On the way home from the hospital, Miyuki asked Tatsuya about something that had been weighing on her mind.
"Onii-sama, is it possible that you have an idea as to who—or what—attacked Saijou-kun?"
"What brought this on all of a sudden?"
"Well, even when listening to Yoshida-kun's theory, you didn't seem particularly surprised."
"I don't have a specific idea of the culprit's identity. However, I do know that it is likely the target Lina is chasing."
"Lina?"
Miyuki tilted her head slightly at the mention of the exchange student, whom she had thought unrelated to this incident. She was curious why her brother knew Lina was chasing someone, and how that target was connected to the current events.
"You remember Honoka mentioning yesterday that similar incidents are happening in America, right?"
"Yes."
"Please understand that this is strictly a hypothesis—a fantasy with no proof."
"Miyuki believes that whatever Onii-sama says is fact."
Tatsuya offered a wry smile at his sister, who declared her belief before he had even spoken. But in the next instant, the smile vanished, replaced by an expression more tense than usual.
"Miyuki, you know the nature of Angie Sirius's work, don't you?"
"Yes, I am aware."
"One part of it is the purge of deserters. In other words, killing."
At that word, Miyuki's shoulders trembled unconsciously. No matter that she was a candidate to succeed the Yotsuba family, she was still a fifteen-year-old girl. She did not possess a will of steel strong enough to remain completely unresponsive to the word "killing."
"Is that deserter the vampire?"
"That possibility is high. It is a mission significant enough to deploy the Commander-in-Chief of Stars, the USNA's greatest military asset, onto foreign soil. It's safe to assume the target is of that caliber."
"Then why was Saijou-kun attacked? He said his blood was drained, but without leaving a scar… how is that possible?"
"Leo likely encountered them by pure chance. Or perhaps, Leo sensed 'something' was there and approached it himself. As for the principle behind draining blood without leaving a mark… even I can't imagine how that's done."
Tatsuya answered each of Miyuki's doubts carefully. Even he had no leads on the mechanism used to extract blood without leaving a trace.
"If we ask Lina, would we find out?"
"I doubt she would leak information this critical. As unsuited for espionage as she may be, she can at least distinguish between what is safe to talk about and what isn't."
Although Tatsuya had already extracted quite a bit of significant information from Lina, he didn't think she was clumsy enough to casually reveal the objective of her infiltration. If she were that incompetent, he believed she never would have been capable of becoming Sirius.
"As Mikihiko said, I also believe that what the vampire needs isn't blood, but vitality. And as for why they are draining more than necessary for survival… I suspect they might be trying to increase their numbers."
"Increase their numbers?"
"Similar incidents are occurring in America and Japan simultaneously. It's unlikely to be a lone perpetrator."
"That… makes sense. In that case, assuming there are multiple culprits, how many do you think there are, Onii-sama?"
"There are likely at least five. Lina may have already finished hunting some of them, but it wouldn't be strange for there to be that many."
To avoid agitating Miyuki excessively, Tatsuya switched his phrasing from "killing" to "hunting." Although the meaning was effectively the same, the less direct terminology resulted in a calmer reaction from Miyuki.
"Then, regarding Saijou-kun… was it something your power could not heal, Onii-sama?"
"There were listening devices. If Leo had suddenly healed, there was a high probability that information would leak to the police. Even if I could heal him, I couldn't do anything in that location."
"Listening devices?"
"Leo's acquaintance, Inspector Chiba Toshikazu, likely planted them."
Did you not notice? Tatsuya asked with his eyes. Miyuki quietly shook her head no.
"Then, the reason you waited until we left the room to question Yoshida-kun was…"
"It wouldn't have been a problem if they heard the questions themselves, but it would be an issue if we panicked them and caused more victims through poor decision-making. I also wanted to avoid planting fear that might dull their reaction times."
"Do you think people of the Chiba clan would be frightened by something like that?"
"I'm not worried about the Chiba family. But they would report the intelligence they gathered to headquarters, wouldn't they? I cannot assume that everyone at police headquarters possesses the same mental fortitude as Chiba Toshikazu."
"You thought that far ahead. As expected of you, Onii-sama."
Convince by Tatsuya's reasoning, Miyuki's expression suddenly brightened with respect. Tatsuya struggled to keep up with that rapid shift for a moment, but quickly returned to his serious demeanor.
"The Master Clans Conference will likely make a move, but it would be less risky to leave it to the police if possible."
"The Master Clans Conference… Will Aunt-sama make a move as well?"
"Given that Lina is in Japan, Aunt-sama likely has no intention of getting involved in this matter. Besides, there seems to be friction with Saegusa Kouichi. If the Saegusa family moves, Aunt-sama won't. Cooperation or a joint front is impossible for the Yotsuba and Saegusa right now. If we were to ask anyone, it would be Juumonji."
"So, you believe Saegusa-senpai and Juumonji-senpai will move to hunt the vampires?"
"Those two will likely be central to it, but they will act under the banner of the Master Clans Conference."
"Do you think they can catch the vampire, Onii-sama?"
In response to his sister's serious gaze, Tatsuya's expression softened somewhat.
"If it's difficult even for Angie Sirius, it will be difficult for high school students. However, Saegusa-senpai and Juumonji-senpai aren't 'average' high school students. If they use their magic well, they might just be able to capture it. Although… that depends on whether they can coordinate effectively with Erika and Mikihiko, who might make their own moves independently."
Miyuki thought about why Erika would move independently, but she couldn't quite figure it out. However, the one thing she was certain of was that if Tatsuya said it would happen, it would undoubtedly happen.
(Author's Note: They are above average, but their opponent is on a level above even that...)
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