After the siblings shared their customary dinner together, the telephone picked this precise moment to start ringing.
Speaking of which, as everyone knows, almost all modern telephones were equipped with "web cams", a detail that third rate social commentators never failed to decry, saying that they aren't tele"phones" but tele"screens" or some related but meaningless subject. Even with this projected function brought into fruition, they are still referred to as "telephones".
— Back on topic —
Miyuki was currently in the kitchen cleaning up.
She wasn't adamant on doing the dishes herself since she could pass them to the HAR, but their household wasn't equipped with the 3H (Humanoid Home Helper, or simply "Housework robot") that had just hit the market for mass consumption. The two of them unanimously agreed that having a pair of robot arms extending from the ceiling was more of a hassle than anything, so they were better off cleaning up after themselves.
—Miyuki said that if they were too lazy to do even this, their fitness would rapidly decrease.
—Once again, back on topic —
Simply put, this was the reason why Tatsuya picked up the phone, though occasionally — that's how it was.
"Long time no see...... Did you intend to do that?"
"......Wait a minute, I have no idea what you're talking about...... Long time no see, Special Lieutenant."
Onscreen was a familiar face wearing a very surprised expression.
"It's been two months since we last spoke, but...... If you're using that title, does that mean this is an encrypted transmission? I can't believe you can tap into the civilian line every time."
"It's not that easy, Special Lieutenant. Compared to the standards of an average household, isn't the security surrounding your house a little too tight?"
"That's because there are a lot of hackers active recently, and the household servers have sensitive information stored within them."
"No wonder. We were almost traced on our end."
"You deserved that. As long as you don't delve too deeply into the database, the defense system shouldn't activate."
"I think this serves as an excellent warning shot for my newest switchboard."
Onscreen, the face that had been baptized into coarse leather by long exposure to sunlight and gunpowder revealed a mischievous smile.
As he saw this smile, Tatsuya reflected that the man hadn't aged a day since three years ago.
Based on his rank and department, he must deal with a myriad of details daily, but he never betrayed any trace of exhaustion...... As these thoughts chased one another around in his mind, Tatsuya suddenly recalled that the one on the other side of the line — The Army's 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion CO Major Kazama Harunobu didn't like to waste unnecessary time on small talk.
"Major, what's on the agenda today?"
"That's right, let's cut the small talk. Business first."
"Please go ahead."
"Today we completed modifications on the 'Third Eye'. We upgraded some components to the latest models and updated the software, so I would like you to test it out."
The 101 was pronounced "One Zero One", and not "One Hundred and First".
This was a primarily magic-based experimental detachment that was separate from the normal chain of command. In addition, the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was also responsible for the development of cutting edge equipment.
Compared to regular military classification, the security clearance for this detachment was five to six levels higher. Accordingly, a regular high school student had no business interacting with such a division, to the point that he or she would be wholly ignorant of its existence.
However, due to certain classified events, Tatsuya was actually an official member of Kazama's division.
"Understood. I will report in first thing tomorrow."
"......Wait a second, this isn't so important that you need to take a day off from school."
"No, next weekend I plan to visit the lab to test out a new calculation device."
"Although I'm in no position to say so...... But ever since you entered high school, you’ve been leading a decisively non-student-like lifestyle."
"I dislike your impression, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"That's true...... No matter how busy we get, there's nothing we can do about it. In that case, meet up at the old place tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I won't be there, but I will contact Sanada ahead of time."
"Understood."
Tatsuya saluted in acceptance, while Kazama repeated that action on the screen.
This type of salute went entirely against regulations, but since Tatsuya was an irregular, the standards were slightly relaxed.
"Next subject. Special Lieutenant, rumors say that you are joining this summer's Nine Schools Competition?"
"......Affirmative."
Tatsuya hesitated for a split second, but given the circumstances, the fact that he only hesitated for a "split second" was quite an accomplishment.
It was less than three hours after he had been confirmed as a member of the Technician's Team.
Knowing that asking was fruitless, Tatsuya put a lid on his curiosity and refrained from asking how the Major got the word.
"The arena is located in southeast sector of the Fuji Exercise Grounds, so this is only customary...... That being said, Tatsuya, stay on your guard."
Kazama's everyday speech was already abrupt, but today's seemed even more so than usual.
He wasn't referring to Tatsuya by rank, surname, or alias, but calling him directly by name, which signified that he was warning Tatsuya as an old friend rather than a superior officer. After obtaining the information intercepted by the military's intelligence network, he wasn't alerting the police or the general public, but a mere high school student without any social standing. This was highly odd.
Tatsuya focused all his attention as he continued to listen.
"There are suspicious circumstances surrounding that area, with signs that we have illegal aliens in the area."
"Did someone infiltrate the military's exercise grounds?"
"Quite lamentable indeed. Also, several witnesses claimed seeing East Asian members of an international crime syndicate in the area, which did not occur this time last year. Based on the timing, it's very likely they have something planned for the Nine Schools Competition."
It's just a high school intramural competition......
Tatsuya was about to say this aloud, before switching to another tack.
Even if they were high school students, this country's elite young Magicians were about to publicly compete against one another.
For example, if there was a major terrorist attack using explosives during the awards ceremony, that would severely impact this country's talented personnel.
"You mentioned an international crime syndicate?"
This was not the same type of organization as Blanche (pretending to be an anti-magic political organization) that Tatsuya encountered in April. If this was a criminal syndicate, then they shouldn't have any interest in causing unnecessary harm. Terrorism was another thing altogether. Kazama was a soldier, so he shouldn't have had any experience dealing with international crime syndicates.
How did he figure out their identity?
"I asked Mibu to give me a hand. You probably know him."
"The father of First High’s Year 2 student Mibu Sayaka?"
"Exactly. After retiring from the military, Mibu transferred to Internal Affairs (Cabinet Agency of Data Supervision). He's currently Chief of Foreign Affairs, specifically international crime syndicates."
"......I'm surprised."
Tatsuya wasn't merely parroting back, he was honestly surprised.
Tatsuya was astounded that the Major would reveal the identity of one of his sources of intelligence over the telephone so easily; the Cabinet Agency of Data Supervision generally remained neutral between politics and the military so they weren't particularly friendly with the military, yet the Major simply asked them for assistance in a clear-cut manner, which also amazed Tatsuya. However, what floored Tatsuya the most was that the daughter of a foreign intelligence expert actually became the accomplice to a terrorist organization affiliated with foreign countries and the father who was the chief of foreign affairs merely turned a blind eye to the situation. Salutary neglect, much?
"Criminal syndicates and underground terrorist cells are handled by different departments. Tunnel vision on their own affairs is a common fallacy in government agencies."
The reason why Kazama was able to accurately mirror Tatsuya's thoughts, rather than due to their long friendship, was more because Kazama could also read between the lines and thus resonate with Tatsuya.
"However, information from areas within his expertise is trustworthy. According to Mibu's calculations, these might be members from the criminal syndicate based out of Hong Kong called 'No Head Dragon'. Currently, their objective remains unknown and we will let you know as soon as this changes."
"Thank you, Major."
"I won't see you tomorrow, but we may meet up at Fuji."
"I look forward to that meeting."
"Likewise...... Ho, we talked too long. The new rookie is starting to panic, so it's about time for me to hang up."
The web police probably detected traces of the network invasion. Based on this assumption, it was too ambiguous for Tatsuya to tell whether he should praise the skills of the web police or lament over the skills of Kazama's subordinates.
"Make sure to greet your sensei for me."
"Understood."
"Goodbye."
Tatsuya wasn't able to reply before the screen turned blank.
"That was probably a broad hint that I should make contact with sensei......"
Then, how much was he supposed to reveal? The face of his sensei who owned the title of head monk, but was more appropriately described as "imposter" floated into Tatsuya's mind as he slightly sighed.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Onii-sama, if you don't mind, would you like some tea......?"
Sometime after closing the door leading to the living room, Miyuki's voice came floating in.
She appeared to be trying to avoid eavesdropping on the conversation, so she waited in the kitchen until Tatsuya finished his conversation.
Originally, Miyuki occupied a much more privileged position than Tatsuya and possessed the right to listen in on any military or foreign secrets, but the little sister never exercised that right before her elder brother.
Tatsuya silently padded towards the kitchen and opened the door before Miyuki could ask again.
As expected, Miyuki stood there stiffly with her eyes wide open, with a tray that had a tea kettle and some silverware and snacks perched on top.
"......Onii-sama, please don't scare me like that, you could've said something...... I can't believe you moved silently just to laugh at
Miyuki's terrified expression. Onii-sama is bullying me."
"Sorry, sorry."
Miyuki turned her head aside with a huff. Tatsuya smiled as he took the tray from her hands while apologizing every step of the way.
"But I wasn't trying to bully you, I just thought that you were carrying something heavy so I rushed over. I certainly don't want my cute little sister to haul around heavy objects."
"......I know very well that this is a fabrication......
But I'll just let Onii- sama mislead me this one time."
Even if she maintained her displeased expression, the corners of her mouth relaxed slightly.
It only took one word from Onii-sama to calm her down. But Miyuki was perfectly willing.
"Red tea today?"
"Yes, I bought some excellent summer extract and I thought occasionally having tea would be nice."
Tatsuya nodded in response to Miyuki and returned to the table before sampling the tea cup.
"Muscatel, quite rare......
It must've taken you some time and effort to get this, right?"
"No, it was really a coincidence......
As long as Onii-sama is happy, then that is the highest praise for Miyuki."
Tatsuya slowly took a sip and let out a satisfied smile. Seeing this, Miyuki smiled with a happiness that welled from the bottom of her heart.
"Hm, the tea is excellent and the butter biscuits look delicious. Did Miyuki bake these?"
"Yes, though......
They don't look very nice."
"Nonsense, I don't mind at all, they taste wonderful."
Miyuki ducked her head in embarrassment, but the sight of her Onii- sama raising the butter biscuits and enjoying them was enough to prompt her to raise her head and smile in happiness.
Tatsuya didn't bring up the topic of Kazama's conversation, and Miyuki didn't ask.
Tatsuya was busy sampling his little sister's exquisitely prepared snacks and meticulously purchased tea. For Miyuki, just the sight of her Onii-sama's satisfied expression was more than enough compensation for any arduous task.
◊ ◊ ◊
There's no need to repeat this, but Miyuki was the publicly acknowledged honor student.
Not only was she talented beyond all belief, but she also was extremely diligent.
Besides taking care of her Onii-sama's day-to-day life, she also studied until late in the night.
Today also, she studied until near midnight before shutting off the electric monitor and storing it in the table.
She wasn't exhausted yet.
According to her experience, it was hard to fall asleep when going to bed in this stimulated state. This could be quickly remedied with the sleeping device, but Onii-sama frowned upon using the technology that nearly 70% of the country uses. Since Tatsuya objected to this technology, Miyuki would have no reason to use it.
