The next morning, Tatsuya had barely set foot in the classroom before he was intercepted. Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko cornered him with synchronized intensity and spirited him away. Mizuki watched them go with a look of helpless fluster, her hands hovering mid-air as if she wanted to help but knew the situation was far beyond her.
Their destination was the roof. At this hour, the mid-winter air was a biting, relentless gale that scoured the exposed concrete. They were the only ones brave—or desperate—enough to be out there. Tatsuya, for one, had no intention of lingering.
"I assume you have something to tell me?"
Tatsuya's tone was slightly impatient. His friends had spent the last few minutes engaged in awkward small talk, clearly stalling. Given the temperature, he felt his bluntness was entirely justified.
"Tatsuya, look... the thing is..."
Mikihiko stammered, having been wordlessly elected as the group's spokesman by a sharp nudge from Erika and a pointed look from Leo.
"Did the Parasite get away?" Tatsuya asked calmly. "If so, don't worry about it. I'm not going to be angry. It'll be a pain to track another one down, but what's done is done."
Tatsuya already knew the truth from Hayama's report the previous night, so he had zero intention of reprimanding them. He had posed the question simply to speed things along. However, the sight of Mikihiko's face turning a shade of pale usually reserved for ghosts made Tatsuya want to sigh. As he turned to head back to the warmth of the classroom, Erika and Mikihiko practically lunged to stop him.
"No, that's not it, Tatsuya!"
"Right! It didn't just 'get away'!" Erika added. "I mean... well, yes, it's gone, but it's not because we messed up!"
"I see," Tatsuya said, stopping. "Leo, was the opponent really that formidable?"
"Well, I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses," Leo grunted, "but in terms of raw skill, they weren't anything we couldn't handle. It was their gear. It was way too high-spec. I've never hit someone and had my own arm go numb from their suit before."
Erika and Mikihiko began describing the raiders' equipment in detail, but Tatsuya was already familiar with the group. Still, he was privately surprised that the raiders had been sloppy enough to leave such a clear trail for high schoolers to follow.
(If they're acting under the Saegusa's influence, they're being remarkably careless,) Tatsuya thought. (Did they really think they could leave this much evidence and not be identified, even by students?)
One of the three students standing before him was a daughter of the Chiba family; regardless of her personal standing within the clan, she had access to significant investigative resources. As Tatsuya stood there, lost in thought, Erika mistook his silence for a different kind of focus.
"Tatsuya-kun... do you actually know who they were?"
"National Defense Force, Intelligence Department, Section 3," Tatsuya answered. "They're the only ones who deploy that specific type of electrified reactive armor and stealth-capable airships."
He provided the name of the perpetrators—information he'd received from Hayama—without a moment's hesitation. The sheer casualness with which he dropped a classified military designation caused Erika, Leo, and Mikihiko to freeze in unison.
"Did you... did you know that because you're part of the Independent Magical Reconnaissance Battalion?" Erika asked tentatively.
"Hm? I don't recall telling you which unit I was with... Ah, I see. You asked Miyuki."
"After seeing what you did during the invasion, I couldn't exactly not ask," Erika countered.
"Well, since I had to use force against an invading army, I suppose revealing the chain of command was inevitable. Just keep it to yourselves. I'd rather not be hauled in on suspicion of espionage."
"We get it," Erika said, her eyes suddenly sparkling with excitement. "But if you know who they are, surely you know where they took the captives?"
"I can't narrow it down without knowing their specific objective," Tatsuya replied, giving a dismissive shake of his head.
"Right... they're a government agency. They probably have dozens of black sites," Mikihiko muttered, his shoulders slumping.
"It's a matter of budget," Leo added. "They can't have infinite bases, but they definitely have enough to make a blind search impossible."
"Regardless, there's no need to stress over it," Tatsuya said, turning back toward the door. "Those weren't the last Parasites we'll see. We know they're targeting Pixie now. Next time, we'll secure the area against outside interference and set a proper trap. Now, let's get back inside. It's getting far too cold."
As Tatsuya walked away, his phone vibrated. He signaled to the others that he had to take it and split off from the group.
"Tatsuya-kun didn't seem mad, but..." Erika started.
"That look he had at the end... that was a 'villain' face," Leo noted.
"Let's call him a 'master strategist' instead," Mikihiko suggested weakly.
The three of them watched him go, each recalling the cold, predatory glint that had flashed in Tatsuya's eyes—the look of a man who had already moved three steps ahead of his enemies.
Finding a quiet corner, Tatsuya returned the call.
"Master Tatsuya, it has been a while."
"Ayako. For you to call me at this hour... did you tip off the USNA about the Parasites' location?"
There was a brief, playful silence on the other end of the line. "I'm never surprised by what you know, but couldn't you indulge in a little small talk first?"
"My apologies. Class is starting soon, and I don't have much time for pleasantries."
"I'm sure a genius like you could skip every lecture and still top the exams... but very well." Ayako Kuroba dropped the playful tone, moving into her report. "As you suspected, under the Directress's orders, I informed Colonel Balanche of the USNA this morning regarding the Parasites captured by the Saegusa. I imagine Major Sirius has been briefed by now as well."
"Did my Aunt order their disposal?"
"No. Her order was to ensure the Saegusa do not have free rein over the Parasites. Since I am currently acting as the liaison for the USNA military, we decided to leave the 'disposal' to them. We confirmed that one of the hosts was a former USNA soldier, which gave us the perfect leverage to hand the problem over."
"I see. Thank you for the report. I know you have your own schoolwork to attend to, Ayako. Thank you for the hard work."
"Oh, Master Tatsuya... Hearing you say that makes all the effort worth it."
Knowing Ayako's deep-seated devotion, Tatsuya felt a wave of exasperation that went beyond a simple wry smile. Fortunately, since she couldn't see him, he allowed himself a look of pure, unadulterated weariness.
"Then, Master Tatsuya, I shall look forward to the day we meet again."
With those parting words, Ayako disconnected. Tatsuya pocketed his terminal and headed for the classroom, his mind already calculating the fallout of the USNA's "Major Sirius" colliding with the Saegusa's secret research.
Whatever happened next, it certainly wouldn't be boring.
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