don't really know... Right in the middle of trading blows, the strength just suddenly drained out of my body."
"It wasn't poison, was it?"
"No."
"Did you see what they looked like?"
As Tatsuya tilted his head in thought, Mikihiko interjected from the side.
"If you ask if I saw them, yeah, I saw them. But with a hat pulled low, a pure white mask, a long coat, and hard-type body armor underneath... I couldn't tell their face or their build. However..."
"However?"
"...I got the feeling it was a woman."
Hearing the basis for Leo's hunch, Mikihiko fell into deep thought.
"There is a possibility that the opponent wasn't human to begin with."
"Miki... you don't actually think vampires are real, do you?"
"My name is Mikihiko."
Erika fired off a light jab, and Mikihiko returned fire with his standard retort. Yet, his expression was more serious than usual; he clearly wasn't joking.
"Do you have a theory?"
"The entity Leo encountered... it's likely a 'Parasite'."
"Parasite? You don't mean a tapeworm, right?"
Perhaps pleased by Erika's confusion—or rather, her attitude—Mikihiko began to speak in a lecturing tone.
"A 'Paranormal Parasite.' Or 'Parasite' for short."
As Mikihiko continued his explanation, everyone except Tatsuya tilted their heads in confusion. It was unavoidable, given that the explanation involved highly specialized terms related to Ancient Magic, but Mikihiko was aware that only Tatsuya was following along. When words like "demon" and "evil spirit" appeared in his explanation, the color began to drain from Honoka's face.
"To think demons and evil spirits actually exist..."
As Honoka murmured in fear, Tatsuya placed a hand on her shoulder.
"People didn't think magic existed once, either. Yet, here we are, using magic. There is no need to be blindly frightened just because something is unknown."
Tatsuya was not acting out of natural empathy. He simply recognized the significant influence he held over Honoka. Therefore, once he felt her body jolt at his touch and confirmed that her blind anxiety had been wiped away, he immediately withdrew his hand. He pretended not to notice the lingering look of regret she gave him...
"So, is that the true nature of the vampire?"
Ignoring Tatsuya's rhetorical question, Mikihiko turned to face Leo with a determined expression.
"Leo."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I examine your Astral Body?"
"Yuu-tai?"
The term "Astral Body" didn't ring a bell for Leo; he simply parroted the sounds back, unable to convert the phonetics into kanji in his head.
"The Astral Body is an information body made of spiritual matter that connects the mind and the flesh. It has the same shape as the physical body. It is a mass of Chi—or vitality. It is believed that monsters who devour human flesh do so to absorb this vitality through the blood and meat, using it as sustenance."
"So, vampires drink blood, but what they really need is the vitality they suck out along with it?"
At Erika's question, Mikihiko nodded with a tense expression.
"Vampires drink blood; ogres devour flesh. But since they aren't originally material creatures, theoretically, they only need to absorb the vitality. That is, if the lore passed down by us Ancient Magic users is true."
"If we work from that hypothesis, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a vampire that drains only vitality, is that it?"
Tatsuya murmured in response to Mikihiko's theory. Hearing that quiet mutter, Mikihiko nodded once more.
"All right, Mikihiko. Do it."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Actually, I'm asking you to. I can't fix this if I don't know the cause."
"...Understood. Wait a moment while I prepare."
With Leo's permission granted, Mikihiko began pulling tools from the bag at his feet. While Mikihiko busied himself with preparations, Tatsuya, observing from the side, had already fully grasped Leo's condition using his "Eyes."
(Author's Note: If we consider a female version of Leo... I think I can live without that "What If" scenario...)
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