Then let's make another cup of tea to change the mood, Miyuki thought.
It was totally worth it for her to hunt down the best quality Muscatel, as evidenced by her Onii-sama's delight with the tea. Simply reflecting on Onii-sama's smile was more than enough for her to have a wonderful dream, but if she could see it one more time, and maybe even have Onii-sama rub her head, then that would be even better.
Miyuki was just heading to the kitchen, when a sudden thought crossed her mind when she stopped in front of the mirror.
Miyuki nodded slightly, then a slightly mischievous smirk formed on her face.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Onii-sama, this is Miyuki, I'm coming in with tea."
"Perfect, come in."
Miyuki would bring tea or coffee around this time every night and her brother would usually thank her in an apologetic manner, but tonight he seemed to be waiting for her to appear, which slightly bewildered Miyuki.
Regardless, if Onii-sama was waiting for her, that was definitely something that pleased her.
"I was just about to go get you—"
—He got only that far before silence forcibly swallowed the next word.
When she saw her Onii-sama turn around on the chair and stare fixatedly at her, Miyuki felt a small shiver of satisfaction run through her. She carried the tray with one hand while the other lightly clutched the hem of the skirt as she playfully curtseyed.
"............Ah, is this the uniform for 'Fairy Dance'?"
"Indeed, Onii-sama knows very well."
The miniskirt was formed by layers upon layers of dazzling colors that floated together and perfectly matched the tights that covered her beautiful legs along with the bright, leather boots.
The outer garment was open down on the back, made of a translucent material whose thickness was hard to tell. The lines were not embroidered, but naturally created by the fabric itself, allowing it to perfectly complement the bosom.
Beneath the outer garment was a shirt in the same vein as the leggings. No, maybe it wasn't a shirt and pair of leggings, but an entire long- sleeved spandex. If there wasn't the outer covering, it could very well have been mistaken for a figure skater's uniform.
A pair of hair decorations with wings sprouting out the sides held her long silky hair in place, connected by a long thick band seen on most earmuffs.
Considering air resistance and chest protection, this gorgeous uniform was undoubtedly the uniform used for "Mirage Bat" — also known as "Fairy Dance", one of the most anticipated magical events in the Nine Schools Competition.
"How does it look?"
Miyuki placed the tray on a nearby table before spinning around with a smile.
Even though the softly flowing miniskirt was very short, when matched with the fluttering hair dancing in the air it created an aura of impossible grace.
"Devastatingly cute, suits you perfectly, and your timing is excellent."
Miyuki stopped twirling when she faced Tatsuya and grabbed with both hands the hem of her skirt in a deep curtsey as Tatsuya complimented her.
"Thank you Onii-sama for your praise......?"
Miyuki was 100% certain that her elder brother would praise her, so she only prepared one response, as one response was all that was needed.
However, she was unable to comprehend what Tatsuya's last words referred to, so she altered her response to include a question mark at the end.
Miyuki straightened her legs and waist before "looking up" to the seated Tatsuya.
Just as she was about to direct her gaze towards the usual height to inquire the meaning of "your timing is perfect", Miyuki quickly realized something was wrong.
She just as quickly grasped the reason.
Even though Tatsuya was seated, his gaze was still level to his normal standing height.
Miyuki swiftly glanced downwards, then swallowed hard.
The chair that was supposed to be beneath him — was gone.
Tatsuya's right leg was crossed over his left and his right elbow was directly perpendicular atop the right knee, like he was stretching the upper half of his body forward...... As he sat in mid air.
"I also wanted Miyuki to test out this calculation device."
Tatsuya maintained this position as he slid towards Miyuki until he was roughly an arm's length away before stopping. He then uncrossed his legs and straightened his feet much like how he would rise from a chair.
With this series of motions, his physical body naturally returned to earth
"......Flying-Type Magic......
Sustained Gravity-Control Type Magic has been completed!"
She was only distracted for a split second.
Miyuki nearly pounced on her brother as she seized his hand in joy. "Onii-sama, congratulations!"
This was one of the magics that Tatsuya had been researching for some time.
Among the Four Great Systemic and the Eight Major Types of magic, the first category is the "Speed/Mass" System.
This was morphed out of the simplest of Super Powers, commonly acknowledged to be most basic magic in modern systemic magic.
That being said, while Flying-Type Magic is theoretically possible under the Speed/Mass Systems — Sustained Gravity-Control Magic, even though the basic proposal existed since the early days of modern magic, it was never successfully developed in official channels before this day.
Today during lunch, Flying-Type Magic was the subject of considerable debate. Modern magic's general consensus was that while the theory was sound, the practical application was impossible.
Even so, another cornerstone of modern magic laws was overturned before Miyuki's eyes.
"Once again Onii-sama has turned the impossible possible! To be able to witness this turning point in history, and the fact that the person who accomplished this towering achievement is my elder brother, I am extremely proud to be called your sister!"
Her hands tightly clasping Tatsuya's right hand, Miyuki looked ready to throw her arms around him, while Tatsuya gently covered his sister's hands with his left.
"Thank you, Miyuki. Although they didn't intend to use it solely towards flying, Ancient Magic has already reached this level of flying capability, but today we took another big step towards realizing the goal."
"The flying abilities of Ancient Magic can only be used by a small minority of Magicians and are a unique ability that depends on the subject, right? However, isn't Onii-sama's Flying-Type Magic usable by anyone with sufficient Magic Power?"
"At present, I have set that as the first objective. I hope Miyuki will help me test this."
"Delighted to!"
Miyuki's eyes shone as she nodded quickly.
After listening to the instructions, Miyuki looked towards the newly maintained CAD in her left hand.
Just like Miyuki's regular CAD, this was a model shaped like a mobile terminal.
However, the dimensions were much smaller than Miyuki's originally tiny model and could be comfortably obscured within her slender palm.
The only similarity was the overall shape of the mobile terminal model.
This CAD was a Specialised Calculation Device.
Miyuki wasn't familiar with Specialized models, but the operation was simple enough.
There was only a power switch and, once activated, the CAD would automatically absorb psions from the user in order to continuously fuel the Activation Sequence until the power was exhausted. On some level, this was a fairly barbaric item.
However, the psion consumption rate for the device had been lowered to the absolute minimum.
The purpose behind the design was to minimize the stress placed on the user.
"Begin test."
Her throat quivered slightly from the overwhelming nervousness she felt.
The fact that her hand wasn't trembling was enough for Miyuki to want to congratulate herself.
Even if the test failed, Onii-sama wouldn't blame her.
Rather, Onii-sama would likely redesign the "Flying Calculation Device" from scratch.
She refused to allow her own inadequacies increase her brother's burden.
Miyuki thumbed the CAD's power switch.
She knew without looking that the calculation device was currently absorbing her body's psions.
Even so, the amount was small enough that she had to pay extra attention to detect it.
It was only at a slightly elevated level compared to the normal loss of excess psions.
By the time she realized this, the Activation Sequence had already been stored into the Magic Calculation Area.
Though she was forewarned by Tatsuya's instructions, the tiny scale of the Activation Sequence still caught her by surprise.
With Miyuki's technical ability, she was able to execute dozens of copies of the same Activation Sequence with ease.
Even if the scale was tiny, every critical detail was recorded within.
Miyuki felt that this was an Activation Sequence completely stripped of anything unnecessary to boost efficiency to the max.
The variables were inputted into the Activation Sequence, beginning Magic Sequence construction.
Generally, Magicians wouldn't pay attention to these phases.
Magicians would typically use language, formulas or images to properly formulate the desired phenomenon change, then dive into the subconsciousness.
The Magic Calculation Area's job was to transform the imagined reality into data for the Magic Sequence. The "variables" in the Activation Sequence refer to the portions that must be created from the Magician's imagination.
Magicians can feel the Activation Sequences that have been absorbed into their physical body, just as they are able to sense the Magic Sequence being constructed within them. However, the construction process for Magic Sequences is partially involuntary and is not subject to conscious interference.
If this wasn't the case, based on human limits of understanding and comprehension of data, there would be no way to create Information Bodies capable of influencing reality.
Miyuki imaged herself floating to the ceiling's height. All of a sudden, the bounds of gravity disappeared.
Her five senses lost touch with her environment as if her body had phased out of reality, causing Miyuki to panic slightly.
That being said, Miyuki's soul was filled with a delight that far exceeded that paltry sense of panic.
She never knew flying was such a liberating experience.
She was almost envious of the astronauts that strode across the stars with 80% of this feeling.
She also pitied them for having to wear cumbersome space suits in order to enjoy such pleasure.
Miyuki earnestly wished to leave this narrow basement and freely soar through the skies.
"How is it? Is the Loop System too stressful?"
Her brother's voice quickly pulled Miyuki's mind back to earth.
Miyuki was terribly embarrassed that she was engrossed in the pleasure of flight during such a critical experiment.
Even so, this wasn't the time for self-loathing.
Miyuki, you have to step up — Miyuki mentally scolded herself before answering her brother's question.
"No problems whatsoever. There are no headaches or sense of exhaustion."
"Excellent. Next is gradual parallel motion, get used to slowly accelerating yourself, then fly as you please."
"Understood."
Miyuki followed her brother's instructions and imagined herself slowly floating parallel to the ground.
The tiny Activation Sequence automatically spread out and copied itself, constructing the Magic Sequence that changed the direction of gravity to parallel motion.
The design behind Flying-Type Magic revolved around using the Loop System to continuously invoke magic.
According to this process, as long as new conceptual ideas are not introduced into the Calculation Area, the variables would continuously mirror the original values.
With the Activation Sequence added into the self-replicating Non- Systematic Magic data near the final stages of the Magic Sequence construction process and allowing the Activation Sequence to be applied to the Magic Calculation Area, even if the CAD is not being operated, the same Magic Sequence can still be invoked — using the Loop System, that is. Thus, the same Activation Sequence, construction of the Magic Sequence, and the data variables can be endlessly plugged in. This is the truth behind Flying-Type Magic.
Taurus Silver's magnum opus — "Loop System", was the perfect complement to the Flight Calculation Device that Tatsuya invented.
"Is the magic disjointed?"
"Not at all. As expected of Onii-sama, the timing is simply perfect." The key to this system lies in recording the exact times the magic activates.
Humans are unsuited for such precise number management, so machines were absolutely necessary to fill this gap.
If the design stubbornly refused to take anything besides magic into account, then the system would be simply impossible.
Miyuki continued to follow Tatsuya's directions and incrementally raised the spiraling speed.
She used the limited space within the basement to the maximum extent. She turned, maneuvered, and flipped as she danced in the air.
The softly floating skirt and long, silky hair followed the outstretched body to display absolutely beautiful curves.
