Chapter 103: Goodnight, Makka Pakka
Sylvia Mercury First.
Apart from the name Sylvia, everything else is a codename. Mercury First signifies the first-ranked "Mercury" among the STARS planetary-level mages.
Her rank is Warrant Officer, and she is 25 years old.
Earning the "First" codename at such a young age demonstrates the high regard for this female officer's abilities.
In addition, there are several members of the lowest-ranking StarDust—the secondary unit of Stars, those who failed to become stars, mere stardust.
"You're really something, sneaking in so many people all at once, and even led by a core combatant from the USNA."
Mahiro's words were filled with sarcasm and mockery.
Not long ago, he had successfully obtained the list of all Stars members who had secretly entered the country.
Most of them were disguised as magic engineering technicians, hiding in the Tokyo branch of the Maximilian Research and Development Center.
Only Lina had entered as a student.
Yet Lina kept her mouth tightly shut, only letting out slightly heavy breaths through her nose.
And the humiliation etched in her heart surged upward.
"Not talking, huh?"
Angelina: "..."
The girl remained silent, her lips sealed.
Seeing this, Mahiro naturally changed his strategy. Taking control of Lina's body, he shifted his hands to her waist, then slowly, slowly lifted her up.
And then, with a release, he let Lina fall back down under her own weight—
With a soft thud.
"—Mmph, nn—!!!"
Lina reached out and slammed her hand onto Mahiro's shoulder.
The force she exerted seemed capable of crushing walnuts, as if she wanted to grind his bones to dust.
But she herself, who had only been trembling intermittently before, was now almost squeezing the sound from her throat, arching her back and leaning backward.
Her tied golden hair instantly came loose, flying and scattering in the air.
Drip, drip, splash, splash, tick, tock.
Weak and drenched in fragrant sweat, she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, trembling faintly from time to time.
Her sparkling round toes curled tightly together.
A captivating blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
Like a noble doll torn apart, she carried an inexplicable, broken beauty.
"You... bastard...!"
Hmm, even her cursing tone had become strangely alluring.
Under Lina's death glare, he said without a care, "No helping it, you can't blame me. I thought you might have accidentally passed out, so I woke you up this way. Feels good, doesn't it?"
Good?
Like hell it does!!!
I just didn't want to talk to you, you pervert!!!
Lina pressed her lips together tightly. To prevent this bastard from finding any more excuses, she finally spoke up:
"...What do you want? You already know everything you wanted to know. Can't you just let this end quietly?"
"As if it could be that simple."
Mahiro chuckled.
"Lina-san, you're still not being honest with me. So stubborn... But it's fine. No matter how stubborn your mouth is, your body will always be soft when held."
"I hope you can maintain this composure later."
"You... wait! Mmm—"
His fingertips gently landed on the ivory keys as Mahiro played a slow-tempo melody.
The music evoked the tranquility and elegance of a babbling brook, with jade pendants gently chiming.
The pure notes seemed capable of awakening the soul, prying open that door to reach the truth.
Within the calm, the melody gradually transformed.
His fingertips danced lightly.
He conjured a fierce gale, sweeping across the sea to stir raging waves.
As the notes shifted, he then played the loneliness of deep night stillness!
One couldn't help but become enchanted and lost within it...
"Goodnight, Makka Pakka!"
"Goodnight, Guggy Guggy!"
"Goodnight, Puru Puru!"
Like the cycle of ephemeral life, everything returned to tranquility once more.
"Will Lina-san speak now?"
"...What exactly do you want to know?"
Lina lay against his shoulder, panting.
Though her eyes still held resentment, her body had no strength left—even moving a finger was difficult.
So forget about anger; she barely had the energy to speak.
"See? That's better."
Mahiro picked her up as if she were a body pillow, stepped over a small puddle shimmering under the fluorescent light, and walked step by step to the window, pulling open the curtains with a rustle.
"You... stop! People outside might see!"
Lina panicked, her body tensing up again.
Hiss—
Mahiro couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, gently patting the girl who clung to him like an octopus, burying her face like an ostrich.
"There, there~ Don't be nervous, relax. Now we can discuss serious matters."
"For example, the vampires who came over from your USNA."
As soon as he finished speaking, he experienced what true tightness meant.
He even understood what a human radar felt like.
Truly terrifying—more frightening than the first time!
"Are you trying to strangle me?"
"H-how did you know?!"
Lina could no longer hold back, raising her head to glare at him intently.
She couldn't understand how Mahiro knew the vampires had come from the USNA.
Was there really a traitor among them?!
"Relax. It's not like there's a spy—I just figured it out on my own."
