Tatsuya and Miyuki's residence sat well within the city's automated transit zone, but Honoka's apartment was situated just beyond the boundary of the self-driving grid. The standard transit commuters summoned via mobile terminals wouldn't be able to take her all the way home. In the end, the four of them opted for a station-side "cabinet"—an automated transit pod. In a city this vast, one of the small mercies was that even the most bizarre fashion choices rarely drew a second glance.
They boarded the four-seater pod without much fanfare. While Miyuki's presence made it impossible to be completely invisible—and Tatsuya himself possessed a striking enough look to turn heads—they settled into the cabin without incident.
"Um... Tatsuya-san?"
The boarding process had been so seamless that Honoka only realized the situation once the pod began to hum along its tracks. Even if they were headed in the same general direction, a transit cabinet didn't allow for mid-trip drop-offs.
"I'm seeing you home," Tatsuya said simply.
It was exactly what Honoka had hoped for but hadn't dared to ask. She began a flurry of polite protests, but her radiant expression betrayed her true feelings.
The cabinet's interior was configured for face-to-face seating. Miyuki sat beside Tatsuya, with Honoka directly opposite him. For several minutes, Tatsuya remained silent, his gaze shifting back and forth between Pixie and Honoka in a rhythmic, analytical cycle.
"Onii-sama..." Miyuki whispered, leaning in close. "If you don't say something soon, I think Honoka is going to crumble under the pressure."
Miyuki had watched Honoka's tension skyrocket with every look Tatsuya gave her. She couldn't bear to watch her friend squirm any longer.
"Ah, sorry."
Tatsuya seemed genuinely unaware of the effect he was having. Startled by his sister's reprimand, he offered a quick apology.
"I wanted to thank the three of you. You did excellent work tonight."
The gratitude felt like a preamble. The fact that he included Pixie in his count was telling; perhaps he truly recognized her contribution as equal to the others, or perhaps he was simply failing to distinguish between the human and the machine in his analytical state.
"Anyway... Honoka. I have to ask... do you feel any lingering lethargy? Any sudden sense of exhaustion?"
The transition from gratitude to a clinical inquiry was abrupt. Honoka blinked in confusion but managed a small shake of her head.
"I see... Pixie, what about you? Is 'fatigue' the right word? Are you sensing any significant depletion of the Psions or Pushions that comprise your core?"
"Any depletion is within the range of natural recovery, Master," Pixie replied.
"I see..."
"Onii-sama, what is it that concerns you?" Miyuki asked.
"It's not quite a concern, but..." Tatsuya shifted his gaze back to Honoka. "When Pixie released that massive psychokinetic burst earlier... Honoka, were you aware of what was happening?"
"No... did something happen?" Honoka asked, her eyes clouding with a touch of anxiety.
"I need you to listen calmly," Tatsuya said. His voice carried a rare note of uncertainty, suggesting that he, too, was struggling to process the data. "Just before Pixie released that energy, I detected a massive supply of Psions flowing from you into her."
"What?"
"Wait... are you saying Honoka was powering Pixie?" Miyuki asked.
"No, it didn't feel like that," Tatsuya replied, his brow furrowing. "It was more like the process of injecting Psions into a CAD to trigger an activation sequence. Like a catalyst... or perhaps resonance. Mizuki mentioned something similar before, but it seems there is a definitive 'path' established between Honoka and Pixie. And it appears the medium for that path is Honoka's hair ornament."
"My hair...?"
Honoka had been alternating between surprise and fear all night, but this revelation left her stunned. She wasn't the only one; Miyuki was now staring intently at the simple crystal-beaded elastic tying Honoka's hair.
"Specifically, the crystal," Tatsuya clarified. "I don't understand the underlying logic yet, but..."
Unconsciously, Honoka reached up to touch the crystal beads. She hadn't intended to do anything, but the moment her fingers brushed the surface, a soft spiritual light pulsed from the center of Pixie's chest.
The synchronization was too perfect to ignore. Tatsuya and Miyuki's eyes locked onto the ornament. Honoka immediately cupped the crystals in both hands, shielding them as if she were afraid they might be taken away.
"We can leave the theory for later," Tatsuya murmured, his tone softening as if he were soothing a startled animal. "For now, we just need to find a way to control it."
Honoka looked back at him, her wariness replaced by a look of profound realization.
"In any case," Tatsuya added, glancing toward the robot, "it seems I made the right call in buying Pixie."
"Onii-sama, we're approaching the station," Miyuki interjected.
"Right. Honoka, take off your coat and put this on."
Tatsuya shed his own jacket and handed it to her. He had already moved his CAD from its concealed pocket to a different holster, so he was no longer "armed" in a way that would be hindered by the lack of a jacket. Not that a man of Tatsuya's constitution would be bothered by a little night chill.
"Thank you so much!"
Honoka's eyes sparkled as if she had just been handed a priceless treasure. In a blur of motion, she shed her torn coat and carefully, almost reverently, slid her arms into Tatsuya's jacket. It was the same look of pure devotion she had shown when he first gave her the hair ornament.
"Onii-sama, where did you put your CAD?" Miyuki asked.
"Between my boot and my sock. It's a bit awkward to walk, but I can manage for a short distance."
Even late at night, Honoka's torn clothing was too conspicuous for a public walk. It might have passed in the chaos of Aoyama, but here at the local station, it would draw the wrong kind of attention. Miyuki understood this, which was the only reason she allowed Honoka to wear her brother's jacket without a word of protest.
"We'll stop at Honoka's place first, then take Pixie back to the garage," Tatsuya decided.
"I'll make tea for everyone!" Honoka chirped.
"No, don't worry about it—"
"I insist! You lent me your jacket, it's the least I can do!"
Faced with Honoka's sudden burst of enthusiasm, Tatsuya could only offer a slightly wry, helpless smile and a nod. Miyuki, watching from his side, simply nodded to herself, recognizing that Tatsuya was being just a little bit kinder to Honoka than his usual self tonight.
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