At some point, Tatsuya forgot to objectively analyze the situation and simply stood there mesmerized at the wholly unexpected fairy dance.
◊ ◊ ◊
Four Leaves Technology (the literal translation is "Four Leaves Technology", but the official company records and brand name intentionally used only "Four Leaves") — often shortened to FLT, had a CAD development center situated in the boondocks, nearly two hours away from Tatsuya's house by public transit (it was only one and a half hours by electric bike, but they chose to use public transit because of the rain). Tatsuya had long since familiarized himself with this route and, precisely because he was overly familiar, the long and arduous ride only served to irritate him.
"Miyuki......?"
"Yes, Onii-sama, what is it?"
"......Never mind, I apologize. It was nothing."
"Huh......?"
Unlike the labs near the main corporate headquarters, whenever Tatsuya came to this lab, Miyuki usually tagged along as well, so she was probably just as familiar with this route. But despite the dismal weather, her outlook remained much like they were on a picnic, causing Tatsuya to inquire to the reason behind that.
The reason he cut himself short after starting to ask was because when Tatsuya thought about it, he felt that this was a rather odd question.
Of course, Miyuki was quite confused, but her sunny disposition quickly returned, to the point that she was almost humming in joy.
However, the two of them had already entered the research lab, so she didn't actually make any sounds.
This was the hub for all corporate related technical research, the veritable beating heart of FLT itself, with all the security that accompanied it. Not only were there cameras watching every angle, the number of deployed security personnel was also astounding.
Even so, no one halted Tatsuya and Miyuki.
They didn't even bother to check in at the counter before walking down the window-less corridors that led to the deepest part of the facility.
Finally, the two of them arrived at a room with one wall that was covered in windows from the ceiling to the floor.
On the other side of the windows, a deep chasm extended nearly half a floor beneath the earth that was large enough to house a hangar.
Across this open space was another room with the same observation area.
This was the CAD testing center.
Over a dozen engineers and researchers were bustling about the office debating or manipulating various measuring devices.
"Ah, young master!"
Even though everyone was buried in work, someone greeted Tatsuya the moment he stepped into the observation room.
Which was quite rare — this was probably the only place — since everyone's greeting was extended towards Tatsuya and not Miyuki.
The name "young master" was initially applied to Tatsuya because he was the son of one of the corporate higher ups with the ability to enter as he pleased, but was now the respected title directed towards their future leader.
Tatsuya was slightly embarrassed by this moniker and wished that they would stop referring to him as such, but he knew that everyone called him that out of genuine friendship, so he didn't force the issue.
"Sorry for the bother, where's Director Ushiyama?"
The respectful gazes directed towards her brother made Miyuki glow with pleasure, causing no end of people — there were very few males capable of resisting Miyuki's smile — to get distracted from their work. Tatsuya allowed Miyuki to accompany him as he interrogated the first researcher in the white lab coat who greeted him.
The voice that answered this question came from far behind the crowd.
"Looking for me, Mister?"
A tall but hardly fragile-looking engineer wearing gray work clothes threaded through the crowd.
"Director, my apologies for visiting when you're so busy."
"Wait, Mister, please don't say that."
Tatsuya's respectful greeting caused the engineer named Ushiyama to color and shake his head.
"It is your right to act casual, but these men are your subordinates, so there's no need to be overly humble like this."
"Not so, everyone here was recruited by our father, so they hardly answer to me......"
"What are you saying. You are the far famed 'Mr. Silver' himself and we are honored to serve beneath you."
Every engineer and researcher who heard Ushiyama's voice nodded in agreement.
This was Four Leaves Technology's CAD Development 3rd Division.
The development team that created what the world called the "Silver Series".
Currently, it is publicly acknowledged that the "Silver Series" is the defining work of FLT's technical abilities. Once seen as rebels and renegades, the surplus employees from the technical department that made up the 3rd Division now held considerable sway in FLT after the advent of the Silver Series.
Thus, the engineers and researchers here swore eternal loyalty to one of the core developers — Tatsuya, who was "half" of Taurus Silver.
"Seriously though, I think that you, 'Mr. Taurus', are the actual leader of this group, right? It's because you were always reluctant to accept the directorship that 3rd Division still doesn't have managers and group leaders."
"Please don't say that, I'm not capable of being 'Mr.' or 'Taurus', I'm just an ordinary engineer who does the grunt work so that your ingenious theories can be facilitated. I'm the one who cannot stand the fact that my name is placed alongside the original developer. I'm not that brazen. It's just that the young master is still an underage student, so your patent would be a difficult issue, hence why I had to throw my name into the ring."
"......Without Ushiyama-san's skills, the 'Loop System' would be impossible to realize. I am not nearly as capable in terms of hardware knowledge, performance, and creativity, so regardless of whether its skills or theory, the only thing that matters is that we are able to complete a model capable of mass consumption, correct?"
"Ah~ Stop, just stop. There's no way I can beat the young master in a debate, so let's get down to business. You didn't just pop in to see us, did you?"
As Ushiyama scratched his head in surrender, Tatsuya relaxed his solemn expression and let out a deliberate smile.
"OK, Ushiyama-san, today's test subject is this."
Tatsuya intentionally kept his tone and motions casual as he pulled out a CAD shaped like a smart phone. Ushiyama stared at it for more than 10 seconds without blinking at all.
This was the T-7 model CAD that Ushiyama prepared for Tatsuya for a specific reason.
To upload software into the test model meant that......
"Is that...... the Flight Calculation Device?"
Ushiyama's hands shook as he took the CAD from Tatsuya's hands.
"Yes, the testing hardware that I had Ushiyama-san make is already loaded with the Activation Sequence for Sustained Gravity-Control Type Magic. With this test model it was easy to access and manipulate the system, making it very easy to use."
"Then the test......"
"As usual, only Miyuki and I have tested it, but we don't rate as normal Magicians."
Everyone present, and it wasn't just one or two either, who overheard them sucked in a breath and tensely stared at Ushiyama's hands.
"......Akira, how many T-7 Models do we have in the lab?"
Finally, Ushiyama used a fairly calm tone to ask his subordinate.
Upon getting the answer "ten", his half closed eyes abruptly sprang open.
"Damn! Only ten? Why weren't they replaced!
What? Order them later, grab every model we currently have plugged into the maintenance machines and copy the system the young master wrote!
Hiroshi, summon all the testers! What? Someone is on break? I don't give a damn!
Drag them here by the neck if you have to!
Everyone else, stop whatever you're doing and prepare for precise measurement!
Do you guys understand? This is Flying-Type Magic! This will change the history of magic itself!"
He was probably using the internal broadcast.
Not just in this room, even the testing room on the opposite side burst into action as even the researchers on break started working.
This indoor CAD testing facility rivals a large gym in terms of area and height. The communication line hung down from the ceiling and was attached to the back of the testing personnel.
The line also doubled as a lifeline if needed.
Floating-Type Magic has already become widespread and this facility had also tested that before, but Flying-Type Magic was on a whole different level than Floating-Type Magic, to the extent that their actual designs were fundamentally different. It was also different from leaping and slow-motion descent, a hitherto unknown magic.
The tester's face was pale with anxiety.
New magics were usually created from already familiar magics, but no one knows where danger may be lurking.
There have been precedents where Magicians lost their lives due to tiny bugs in the Activation Sequence.
If they were using a brand new and (until now) unprecedented magic, no amount of caution was enough.
The surface changed to a shock-absorbing material and, once the suspension test was cleared, the preparations were finally complete.
"Start the test."
After evacuating to the observation room — not just for the safety of the observers, but for the testers as well — Ushiyama gave the order to begin.
From below, it was impossible to see what kind of expression the tester wore as he put on his safety helmet.
However, the tester, who had amassed extensive experience as the primary tester before reaching age 30, visibly clenched his teeth.
Even so, he thumbed the CAD's power switch without any hesitation. "Confirm lift off."
"According to the measurements, there is no reverse force putting pressure on the ground."
Before the naked eye could make any confirmation, the personnel at the various measuring devices were already reporting in.
"Errors in upward acceleration within acceptable parameters."
"CAD performance is stable."
The tester's body was gradually rising.
Now, they could clearly see that his feet had left the ground.
The line was sagging, proving that the tester was not hanging from the suspension device.
Inside the observation room, excluding the sounds of the machines processing data and reporting back, there wasn't even the sound of clothes rustling.
Everyone forgot to move as they stared at either the scene before their eyes or the values displayed on the measuring devices.
"Upward acceleration still dropping...... and zero, now maintaining rising velocity."
The tester gradually rose until he was level with the 3 meter high observation room.
"Upward acceleration entering negatives......
Upward velocity has reached zero, confirmed immobile."
Up until this moment, this was still within the boundaries of what Floating-Type Magic could accomplish.
"Testing parallel acceleration."
Someone......
More like everyone held their breath.
"Halt acceleration, begin 1 meter/second parallel movement."
Without waiting for the measurement reports, it was obvious to the naked eye that the tester was currently moving in the air.
"It's moving
......"
"He can fly......"
The incredulous words only served to confirm that the sight before everyone's eyes was reality.
"This is Tester #1 to observation deck, I'm currently walking in the air......
Belay that......
I'm flying, I'm free......"
The surprising transmission from the speakers released the emotions suspended by everyone's amazement.
"Awesome!"
"We did it!"
"Congratulations, young master!"
The observers shouted in joy.
The tester was freely tracing flight paths in the sky.
Only Tatsuya remained immune to the fiery emotions of the people around him as he calmly observed the expressions around him and accepted their delirious well wishes.
"Are you all morons......?"
Ushiyama gestured helplessly at the testers that sprawled on the ground due to magic overuse.
This test ran massively over schedule and continued until all 9 testers were down and out for the count.
It wasn't that there was a problem with the process, it was because the testers didn't want to stop.
At their request, the communications line that also served as a life line was swapped for wireless communications so they could go completely off script and play hide and seek.
"How can you use Sustained-Type Magic for so long!"
Modern magic is almost always activated in an instant or over a short period of time.
Generally, magics with sustained effects are only valid within a specific time, so there are very few Magicians who can use magics that require constant activation. For example, "Sonic Blade" belongs to the Sustained-Type Magic category, but in reality, most users refresh the activation after each strike.
Until recently, magic that requires repetitive activation was seen as unique abilities for select Magicians and it wasn't until the introduction of the "Loop Cast" system that the automatic replication of Activation Sequences in the Magic Calculation Area became available to the general public.
"You are responsible for your own actions, I'm not handing out worker's comp."
Thankfully, no tester exhibited symptoms of magic deprivation. Since this remained within the boundaries of hilarity, Ushiyama snorted at the protests and walked towards Tatsuya, who was staring intently at the test results.
"Is there any area you're concerned about?"
When Tatsuya turned around, his expression was a far cry from satisfied.
