Lina's lightning was fundamentally different from Mikihiko's; it was a destructive discharge, not a sealing ward. As the smoke cleared and the host's life signs vanished, Tatsuya spoke into his comms.
"One managed to slip through the net. Mizuki, do you have a visual?"
「I'm sorry... from this distance, I can't track individual movements once they lose their physical form...」
Mizuki's voice was thick with apology. Tatsuya realized his mistake immediately—Mizuki's "Eyes" functioned by enhancing her visual perception of things that shouldn't be seen, but they didn't grant her telescopic sight. Tracking a microscopic informational body from the school roof was an impossible task.
"No, I'm the one who asked too much. Don't worry about it."
After reassuring her, Tatsuya turned a bitter look toward Lina and Erika.
"Angie Sirius."
"What is it?"
Tatsuya caught a flicker of agitation behind the mask. At the very least, she seemed willing to talk. Her voice had been altered by the effects of Parade, but her presence was unmistakable.
"Could you refrain from killing the hosts until the seals are complete? It makes the cleanup unnecessarily complicated."
Lina went momentarily rigid. It was the way Tatsuya spoke—not with malice, but with a total, clinical detachment that reduced the life and death of a human being to a mere "logistical nightmare."
(How many people do you have to kill before you start thinking like that?) Lina wondered, a chill running down her spine.
Even as Sirius, having executed countless deserters, Lina had never once viewed death as a "hassle." If anything, she had grown to loathe the weight of it.
"That is none of my concern," she replied, her voice stiff. She was consciously altering her speech patterns, but her intonation was a dead giveaway. "My only objective is to neutralize the deserters."
"You call it a mission... but that man you just liquidated didn't look like a USNA soldier. He was clearly of Northeast Asian descent. Was he truly a deserter?"
"...If they are aiding a deserter, they are guilty of the same crime."
"They aren't 'aiding' anyone. Their egos have been hijacked by Parasites. Even if you intend to dispose of them, I'm asking you to wait until the 'contents' are sealed. Because of your haste, one just escaped."
Lina wavered, clearly cornered by the logic of his argument. Yet, her stubbornness remained unyielding.
"I repeat: the Parasites have nothing to do with me. I am here to fulfill my duty as Sirius. Nothing more."
With that sharp dismissal, she vanished into the thicket. Tatsuya suppressed the urge to sigh and turned his attention to Erika.
"So, Sirius finally shows her face," Erika chirped.
The jab was lighthearted; Tatsuya could tell by her mischievous grin that she wasn't holding a grudge about their encounter three nights ago. He offered a wry smile in return.
"That... was Lina, right? Even though she looks like a completely different person." Erika's grin faded into a look of genuine curiosity.
"If she looks like a different person, what makes you think it's her?"
"Her mannerisms. The way she carries her limbs, the tilt of her head, the way her eyes track a target... it's all there. I can just tell."
"Impressive. But as you can guess, that's another secret you need to keep. That aside, Erika, I'd like to ask the same of you as I did of her."
"You mean the 'don't kill them' part?"
"Exactly. You heard the explanation. As long as the host is alive, the Parasite is anchored to the body. We have a barrier in place to prevent escape, but it's much more reliable to neutralize them without taking their lives."
Tatsuya's request was perfectly rational, and Erika understood it. But she, too, shook her head.
"Sorry, Tatsuya-kun. I know it's a big ask, but I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"The moment I resolved to cut people with a blade, I also resolved to be cut down myself. Because of that, I can't stand the idea of leaving a target half-dead. To me, sealing someone away while they're still breathing is just as bad as killing them—maybe worse. If I'm not going to save them, then I want to give them a quick end so they don't have to suffer, even if they aren't human anymore. That's my way of showing respect."
Erika's reasoning was worlds apart from Lina's. It was deeply personal, a core tenet of her identity as a swordswoman. There was no bravado in her eyes, only a quiet, settled conviction.
To Tatsuya, killing was the ultimate act of theft; whether the victim suffered or died instantly didn't change the finality of the result. However, he had no intention of arguing with her. He knew that some values were sacred, and interfering with another person's code was a line he wouldn't cross.
"I suppose it can't be helped. It just means more work for me."
"I really am sorry. But honestly, I think you're more than capable of handling a little extra work."
Erika knew Tatsuya didn't necessarily agree with her, but she appreciated that he respected her choice. She offered another apology, though her face looked strangely bright.
"If it were just you, it might be manageable," Tatsuya grumbled. "But we have another 'troublesome' factor to deal with."
"You mean Lina... Hey, Tatsuya-kun, you've known she was Sirius for a while, haven't you? How did you figure it out?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Technically, I was forbidden from even confirming her identity to you. Though, since you figured it out on your own, I suppose I haven't actually broken any rules."
Seeing the flicker of a "villainous" smirk on Tatsuya's face, Erika felt a surge of genuine excitement.
"Seriously, life is never boring around you. I can say for a fact that if I were just living a 'normal' school life, I'd never be having this much fun."
"You only find these dangerous situations 'fun' because you're so strong, Erika."
"No," she replied, her voice softening. "It's because you're here."
Tatsuya simply shrugged and picked up the pace, heading deeper into the woods.
Note: At this point, Lina isn't even pretending to hide her identity anymore...
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