He patted her smooth back lightly as he spoke in a low voice:
"Before you arrived, everything was peaceful. But right after you showed up, this whole vampire mess started. And before that, there was a large-scale entry of personnel from the USNA."
"If you think there's no connection between the two, even a ghost wouldn't believe it."
"Even if the vampires weren't brought here by you, you're definitely involved somehow."
Angelina: "..."
The girl pressed her lips together in silence, as if deep in thought. After a long pause, she let out a sigh.
"Fine, you're right. The vampires are related to us, but we didn't bring them here."
Lina chose honesty.
Or rather, she realized that pretending ignorance in front of Mahiro was pointless—it might even create unnecessary obstacles for her mission.
So she raised her eyes, her gaze flickering slightly as she met his.
"Yotsuba… Mahiro, can I trust you?"
"Do you have a choice?"
Mahiro smiled faintly. "From the moment we first met at the shrine, you've had no way out."
"...You really are a bastard!"
But even if he was a bastard, she had no choice.
She chose to compromise.
"...What do you want to know?"
"Numbers."
"We're still investigating the exact count, but it should be around ten. Among them are defectors from Stars, and the rest are all affiliated with the USNA military."
"That makes sense. Charles Sullivan is one of the defectors, right?"
"You—you've encountered him?!"
Lina's eyes widened slightly—her human radar was kicking in again.
"No need to be so surprised, right?"
Mahiro teased. "Last night, someone attacked my home—it was that 'Demos Second,' Charles Sullivan."
"By the way, I already took care of him. The kind where not even a corpse is left."
"I see..."
Hearing that no corpse remained, Lina seemed to relax, her body loosening slightly.
After all, the bodies of their own people absolutely could not fall into enemy hands.
This wasn't about honor—it was because corpses held too many secrets, especially those of Stars operatives. Even in death, their bodies had to be recovered.
As for whether Mahiro was lying to her...
That wasn't something Lina considered. With his abilities, he had no reason to deceive her.
But still...
"If you already know all this, what other information do you want from me?"
Lina was puzzled. "What I know isn't much different from what you've already figured out."
"No, there's one thing only the USNA would know."
"What?"
"About the vampires' selection criteria for hosts. Do they specifically target people with strong magical abilities or superior physical traits?"
This was his hypothesis.
After all, the people around him who had been attacked had all received enhancement injections.
Even Tatsuya had mentioned that the intruder's target was Miyuki, not him. Despite his interference, the enemy had eyes only for Miyuki.
And in his case, Sullivan had initially aimed for him but then switched to Minami.
Not to mention, Maya, Mayumi, and Mari had also been attacked.
Even the deceased magicians had all possessed exceptional magical abilities.
If they weren't selectively targeting strong hosts, there was no reason for these parasites to recklessly attack such formidable opponents.
And the answer he received from Lina was, naturally, "Yes."
Every single one of the infected had been an outstanding magician from the USNA—otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to escape under such strict surveillance.
But Lina was starting to question her own existence.
With intelligence-gathering and deductive skills like his, not to mention combat and magical abilities that rivaled her own...
Even ignoring his sadistic personality, she couldn't help but wonder—was this guy really just a high school student?!
And then there was her own pitiful state, currently draped over him.
Lina's heart ached with grief, making her want to sigh at the heavens.
Maybe after this mission, she should just give up her "Sirius" codename.
Not only had she, the Stars commander, lost to a high schooler, but she was also being toyed with day and night, not knowing when she might end up pregnant with his child.
She had thoroughly disgraced the title of "Sirius"...
Though the pregnancy thing was entirely in Lina's imagination.
Given the genetic material he currently possessed, natural conception was already nearly impossible—let alone after his enhancements.
Even with forced technological intervention, it was highly unlikely.
Otherwise, Muroto Sumire wouldn't have been holed up in her lab studying his genetic material all this time with zero results.
But just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Lina? Mia's here."
"!!!"
The crisp sound of knocking made Lina immediately straighten up. And when she heard Sylvia's voice, along with the name "Mia," her entire body tensed in an instant.
Mahiro, who was still holding her, could feel it all too clearly.
It was… indescribable.
"Relax, loosen up. You're squeezing—uh, I mean, you're too tense."
"Just let me go already..."
Lina was on the verge of tears.
Sylvia being outside was bad enough, but now Mia had shown up today too.
If they saw her in this humiliating state, she might as well just die.
"Lina?"
Sylvia's voice came from outside again, followed by another knock.
There was even a faint murmur of, "Did the two of them fall asleep or something?"
"Let. Me. Go."
Now, Lina was truly desperate.
She struggled with all her might, even if it meant losing her strength again after a few attempts.
"Alright, alright, stop squirming! I'll put you down!"
Following Lina's demand, Mahiro finally set her down.