"Honestly, the areas for improvement are limitless...... But based on the current status, the stress for continuously executing Activation Sequences is still overly high."
For some reason, a knowing expression crossed Ushiyama's face as he heard this and he glanced at Tatsuya and Miyuki, who was standing behind her brother.
"Of course, when compared to Hime-sama or the young master, these Magicians have a fairly limited psion count."
By Magic Power standards, Tatsuya was on the tail end of Magicians.
However, Magic Power standards fluctuate with the advancement of magic and the passage of time.
For example, thirty years ago Activation Sequences weren't as well understood as they are today, so the transition from Activation Sequences to the construction of Magic Sequences was so slow that it cannot be compared to today. Magic Sequence efficiency was also pretty low and, when compared to the current day and age, it required several times more psions to construct an equally effective Magic Sequence.
At that time, the standards for power of Magicians emphasized the psion count within the Magician's body (which included both the physical body and the mental "body") rather than focusing on the speed of Magic Sequence construction. By the old standards, both Tatsuya and Miyuki's psion count would rate as top tier.
Thanks to the improvements in Activation Sequences, Magic Sequences and CADs, a limited psion count wouldn't cause the same problems with magic invocation. Excluding "Non-Systematic Magic" techniques that directly released psions, a high psion count is only seen as a beautiful decoration now.
That being said, the use of Activation Sequence and construction of
Magic Sequences still consumes psions and, even if each consumption is a small amount, hundreds or thousands of incremental amounts still add up to considerable stress on the Magician.
"We have to streamline the design for the CAD's automatic psion absorption to make it more efficient......"
"......Let me handle that. If we rely more on the hardware portion than software, that should lessen the load somewhat. We could probably set the timing mechanism as a feedback loop as well."
Ushiyama said this after a moment's consideration, which Tatsuya responded to with a knowing smile.
"I was just about to discuss that with you."
"I'm honored."
Both of them revealed the exact same smile.
◊ ◊ ◊
While there were a few hardware modifications still remaining, all in all the technical portion yielded a satisfactory result. Today's most important gain was the verification that the average Magician is able to execute Flying-Type Magic with a CAD obtainable on the general market.
There was no time to waste. After organizing the results of this experiment, next week he would publicize the details regarding Flying-Type Magic under the name Taurus Silver. Speed was more important than quality here, because the impacts of "first in the world" and "second in the world" were completely different. "First" was also an incredibly powerful tool for dissemination.
On the other hand, the CADs specifically designed for Flying-Type Magic would have to be objectively redesigned from scratch, so they would probably hit the market around September (the end of the first half of the fiscal year).
With these two objectives established, the meeting adjourned. Tatsuya headed to the rest area to collect the waiting Miyuki and began the long trek home.
Despite all the work that needed to be done...... more like he adamantly insisted on sending them off, Ushiyama scratched his head in an awkward manner.
"I'm terribly sorry, I did contact the Vice President, but......"
Regardless of whether it was during the experiment or after the confirmation of success, the VP in charge of all FLT R&D divisions
—Tatsuya and Miyuki's father never showed up at all, a detail that Ushiyama couldn't get over.
"Don't worry about it. It's our day off anyways, and even if he's at work, he should be at corporate headquarters."
Honestly, from Tatsuya's point of view, not seeing him was probably for the best.
As a matter of fact, Miyuki didn't want to see him at all.
However, that was probably too much information for Ushiyama. Ushiyama knew that the siblings' father not only held an important position in FLT, but was also the majority shareholder. Even if Ushiyama was a key developmental engineer, the skeletons in the manager's closet should be kept far away from employees.
With this in mind, Tatsuya used this excuse as a response, but that only served to deepen Ushiyama's guilty expression.
"......
No, the VP is actually here today......"
Even though Tatsuya's back was facing Miyuki, he could still feel his sister's emotional turbulence as she frowned.
Tatsuya himself actually let out a breath. Thank goodness they didn't run into their father.
"As the VP, he probably doesn't have the time to check every site personally. I hardly think that he looks down upon R&D."
"No, that I understand. Also, the VP allocated a larger budget to us anyways."
Tatsuya intentionally steered the conversation back on its head and turned around to comfort Ushiyama. It was a shame that he had to treat the even more nervous Ushiyama like this, but Tatsuya also didn't want dwell on this subject. As usual, fate had other ideas.
After the siblings said their goodbyes to Ushiyama and left the research labs, they encountered the people they least wanted to meet at the corridor leading to the threshold of the main area.
"Long time no see, Miyuki Ojou-sama."
As the three family members silently stared at one another, the first to speak was actually the fourth person present. This man was known to Tatsuya and Miyuki, but the emphasis was on "known" and not "close".
"It's been awhile, Aoki-san. I would like to say long time no see as well, but I'm not the only person present.
Otou-sama, you look well, thank you for your phone call last time, but I think that occasionally greeting your own son isn't grounds for divine retribution, is it?"
The smooth and lovable voice was tinged with barbs, but her opponent's skin and defenses were proof against the rose's thorns.
"Ojou-sama, forgive this one's impertinence, but this Aoki serves as the butler and financial manager for the Yotsuba Family. Your request for me to greet a paltry attendant is against our house rules."
"He is my Onii-sama."
Miyuki was striving to maintain her calm tone, but Tatsuya was very clear that she was reaching her breaking point.
"Again, forgive this one's impertinence, everyone in the house earnestly wishes for Ojou-sama to inherit the Yotsuba Family. He's only Ojou-sama's guardian, and thus stands on an entirely different level than your own."
"Hold, Aoki-san, I understand that interjecting here is considered boorish, but choose your words carefully."
Just as Miyuki was about to breakdown and scream, Tatsuya coldly overrode his sister's words.
His voice was chilling to the extreme.
Even such contempt found no purchase on Tatsuya's will.
Tatsuya's heart was "forged" this way.
Rather than affronted, Tatsuya was more concerned that Miyuki would hurt herself being enraged on his behalf.
"It doesn't matter. Although you are a mere attendant, you are still Miya-sama's son, so I am forced to overlook this breach of decorum."
So Tatsuya had no time to deal with his opponent's haughty attitude.
"Earlier, you claimed that all who serve the Yotsuba Family wish for Miyuki to be the next head of the Yotsuba Family. I do believe this is an unfair charge to the other candidates, correct?"
In order to avoid letting Miyuki be subjected to the negativity projected towards him any longer, Tatsuya must continuously press the attack, forcing the opponent to yield without allowing Miyuki to interject in any way.
"I believe our aunt has not selected a successor, unless you are telling me that you are privy to our aunt's decision?"
The shrewd and capable gentleman in the prime of his years that looked more like a lawyer than a butler was stunned into silence by the sixteen year old youth's inquiry.
"If her will is decided, then I need to begin preparations for Miyuki immediately. This is an excellent opportunity today, so I would be most indebted to you if you can verify this."
Tatsuya's voice was perfectly even, without a single rise or pitch in his volume.
"......Maya-sama has not made a decision."
Aoki answered with a suffering expression on his face.
Tatsuya intentionally widened his eyes to express his amazement.
"This is astounding! The fourth butler of the Yotsuba Family actually passed on his personal wishes in the guise of the family directive towards the candidates for succession? If so, who here is the one who violated the house rules?"
Tatsuya pretended to sigh as Aoki glared furiously at him, his face completely red. Tatsuya judged that Aoki's position was now untenable, so he prepared to depart with a victorious message.
Unfortunately, that judgment was too naive.
"......That was no assumption. As we all serve the Yotsuba Family, it is a common feeling that we all possess. Even though we cannot see heart to heart, as long as we aim for the same goal, then we are all on the same wavelength."
This was a fabricated excuse that abandoned all theory and logic. Even so, his opponent still prepared the forbidden poison for the last moment.
"You're nothing more than a heartless, false Magician. You wouldn't be able to understand."
The moment Aoki spat out this malicious sentiment, the walls were suddenly covered in frost.
The air conditioning kicked into overdrive trying to restore the rapidly falling temperature.
Swirls of cold air congregated around Miyuki's feet.
However, Tatsuya reached out with one finger on his left hand and, accompanied by the sound of a cassette player rewinding at high speed
— a hallucination that only people that can sense magic can hear — the cold air vanished.
Miyuki's face alternated between angry red and green before turning completely pale. Tatsuya gathered his sister into his bosom with one hand before directing a chilling gaze that cut like a blade towards Aoki.
"My mother was the very one who created this 'heartless fake Magician', the older sister of the Yotsuba Family's current head Yotsuba Maya, she who was called Yotsuba and now Shiba Miya.
She used the forbidden Non-Systematic Magic 'Mental Design Interference', forcibly altering the area in the consciousness, most likely to create strong emotions called the limbic system by inputting a Magic Calculation Model, creating an artificial Magician. The one who designed this experiment was Yotsuba Maya, who had recently been appointed the head of the Yotsuba Family, while the one who conducted this experiment on her six year old son that had no magic skills was Shiba Miya.
In other words, to apply the word 'imposter' to me as the target of the experiment is to call the magic experiment conducted by the current head of the Yotsuba Family and her older sister as a fake. I'm sure you are aware of the consequences?"
Tatsuya gently held his beloved little sister who was sobbing into his chest. On the other hand, he continued to mercilessly press the attack on Aoki, who was responsible for driving his little sister into this state.
"............"
"Tatsuya, stop."
Tatsuya's father, who had remained silent until now — Shiba Tatsurou, covered for the immobile Aoki who had been cowed into silence and stepped forward to halt Tatsuya.
"Don't speak poorly of your mother." But his words were completely off topic.
This was probably done to avoid irritating the main house and to protect himself.
This corporation was secretly funded by the Yotsuba Family, so even though he was the majority shareholder thanks to the stocks from his deceased wife, the actual power of attorney still remained in the hands of the Yotsuba Family, hence it wasn't surprising for him to speak softly around them, but......
Tatsuya almost broke into laughter.
"Tatsuya, it's not that I don't understand why you bear hatred towards your mother......"
And, this father couldn't even read Tatsuya's expression.
Tatsuya truly believed that, for the sake of everyone's mutual mental health, it was best to leave as quickly as possible.
Even so, Tatsuya felt that he needed to add one extra comment before departing.
"Otou-san, you misunderstand, I don't hate my mother."
"Is......
Is that so......"
That was all that was necessary.
There was no need to tell him the words Tatsuya didn't say. Tatsuya's heart did not possess the ability to "hate".
He could not feel any strong emotions like fury, despair, envy, hatred, disgust, gluttony, lust, sloth, and...... love.
Never would he forget himself in anger. Neither would he wallow in despair. Nor struggle with envy.
Unknown to hatred, nor known to disgust. Or fall in love with women.
To hunger, but not gluttonous. To arouse, but not lustful.
To tire, but not slothful.
The unique magic that only his mother possessed in the entire world erased all the strongest emotions and urges from his heart.
He did not hate his mother. Nor was he furious.
That was because he was "unable" to enrage and "unable" to hate.
The only "emotion" they left for him was intentionally left behind to bind him to the Yotsuba Family with a chain forged of duty.
Of course, this was not filial piety.
And so, Tatsuya cradled the sobbing Miyuki as they left the premises without a word of goodbye.
After the siblings shared their customary dinner together, the telephone picked this precise moment to start ringing.
Speaking of which, as everyone knows, almost all modern telephones were equipped with "web cams", a detail that third rate social commentators never failed to decry, saying that they aren't tele"phones" but tele"screens" or some related but meaningless subject. Even with this projected function brought into fruition, they are still referred to as "telephones".
— Back on topic —
Miyuki was currently in the kitchen cleaning up.
She wasn't adamant on doing the dishes herself since she could pass them to the HAR, but their household wasn't equipped with the 3H (Humanoid Home Helper, or simply "Housework robot") that had just hit the market for mass consumption. The two of them unanimously agreed that having a pair of robot arms extending from the ceiling was more of a hassle than anything, so they were better off cleaning up after themselves.
—Miyuki said that if they were too lazy to do even this, their fitness would rapidly decrease.
—Once again, back on topic —
Simply put, this was the reason why Tatsuya picked up the phone, though occasionally — that's how it was.
"Long time no see...... Did you intend to do that?"
"......Wait a minute, I have no idea what you're talking about...... Long time no see, Special Lieutenant."
Onscreen was a familiar face wearing a very surprised expression.
"It's been two months since we last spoke, but...... If you're using that title, does that mean this is an encrypted transmission? I can't believe you can tap into the civilian line every time."
"It's not that easy, Special Lieutenant. Compared to the standards of an average household, isn't the security surrounding your house a little too tight?"
"That's because there are a lot of hackers active recently, and the household servers have sensitive information stored within them."
"No wonder. We were almost traced on our end."
"You deserved that. As long as you don't delve too deeply into the database, the defense system shouldn't activate."
"I think this serves as an excellent warning shot for my newest switchboard."
Onscreen, the face that had been baptized into coarse leather by long exposure to sunlight and gunpowder revealed a mischievous smile.
As he saw this smile, Tatsuya reflected that the man hadn't aged a day since three years ago.
Based on his rank and department, he must deal with a myriad of details daily, but he never betrayed any trace of exhaustion...... As these thoughts chased one another around in his mind, Tatsuya suddenly recalled that the one on the other side of the line — The Army's 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion CO Major Kazama Harunobu didn't like to waste unnecessary time on small talk.
"Major, what's on the agenda today?"
"That's right, let's cut the small talk. Business first."
"Please go ahead."
"Today we completed modifications on the 'Third Eye'. We upgraded some components to the latest models and updated the software, so I would like you to test it out."
The 101 was pronounced "One Zero One", and not "One Hundred and First".
This was a primarily magic-based experimental detachment that was separate from the normal chain of command. In addition, the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was also responsible for the development of cutting edge equipment.
Compared to regular military classification, the security clearance for this detachment was five to six levels higher. Accordingly, a regular high school student had no business interacting with such a division, to the point that he or she would be wholly ignorant of its existence.
However, due to certain classified events, Tatsuya was actually an official member of Kazama's division.
"Understood. I will report in first thing tomorrow."
"......Wait a second, this isn't so important that you need to take a day off from school."
"No, next weekend I plan to visit the lab to test out a new calculation device."
"Although I'm in no position to say so...... But ever since you entered high school, you’ve been leading a decisively non-student-like lifestyle."
"I dislike your impression, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"That's true...... No matter how busy we get, there's nothing we can do about it. In that case, meet up at the old place tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I won't be there, but I will contact Sanada ahead of time."
"Understood."
Tatsuya saluted in acceptance, while Kazama repeated that action on the screen.
This type of salute went entirely against regulations, but since Tatsuya was an irregular, the standards were slightly relaxed.
"Next subject. Special Lieutenant, rumors say that you are joining this summer's Nine Schools Competition?"
"......Affirmative."
Tatsuya hesitated for a split second, but given the circumstances, the fact that he only hesitated for a "split second" was quite an accomplishment.
It was less than three hours after he had been confirmed as a member of the Technician's Team.
Knowing that asking was fruitless, Tatsuya put a lid on his curiosity and refrained from asking how the Major got the word.
"The arena is located in southeast sector of the Fuji Exercise Grounds, so this is only customary...... That being said, Tatsuya, stay on your guard."
Kazama's everyday speech was already abrupt, but today's seemed even more so than usual.
He wasn't referring to Tatsuya by rank, surname, or alias, but calling him directly by name, which signified that he was warning Tatsuya as an old friend rather than a superior officer. After obtaining the information intercepted by the military's intelligence network, he wasn't alerting the police or the general public, but a mere high school student without any social standing. This was highly odd.
Tatsuya focused all his attention as he continued to listen.
"There are suspicious circumstances surrounding that area, with signs that we have illegal aliens in the area."
"Did someone infiltrate the military's exercise grounds?"
"Quite lamentable indeed. Also, several witnesses claimed seeing East Asian members of an international crime syndicate in the area, which did not occur this time last year. Based on the timing, it's very likely they have something planned for the Nine Schools Competition."
It's just a high school intramural competition......
Tatsuya was about to say this aloud, before switching to another tack.
Even if they were high school students, this country's elite young Magicians were about to publicly compete against one another.
For example, if there was a major terrorist attack using explosives during the awards ceremony, that would severely impact this country's talented personnel.
"You mentioned an international crime syndicate?"
This was not the same type of organization as Blanche (pretending to be an anti-magic political organization) that Tatsuya encountered in April. If this was a criminal syndicate, then they shouldn't have any interest in causing unnecessary harm. Terrorism was another thing altogether. Kazama was a soldier, so he shouldn't have had any experience dealing with international crime syndicates.
How did he figure out their identity?
"I asked Mibu to give me a hand. You probably know him."
"The father of First High’s Year 2 student Mibu Sayaka?"
"Exactly. After retiring from the military, Mibu transferred to Internal Affairs (Cabinet Agency of Data Supervision). He's currently Chief of Foreign Affairs, specifically international crime syndicates."
"......I'm surprised."
Tatsuya wasn't merely parroting back, he was honestly surprised.
Tatsuya was astounded that the Major would reveal the identity of one of his sources of intelligence over the telephone so easily; the Cabinet Agency of Data Supervision generally remained neutral between politics and the military so they weren't particularly friendly with the military, yet the Major simply asked them for assistance in a clear-cut manner, which also amazed Tatsuya. However, what floored Tatsuya the most was that the daughter of a foreign intelligence expert actually became the accomplice to a terrorist organization affiliated with foreign countries and the father who was the chief of foreign affairs merely turned a blind eye to the situation. Salutary neglect, much?
"Criminal syndicates and underground terrorist cells are handled by different departments. Tunnel vision on their own affairs is a common fallacy in government agencies."
The reason why Kazama was able to accurately mirror Tatsuya's thoughts, rather than due to their long friendship, was more because Kazama could also read between the lines and thus resonate with Tatsuya.
"However, information from areas within his expertise is trustworthy. According to Mibu's calculations, these might be members from the criminal syndicate based out of Hong Kong called 'No Head Dragon'. Currently, their objective remains unknown and we will let you know as soon as this changes."
"Thank you, Major."
"I won't see you tomorrow, but we may meet up at Fuji."
"I look forward to that meeting."
"Likewise...... Ho, we talked too long. The new rookie is starting to panic, so it's about time for me to hang up."
The web police probably detected traces of the network invasion. Based on this assumption, it was too ambiguous for Tatsuya to tell whether he should praise the skills of the web police or lament over the skills of Kazama's subordinates.
"Make sure to greet your sensei for me."
"Understood."
"Goodbye."
Tatsuya wasn't able to reply before the screen turned blank.
"That was probably a broad hint that I should make contact with sensei......"
Then, how much was he supposed to reveal? The face of his sensei who owned the title of head monk, but was more appropriately described as "imposter" floated into Tatsuya's mind as he slightly sighed.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Onii-sama, if you don't mind, would you like some tea......?"
Sometime after closing the door leading to the living room, Miyuki's voice came floating in.
She appeared to be trying to avoid eavesdropping on the conversation, so she waited in the kitchen until Tatsuya finished his conversation.
Originally, Miyuki occupied a much more privileged position than Tatsuya and possessed the right to listen in on any military or foreign secrets, but the little sister never exercised that right before her elder brother.
Tatsuya silently padded towards the kitchen and opened the door before Miyuki could ask again.
As expected, Miyuki stood there stiffly with her eyes wide open, with a tray that had a tea kettle and some silverware and snacks perched on top.
"......Onii-sama, please don't scare me like that, you could've said something...... I can't believe you moved silently just to laugh at
Miyuki's terrified expression. Onii-sama is bullying me."
"Sorry, sorry."
Miyuki turned her head aside with a huff. Tatsuya smiled as he took the tray from her hands while apologizing every step of the way.
"But I wasn't trying to bully you, I just thought that you were carrying something heavy so I rushed over. I certainly don't want my cute little sister to haul around heavy objects."
"......I know very well that this is a fabrication......
But I'll just let Onii- sama mislead me this one time."
Even if she maintained her displeased expression, the corners of her mouth relaxed slightly.
It only took one word from Onii-sama to calm her down. But Miyuki was perfectly willing.
"Red tea today?"
"Yes, I bought some excellent summer extract and I thought occasionally having tea would be nice."
Tatsuya nodded in response to Miyuki and returned to the table before sampling the tea cup.
"Muscatel, quite rare......
It must've taken you some time and effort to get this, right?"
"No, it was really a coincidence......
As long as Onii-sama is happy, then that is the highest praise for Miyuki."
Tatsuya slowly took a sip and let out a satisfied smile. Seeing this, Miyuki smiled with a happiness that welled from the bottom of her heart.
"Hm, the tea is excellent and the butter biscuits look delicious. Did Miyuki bake these?"
"Yes, though......
They don't look very nice."
"Nonsense, I don't mind at all, they taste wonderful."
Miyuki ducked her head in embarrassment, but the sight of her Onii- sama raising the butter biscuits and enjoying them was enough to prompt her to raise her head and smile in happiness.
Tatsuya didn't bring up the topic of Kazama's conversation, and Miyuki didn't ask.
Tatsuya was busy sampling his little sister's exquisitely prepared snacks and meticulously purchased tea. For Miyuki, just the sight of her Onii-sama's satisfied expression was more than enough compensation for any arduous task.
◊ ◊ ◊
There's no need to repeat this, but Miyuki was the publicly acknowledged honor student.