And with a pop!, he casually opened a bottle of champagne.
Some time later.
The door to the living room opened.
Lina, now dressed in her First High uniform, stepped out alongside Mahiro.
The girl looked no different from before she had entered the room—her expression calm, her disheveled hair neatly combed, and no signs of discomfort in her movements.
Well, even if there was a subtle, unsettling sensation—like a half-filled bottle sloshing around—she forced herself to endure it.
But even so, her roommate Sylvia still eyed her with a strange, knowing look.
"Sorry, we were just… discussing some school-related matters in the room, so we're late."
Lina said this as if deliberately for Sylvia's ears, warning her not to jump to conclusions.
But the problem was, as an exchange student who had only been in Japan for a few months—and secretly the commander of Stars—what "school-related matters" could she possibly have?
Sylvia, of course, understood perfectly. She nodded with a knowing smile, as if to say she got it.
But inwardly, she couldn't help but sigh.
Someone like Lina—a "peerless beauty"—standing next to a strikingly handsome young man like Mahiro was a match made in heaven.
Enough to make even her and the team start shipping them.
Unfortunately, this romance could never last, nor could it ever bear fruit.
The thought made Sylvia's mood a little complicated.
The commander's first love… would probably end in nothing.
After all, Lina was the USNA's precious Strategic-Class Magician, and Mahiro was the Yotsuba family's heir. Unless both sides' higher-ups went insane, there was no way the two of them could ever be together.
Then, under Sylvia's lead, they headed to the living room.
"Mia, you're here."
The moment they arrived, Lina's face lit up with joy—the happiness of reuniting with a friend, or perhaps the delight of meeting a familiar face in a foreign land.
On the sofa in the living room, a young woman greeted Lina with a nervous expression.
"Yes, Major—I mean, Lina. Sorry for intruding."
She had almost said "Major," but upon seeing the inexplicably handsome and unfamiliar man beside Lina, she quickly corrected herself.
Though for some reason, the glance she shot at Mahiro carried a hint of something inscrutable.
Lina, however, didn't notice at all, her attention fully on Mia's words.
After a brief moment of tension, she relaxed and took a seat at the table.
"Please sit, Mia. Sylvia, could you get me some tea?"
"How about milk tea? Mia, and Yotsuba-kun, would you like some as well?"
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Mia responded to Sylvia's question with a slightly flustered but relieved tone.
Mahiro simply nodded.
Then, his gaze returned to the seemingly timid girl before him.
Mia...
This name had appeared in intelligence reports. Her full name was Michaela Hongou, also known as "Hongo Mia."
Like Lina, she was a Japanese-American, but unlike Lina, her appearance was almost indistinguishable from a Japanese person—perhaps just a slightly darker skin tone, which wasn't particularly unusual.
However, beyond that, this person had another identity—just like Lina, she was also an intelligence operative.
That said, she wasn't a professional spy.
Her official occupation was as a magical researcher at the Department of Defense, specializing in release-type magic. She was a prodigy.
In November, she had conducted a black hole experiment in Dallas. Later, due to the events of "Scorched Halloween," she had voluntarily come to Japan in search of clues for an alternative experiment—"non-annihilation mass-energy conversion."
However, Mahiro had just detected something off about the girl.
And so, out of habit, he activated his "Spirit Eyes."
"Oh-ho?!"
Now this was unexpected!
Just as the two girls were exchanging pleasantries, Mahiro suddenly let out an exclamation.
"Did you stub your toe or something?"
Lina frowned at him in displeasure, muttering sarcastically.
This guy, seriously... Even though he already knew everything about their USNA affairs, if possible, she really didn't want Mahiro to be present.
After all, with him here, certain topics simply couldn't be discussed.
"Not at all. Even if this table of yours fell on my foot, it wouldn't hurt."
Mahiro spoke casually, then flashed a polite smile at Mia. "I just couldn't help but want to get to know such a beautiful woman, so I made a bit of noise to get your attention."
"...?"
Sylvia, who had just finished pouring tea and was bringing it over, froze at Mahiro's words, casting him a strange look.
Mia, meanwhile, seemed a little embarrassed.
Lina, however, grew tense and quickly moved closer to him, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Don't you dare lay a hand on Mia! She has nothing to do with our business!"
Yet Mahiro completely ignored Lina's reaction. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the beautiful girl across from him, extending a hand. "Hello, I'm Yotsuba Mahiro, Lina's classmate. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello, I'm Hongo Mia, Lina's neighbor and friend..."
Looking at his outstretched hand, Mia seemed hesitant, but upon sensing no hostility, she timidly reached out to shake it.
But the next second, something happened that left both Lina and Sylvia utterly stunned.