Not only was she talented beyond all belief, but she also was extremely diligent.
Besides taking care of her Onii-sama's day-to-day life, she also studied until late in the night.
Today also, she studied until near midnight before shutting off the electric monitor and storing it in the table.
She wasn't exhausted yet.
According to her experience, it was hard to fall asleep when going to bed in this stimulated state. This could be quickly remedied with the sleeping device, but Onii-sama frowned upon using the technology that nearly 70% of the country uses. Since Tatsuya objected to this technology, Miyuki would have no reason to use it.
Then let's make another cup of tea to change the mood, Miyuki thought.
It was totally worth it for her to hunt down the best quality Muscatel, as evidenced by her Onii-sama's delight with the tea. Simply reflecting on Onii-sama's smile was more than enough for her to have a wonderful dream, but if she could see it one more time, and maybe even have Onii-sama rub her head, then that would be even better.
Miyuki was just heading to the kitchen, when a sudden thought crossed her mind when she stopped in front of the mirror.
Miyuki nodded slightly, then a slightly mischievous smirk formed on her face.
◊ ◊ ◊
"Onii-sama, this is Miyuki, I'm coming in with tea."
"Perfect, come in."
Miyuki would bring tea or coffee around this time every night and her brother would usually thank her in an apologetic manner, but tonight he seemed to be waiting for her to appear, which slightly bewildered Miyuki.
Regardless, if Onii-sama was waiting for her, that was definitely something that pleased her.
"I was just about to go get you—"
—He got only that far before silence forcibly swallowed the next word.
When she saw her Onii-sama turn around on the chair and stare fixatedly at her, Miyuki felt a small shiver of satisfaction run through her. She carried the tray with one hand while the other lightly clutched the hem of the skirt as she playfully curtseyed.
"............Ah, is this the uniform for 'Fairy Dance'?"
"Indeed, Onii-sama knows very well."
The miniskirt was formed by layers upon layers of dazzling colors that floated together and perfectly matched the tights that covered her beautiful legs along with the bright, leather boots.
The outer garment was open down on the back, made of a translucent material whose thickness was hard to tell. The lines were not embroidered, but naturally created by the fabric itself, allowing it to perfectly complement the bosom.
Beneath the outer garment was a shirt in the same vein as the leggings. No, maybe it wasn't a shirt and pair of leggings, but an entire long- sleeved spandex. If there wasn't the outer covering, it could very well have been mistaken for a figure skater's uniform.
A pair of hair decorations with wings sprouting out the sides held her long silky hair in place, connected by a long thick band seen on most earmuffs.
Considering air resistance and chest protection, this gorgeous uniform was undoubtedly the uniform used for "Mirage Bat" — also known as "Fairy Dance", one of the most anticipated magical events in the Nine Schools Competition.
"How does it look?"
Miyuki placed the tray on a nearby table before spinning around with a smile.
Even though the softly flowing miniskirt was very short, when matched with the fluttering hair dancing in the air it created an aura of impossible grace.
"Devastatingly cute, suits you perfectly, and your timing is excellent."
Miyuki stopped twirling when she faced Tatsuya and grabbed with both hands the hem of her skirt in a deep curtsey as Tatsuya complimented her.
"Thank you Onii-sama for your praise......?"
Miyuki was 100% certain that her elder brother would praise her, so she only prepared one response, as one response was all that was needed.
However, she was unable to comprehend what Tatsuya's last words referred to, so she altered her response to include a question mark at the end.
Miyuki straightened her legs and waist before "looking up" to the seated Tatsuya.
Just as she was about to direct her gaze towards the usual height to inquire the meaning of "your timing is perfect", Miyuki quickly realized something was wrong.
She just as quickly grasped the reason.
Even though Tatsuya was seated, his gaze was still level to his normal standing height.
Miyuki swiftly glanced downwards, then swallowed hard.
The chair that was supposed to be beneath him — was gone.
Tatsuya's right leg was crossed over his left and his right elbow was directly perpendicular atop the right knee, like he was stretching the upper half of his body forward...... As he sat in mid air.
"I also wanted Miyuki to test out this calculation device."
Tatsuya maintained this position as he slid towards Miyuki until he was roughly an arm's length away before stopping. He then uncrossed his legs and straightened his feet much like how he would rise from a chair.
With this series of motions, his physical body naturally returned to earth
"......Flying-Type Magic......
Sustained Gravity-Control Type Magic has been completed!"
She was only distracted for a split second.
Miyuki nearly pounced on her brother as she seized his hand in joy. "Onii-sama, congratulations!"
This was one of the magics that Tatsuya had been researching for some time.
Among the Four Great Systemic and the Eight Major Types of magic, the first category is the "Speed/Mass" System.
This was morphed out of the simplest of Super Powers, commonly acknowledged to be most basic magic in modern systemic magic.
That being said, while Flying-Type Magic is theoretically possible under the Speed/Mass Systems — Sustained Gravity-Control Magic, even though the basic proposal existed since the early days of modern magic, it was never successfully developed in official channels before this day.
Today during lunch, Flying-Type Magic was the subject of considerable debate. Modern magic's general consensus was that while the theory was sound, the practical application was impossible.
Even so, another cornerstone of modern magic laws was overturned before Miyuki's eyes.
"Once again Onii-sama has turned the impossible possible! To be able to witness this turning point in history, and the fact that the person who accomplished this towering achievement is my elder brother, I am extremely proud to be called your sister!"
Her hands tightly clasping Tatsuya's right hand, Miyuki looked ready to throw her arms around him, while Tatsuya gently covered his sister's hands with his left.
"Thank you, Miyuki. Although they didn't intend to use it solely towards flying, Ancient Magic has already reached this level of flying capability, but today we took another big step towards realizing the goal."
"The flying abilities of Ancient Magic can only be used by a small minority of Magicians and are a unique ability that depends on the subject, right? However, isn't Onii-sama's Flying-Type Magic usable by anyone with sufficient Magic Power?"
"At present, I have set that as the first objective. I hope Miyuki will help me test this."
"Delighted to!"
Miyuki's eyes shone as she nodded quickly.
After listening to the instructions, Miyuki looked towards the newly maintained CAD in her left hand.
Just like Miyuki's regular CAD, this was a model shaped like a mobile terminal.
However, the dimensions were much smaller than Miyuki's originally tiny model and could be comfortably obscured within her slender palm.
The only similarity was the overall shape of the mobile terminal model.
This CAD was a Specialised Calculation Device.
Miyuki wasn't familiar with Specialized models, but the operation was simple enough.
There was only a power switch and, once activated, the CAD would automatically absorb psions from the user in order to continuously fuel the Activation Sequence until the power was exhausted. On some level, this was a fairly barbaric item.
However, the psion consumption rate for the device had been lowered to the absolute minimum.
The purpose behind the design was to minimize the stress placed on the user.
"Begin test."
Her throat quivered slightly from the overwhelming nervousness she felt.
The fact that her hand wasn't trembling was enough for Miyuki to want to congratulate herself.
Even if the test failed, Onii-sama wouldn't blame her.
Rather, Onii-sama would likely redesign the "Flying Calculation Device" from scratch.
She refused to allow her own inadequacies increase her brother's burden.
Miyuki thumbed the CAD's power switch.
She knew without looking that the calculation device was currently absorbing her body's psions.
Even so, the amount was small enough that she had to pay extra attention to detect it.
It was only at a slightly elevated level compared to the normal loss of excess psions.
By the time she realized this, the Activation Sequence had already been stored into the Magic Calculation Area.
Though she was forewarned by Tatsuya's instructions, the tiny scale of the Activation Sequence still caught her by surprise.
With Miyuki's technical ability, she was able to execute dozens of copies of the same Activation Sequence with ease.
Even if the scale was tiny, every critical detail was recorded within.
Miyuki felt that this was an Activation Sequence completely stripped of anything unnecessary to boost efficiency to the max.
The variables were inputted into the Activation Sequence, beginning Magic Sequence construction.
Generally, Magicians wouldn't pay attention to these phases.
Magicians would typically use language, formulas or images to properly formulate the desired phenomenon change, then dive into the subconsciousness.
The Magic Calculation Area's job was to transform the imagined reality into data for the Magic Sequence. The "variables" in the Activation Sequence refer to the portions that must be created from the Magician's imagination.
Magicians can feel the Activation Sequences that have been absorbed into their physical body, just as they are able to sense the Magic Sequence being constructed within them. However, the construction process for Magic Sequences is partially involuntary and is not subject to conscious interference.
If this wasn't the case, based on human limits of understanding and comprehension of data, there would be no way to create Information Bodies capable of influencing reality.
Miyuki imaged herself floating to the ceiling's height. All of a sudden, the bounds of gravity disappeared.
Her five senses lost touch with her environment as if her body had phased out of reality, causing Miyuki to panic slightly.
That being said, Miyuki's soul was filled with a delight that far exceeded that paltry sense of panic.
She never knew flying was such a liberating experience.
She was almost envious of the astronauts that strode across the stars with 80% of this feeling.
She also pitied them for having to wear cumbersome space suits in order to enjoy such pleasure.
Miyuki earnestly wished to leave this narrow basement and freely soar through the skies.
"How is it? Is the Loop System too stressful?"
Her brother's voice quickly pulled Miyuki's mind back to earth.
Miyuki was terribly embarrassed that she was engrossed in the pleasure of flight during such a critical experiment.
Even so, this wasn't the time for self-loathing.
Miyuki, you have to step up — Miyuki mentally scolded herself before answering her brother's question.
"No problems whatsoever. There are no headaches or sense of exhaustion."
"Excellent. Next is gradual parallel motion, get used to slowly accelerating yourself, then fly as you please."
"Understood."
Miyuki followed her brother's instructions and imagined herself slowly floating parallel to the ground.
The tiny Activation Sequence automatically spread out and copied itself, constructing the Magic Sequence that changed the direction of gravity to parallel motion.
The design behind Flying-Type Magic revolved around using the Loop System to continuously invoke magic.
According to this process, as long as new conceptual ideas are not introduced into the Calculation Area, the variables would continuously mirror the original values.
With the Activation Sequence added into the self-replicating Non- Systematic Magic data near the final stages of the Magic Sequence construction process and allowing the Activation Sequence to be applied to the Magic Calculation Area, even if the CAD is not being operated, the same Magic Sequence can still be invoked — using the Loop System, that is. Thus, the same Activation Sequence, construction of the Magic Sequence, and the data variables can be endlessly plugged in. This is the truth behind Flying-Type Magic.
Taurus Silver's magnum opus — "Loop System", was the perfect complement to the Flight Calculation Device that Tatsuya invented.
"Is the magic disjointed?"
"Not at all. As expected of Onii-sama, the timing is simply perfect." The key to this system lies in recording the exact times the magic activates.
Humans are unsuited for such precise number management, so machines were absolutely necessary to fill this gap.
If the design stubbornly refused to take anything besides magic into account, then the system would be simply impossible.
Miyuki continued to follow Tatsuya's directions and incrementally raised the spiraling speed.
She used the limited space within the basement to the maximum extent. She turned, maneuvered, and flipped as she danced in the air.
The softly floating skirt and long, silky hair followed the outstretched body to display absolutely beautiful curves.
At some point, Tatsuya forgot to objectively analyze the situation and simply stood there mesmerized at the wholly unexpected fairy dance.
◊ ◊ ◊
Four Leaves Technology (the literal translation is "Four Leaves Technology", but the official company records and brand name intentionally used only "Four Leaves") — often shortened to FLT, had a CAD development center situated in the boondocks, nearly two hours away from Tatsuya's house by public transit (it was only one and a half hours by electric bike, but they chose to use public transit because of the rain). Tatsuya had long since familiarized himself with this route and, precisely because he was overly familiar, the long and arduous ride only served to irritate him.
"Miyuki......?"
"Yes, Onii-sama, what is it?"
"......Never mind, I apologize. It was nothing."
"Huh......?"
Unlike the labs near the main corporate headquarters, whenever Tatsuya came to this lab, Miyuki usually tagged along as well, so she was probably just as familiar with this route. But despite the dismal weather, her outlook remained much like they were on a picnic, causing Tatsuya to inquire to the reason behind that.
The reason he cut himself short after starting to ask was because when Tatsuya thought about it, he felt that this was a rather odd question.
Of course, Miyuki was quite confused, but her sunny disposition quickly returned, to the point that she was almost humming in joy.
However, the two of them had already entered the research lab, so she didn't actually make any sounds.
This was the hub for all corporate related technical research, the veritable beating heart of FLT itself, with all the security that accompanied it. Not only were there cameras watching every angle, the number of deployed security personnel was also astounding.
Even so, no one halted Tatsuya and Miyuki.
They didn't even bother to check in at the counter before walking down the window-less corridors that led to the deepest part of the facility.
Finally, the two of them arrived at a room with one wall that was covered in windows from the ceiling to the floor.
On the other side of the windows, a deep chasm extended nearly half a floor beneath the earth that was large enough to house a hangar.
Across this open space was another room with the same observation area.
This was the CAD testing center.
Over a dozen engineers and researchers were bustling about the office debating or manipulating various measuring devices.
"Ah, young master!"
Even though everyone was buried in work, someone greeted Tatsuya the moment he stepped into the observation room.
Which was quite rare — this was probably the only place — since everyone's greeting was extended towards Tatsuya and not Miyuki.
The name "young master" was initially applied to Tatsuya because he was the son of one of the corporate higher ups with the ability to enter as he pleased, but was now the respected title directed towards their future leader.
Tatsuya was slightly embarrassed by this moniker and wished that they would stop referring to him as such, but he knew that everyone called him that out of genuine friendship, so he didn't force the issue.
"Sorry for the bother, where's Director Ushiyama?"
The respectful gazes directed towards her brother made Miyuki glow with pleasure, causing no end of people — there were very few males capable of resisting Miyuki's smile — to get distracted from their work. Tatsuya allowed Miyuki to accompany him as he interrogated the first researcher in the white lab coat who greeted him.
The voice that answered this question came from far behind the crowd.
"Looking for me, Mister?"
A tall but hardly fragile-looking engineer wearing gray work clothes threaded through the crowd.
"Director, my apologies for visiting when you're so busy."
"Wait, Mister, please don't say that."
Tatsuya's respectful greeting caused the engineer named Ushiyama to color and shake his head.
"It is your right to act casual, but these men are your subordinates, so there's no need to be overly humble like this."
"Not so, everyone here was recruited by our father, so they hardly answer to me......"
"What are you saying. You are the far famed 'Mr. Silver' himself and we are honored to serve beneath you."
Every engineer and researcher who heard Ushiyama's voice nodded in agreement.
This was Four Leaves Technology's CAD Development 3rd Division.
The development team that created what the world called the "Silver Series".
Currently, it is publicly acknowledged that the "Silver Series" is the defining work of FLT's technical abilities. Once seen as rebels and renegades, the surplus employees from the technical department that made up the 3rd Division now held considerable sway in FLT after the advent of the Silver Series.
Thus, the engineers and researchers here swore eternal loyalty to one of the core developers — Tatsuya, who was "half" of Taurus Silver.
"Seriously though, I think that you, 'Mr. Taurus', are the actual leader of this group, right? It's because you were always reluctant to accept the directorship that 3rd Division still doesn't have managers and group leaders."
"Please don't say that, I'm not capable of being 'Mr.' or 'Taurus', I'm just an ordinary engineer who does the grunt work so that your ingenious theories can be facilitated. I'm the one who cannot stand the fact that my name is placed alongside the original developer. I'm not that brazen. It's just that the young master is still an underage student, so your patent would be a difficult issue, hence why I had to throw my name into the ring."
"......Without Ushiyama-san's skills, the 'Loop System' would be impossible to realize. I am not nearly as capable in terms of hardware knowledge, performance, and creativity, so regardless of whether its skills or theory, the only thing that matters is that we are able to complete a model capable of mass consumption, correct?"
"Ah~ Stop, just stop. There's no way I can beat the young master in a debate, so let's get down to business. You didn't just pop in to see us, did you?"
As Ushiyama scratched his head in surrender, Tatsuya relaxed his solemn expression and let out a deliberate smile.
"OK, Ushiyama-san, today's test subject is this."
Tatsuya intentionally kept his tone and motions casual as he pulled out a CAD shaped like a smart phone. Ushiyama stared at it for more than 10 seconds without blinking at all.
This was the T-7 model CAD that Ushiyama prepared for Tatsuya for a specific reason.
To upload software into the test model meant that......
"Is that...... the Flight Calculation Device?"
Ushiyama's hands shook as he took the CAD from Tatsuya's hands.
"Yes, the testing hardware that I had Ushiyama-san make is already loaded with the Activation Sequence for Sustained Gravity-Control Type Magic. With this test model it was easy to access and manipulate the system, making it very easy to use."
"Then the test......"
"As usual, only Miyuki and I have tested it, but we don't rate as normal Magicians."
Everyone present, and it wasn't just one or two either, who overheard them sucked in a breath and tensely stared at Ushiyama's hands.
"......Akira, how many T-7 Models do we have in the lab?"
Finally, Ushiyama used a fairly calm tone to ask his subordinate.
Upon getting the answer "ten", his half closed eyes abruptly sprang open.
"Damn! Only ten? Why weren't they replaced!
What? Order them later, grab every model we currently have plugged into the maintenance machines and copy the system the young master wrote!
Hiroshi, summon all the testers! What? Someone is on break? I don't give a damn!
Drag them here by the neck if you have to!
Everyone else, stop whatever you're doing and prepare for precise measurement!
Do you guys understand? This is Flying-Type Magic! This will change the history of magic itself!"
He was probably using the internal broadcast.
Not just in this room, even the testing room on the opposite side burst into action as even the researchers on break started working.
This indoor CAD testing facility rivals a large gym in terms of area and height. The communication line hung down from the ceiling and was attached to the back of the testing personnel.
The line also doubled as a lifeline if needed.
Floating-Type Magic has already become widespread and this facility had also tested that before, but Flying-Type Magic was on a whole different level than Floating-Type Magic, to the extent that their actual designs were fundamentally different. It was also different from leaping and slow-motion descent, a hitherto unknown magic.
The tester's face was pale with anxiety.
New magics were usually created from already familiar magics, but no one knows where danger may be lurking.
There have been precedents where Magicians lost their lives due to tiny bugs in the Activation Sequence.
If they were using a brand new and (until now) unprecedented magic, no amount of caution was enough.
The surface changed to a shock-absorbing material and, once the suspension test was cleared, the preparations were finally complete.
"Start the test."
After evacuating to the observation room — not just for the safety of the observers, but for the testers as well — Ushiyama gave the order to begin.
From below, it was impossible to see what kind of expression the tester wore as he put on his safety helmet.
However, the tester, who had amassed extensive experience as the primary tester before reaching age 30, visibly clenched his teeth.
Even so, he thumbed the CAD's power switch without any hesitation. "Confirm lift off."
"According to the measurements, there is no reverse force putting pressure on the ground."
Before the naked eye could make any confirmation, the personnel at the various measuring devices were already reporting in.
"Errors in upward acceleration within acceptable parameters."
"CAD performance is stable."
The tester's body was gradually rising.
Now, they could clearly see that his feet had left the ground.
The line was sagging, proving that the tester was not hanging from the suspension device.
Inside the observation room, excluding the sounds of the machines processing data and reporting back, there wasn't even the sound of clothes rustling.
Everyone forgot to move as they stared at either the scene before their eyes or the values displayed on the measuring devices.
"Upward acceleration still dropping...... and zero, now maintaining rising velocity."
The tester gradually rose until he was level with the 3 meter high observation room.
"Upward acceleration entering negatives......
Upward velocity has reached zero, confirmed immobile."
Up until this moment, this was still within the boundaries of what Floating-Type Magic could accomplish.
"Testing parallel acceleration."
Someone......
More like everyone held their breath.
"Halt acceleration, begin 1 meter/second parallel movement."
Without waiting for the measurement reports, it was obvious to the naked eye that the tester was currently moving in the air.
"It's moving
......"
"He can fly......"
The incredulous words only served to confirm that the sight before everyone's eyes was reality.
"This is Tester #1 to observation deck, I'm currently walking in the air......
Belay that......
I'm flying, I'm free......"
The surprising transmission from the speakers released the emotions suspended by everyone's amazement.
"Awesome!"
"We did it!"
"Congratulations, young master!"
The observers shouted in joy.
The tester was freely tracing flight paths in the sky.
Only Tatsuya remained immune to the fiery emotions of the people around him as he calmly observed the expressions around him and accepted their delirious well wishes.
"Are you all morons......?"
Ushiyama gestured helplessly at the testers that sprawled on the ground due to magic overuse.
This test ran massively over schedule and continued until all 9 testers were down and out for the count.
It wasn't that there was a problem with the process, it was because the testers didn't want to stop.
At their request, the communications line that also served as a life line was swapped for wireless communications so they could go completely off script and play hide and seek.
"How can you use Sustained-Type Magic for so long!"
Modern magic is almost always activated in an instant or over a short period of time.
Generally, magics with sustained effects are only valid within a specific time, so there are very few Magicians who can use magics that require constant activation. For example, "Sonic Blade" belongs to the Sustained-Type Magic category, but in reality, most users refresh the activation after each strike.
Until recently, magic that requires repetitive activation was seen as unique abilities for select Magicians and it wasn't until the introduction of the "Loop Cast" system that the automatic replication of Activation Sequences in the Magic Calculation Area became available to the general public.
"You are responsible for your own actions, I'm not handing out worker's comp."
Thankfully, no tester exhibited symptoms of magic deprivation. Since this remained within the boundaries of hilarity, Ushiyama snorted at the protests and walked towards Tatsuya, who was staring intently at the test results.
"Is there any area you're concerned about?"
When Tatsuya turned around, his expression was a far cry from satisfied.
"Honestly, the areas for improvement are limitless...... But based on the current status, the stress for continuously executing Activation Sequences is still overly high."
For some reason, a knowing expression crossed Ushiyama's face as he heard this and he glanced at Tatsuya and Miyuki, who was standing behind her brother.
"Of course, when compared to Hime-sama or the young master, these Magicians have a fairly limited psion count."
By Magic Power standards, Tatsuya was on the tail end of Magicians.
However, Magic Power standards fluctuate with the advancement of magic and the passage of time.
For example, thirty years ago Activation Sequences weren't as well understood as they are today, so the transition from Activation Sequences to the construction of Magic Sequences was so slow that it cannot be compared to today. Magic Sequence efficiency was also pretty low and, when compared to the current day and age, it required several times more psions to construct an equally effective Magic Sequence.
At that time, the standards for power of Magicians emphasized the psion count within the Magician's body (which included both the physical body and the mental "body") rather than focusing on the speed of Magic Sequence construction. By the old standards, both Tatsuya and Miyuki's psion count would rate as top tier.
Thanks to the improvements in Activation Sequences, Magic Sequences and CADs, a limited psion count wouldn't cause the same problems with magic invocation. Excluding "Non-Systematic Magic" techniques that directly released psions, a high psion count is only seen as a beautiful decoration now.
That being said, the use of Activation Sequence and construction of
Magic Sequences still consumes psions and, even if each consumption is a small amount, hundreds or thousands of incremental amounts still add up to considerable stress on the Magician.
"We have to streamline the design for the CAD's automatic psion absorption to make it more efficient......"
"......Let me handle that. If we rely more on the hardware portion than software, that should lessen the load somewhat. We could probably set the timing mechanism as a feedback loop as well."
Ushiyama said this after a moment's consideration, which Tatsuya responded to with a knowing smile.
"I was just about to discuss that with you."
"I'm honored."
Both of them revealed the exact same smile.
◊ ◊ ◊
While there were a few hardware modifications still remaining, all in all the technical portion yielded a satisfactory result. Today's most important gain was the verification that the average Magician is able to execute Flying-Type Magic with a CAD obtainable on the general market.
There was no time to waste. After organizing the results of this experiment, next week he would publicize the details regarding Flying-Type Magic under the name Taurus Silver. Speed was more important than quality here, because the impacts of "first in the world" and "second in the world" were completely different. "First" was also an incredibly powerful tool for dissemination.
On the other hand, the CADs specifically designed for Flying-Type Magic would have to be objectively redesigned from scratch, so they would probably hit the market around September (the end of the first half of the fiscal year).
With these two objectives established, the meeting adjourned. Tatsuya headed to the rest area to collect the waiting Miyuki and began the long trek home.
Despite all the work that needed to be done...... more like he adamantly insisted on sending them off, Ushiyama scratched his head in an awkward manner.
"I'm terribly sorry, I did contact the Vice President, but......"
Regardless of whether it was during the experiment or after the confirmation of success, the VP in charge of all FLT R&D divisions
—Tatsuya and Miyuki's father never showed up at all, a detail that Ushiyama couldn't get over.
"Don't worry about it. It's our day off anyways, and even if he's at work, he should be at corporate headquarters."
Honestly, from Tatsuya's point of view, not seeing him was probably for the best.
As a matter of fact, Miyuki didn't want to see him at all.
However, that was probably too much information for Ushiyama. Ushiyama knew that the siblings' father not only held an important position in FLT, but was also the majority shareholder. Even if Ushiyama was a key developmental engineer, the skeletons in the manager's closet should be kept far away from employees.
With this in mind, Tatsuya used this excuse as a response, but that only served to deepen Ushiyama's guilty expression.
"......
No, the VP is actually here today......"
Even though Tatsuya's back was facing Miyuki, he could still feel his sister's emotional turbulence as she frowned.
Tatsuya himself actually let out a breath. Thank goodness they didn't run into their father.
"As the VP, he probably doesn't have the time to check every site personally. I hardly think that he looks down upon R&D."
"No, that I understand. Also, the VP allocated a larger budget to us anyways."
Tatsuya intentionally steered the conversation back on its head and turned around to comfort Ushiyama. It was a shame that he had to treat the even more nervous Ushiyama like this, but Tatsuya also didn't want dwell on this subject. As usual, fate had other ideas.
After the siblings said their goodbyes to Ushiyama and left the research labs, they encountered the people they least wanted to meet at the corridor leading to the threshold of the main area.
"Long time no see, Miyuki Ojou-sama."
As the three family members silently stared at one another, the first to speak was actually the fourth person present. This man was known to Tatsuya and Miyuki, but the emphasis was on "known" and not "close".
"It's been awhile, Aoki-san. I would like to say long time no see as well, but I'm not the only person present.
Otou-sama, you look well, thank you for your phone call last time, but I think that occasionally greeting your own son isn't grounds for divine retribution, is it?"
The smooth and lovable voice was tinged with barbs, but her opponent's skin and defenses were proof against the rose's thorns.
"Ojou-sama, forgive this one's impertinence, but this Aoki serves as the butler and financial manager for the Yotsuba Family. Your request for me to greet a paltry attendant is against our house rules."
"He is my Onii-sama."
Miyuki was striving to maintain her calm tone, but Tatsuya was very clear that she was reaching her breaking point.
"Again, forgive this one's impertinence, everyone in the house earnestly wishes for Ojou-sama to inherit the Yotsuba Family. He's only Ojou-sama's guardian, and thus stands on an entirely different level than your own."
"Hold, Aoki-san, I understand that interjecting here is considered boorish, but choose your words carefully."
Just as Miyuki was about to breakdown and scream, Tatsuya coldly overrode his sister's words.
His voice was chilling to the extreme.
Even such contempt found no purchase on Tatsuya's will.
Tatsuya's heart was "forged" this way.
Rather than affronted, Tatsuya was more concerned that Miyuki would hurt herself being enraged on his behalf.
"It doesn't matter. Although you are a mere attendant, you are still Miya-sama's son, so I am forced to overlook this breach of decorum."
So Tatsuya had no time to deal with his opponent's haughty attitude.
"Earlier, you claimed that all who serve the Yotsuba Family wish for Miyuki to be the next head of the Yotsuba Family. I do believe this is an unfair charge to the other candidates, correct?"
In order to avoid letting Miyuki be subjected to the negativity projected towards him any longer, Tatsuya must continuously press the attack, forcing the opponent to yield without allowing Miyuki to interject in any way.
"I believe our aunt has not selected a successor, unless you are telling me that you are privy to our aunt's decision?"
The shrewd and capable gentleman in the prime of his years that looked more like a lawyer than a butler was stunned into silence by the sixteen year old youth's inquiry.
"If her will is decided, then I need to begin preparations for Miyuki immediately. This is an excellent opportunity today, so I would be most indebted to you if you can verify this."
Tatsuya's voice was perfectly even, without a single rise or pitch in his volume.
"......Maya-sama has not made a decision."
Aoki answered with a suffering expression on his face.
Tatsuya intentionally widened his eyes to express his amazement.
"This is astounding! The fourth butler of the Yotsuba Family actually passed on his personal wishes in the guise of the family directive towards the candidates for succession? If so, who here is the one who violated the house rules?"
Tatsuya pretended to sigh as Aoki glared furiously at him, his face completely red. Tatsuya judged that Aoki's position was now untenable, so he prepared to depart with a victorious message.
Unfortunately, that judgment was too naive.
"......That was no assumption. As we all serve the Yotsuba Family, it is a common feeling that we all possess. Even though we cannot see heart to heart, as long as we aim for the same goal, then we are all on the same wavelength."
This was a fabricated excuse that abandoned all theory and logic. Even so, his opponent still prepared the forbidden poison for the last moment.
"You're nothing more than a heartless, false Magician. You wouldn't be able to understand."
The moment Aoki spat out this malicious sentiment, the walls were suddenly covered in frost.
The air conditioning kicked into overdrive trying to restore the rapidly falling temperature.
Swirls of cold air congregated around Miyuki's feet.
However, Tatsuya reached out with one finger on his left hand and, accompanied by the sound of a cassette player rewinding at high speed
— a hallucination that only people that can sense magic can hear — the cold air vanished.
Miyuki's face alternated between angry red and green before turning completely pale. Tatsuya gathered his sister into his bosom with one hand before directing a chilling gaze that cut like a blade towards Aoki.
"My mother was the very one who created this 'heartless fake Magician', the older sister of the Yotsuba Family's current head Yotsuba Maya, she who was called Yotsuba and now Shiba Miya.
She used the forbidden Non-Systematic Magic 'Mental Design Interference', forcibly altering the area in the consciousness, most likely to create strong emotions called the limbic system by inputting a Magic Calculation Model, creating an artificial Magician. The one who designed this experiment was Yotsuba Maya, who had recently been appointed the head of the Yotsuba Family, while the one who conducted this experiment on her six year old son that had no magic skills was Shiba Miya.
In other words, to apply the word 'imposter' to me as the target of the experiment is to call the magic experiment conducted by the current head of the Yotsuba Family and her older sister as a fake. I'm sure you are aware of the consequences?"
Tatsuya gently held his beloved little sister who was sobbing into his chest. On the other hand, he continued to mercilessly press the attack on Aoki, who was responsible for driving his little sister into this state.
"............"
"Tatsuya, stop."
Tatsuya's father, who had remained silent until now — Shiba Tatsurou, covered for the immobile Aoki who had been cowed into silence and stepped forward to halt Tatsuya.
"Don't speak poorly of your mother." But his words were completely off topic.
This was probably done to avoid irritating the main house and to protect himself.
This corporation was secretly funded by the Yotsuba Family, so even though he was the majority shareholder thanks to the stocks from his deceased wife, the actual power of attorney still remained in the hands of the Yotsuba Family, hence it wasn't surprising for him to speak softly around them, but......
Tatsuya almost broke into laughter.
"Tatsuya, it's not that I don't understand why you bear hatred towards your mother......"
And, this father couldn't even read Tatsuya's expression.
Tatsuya truly believed that, for the sake of everyone's mutual mental health, it was best to leave as quickly as possible.
Even so, Tatsuya felt that he needed to add one extra comment before departing.
"Otou-san, you misunderstand, I don't hate my mother."
"Is......
Is that so......"
That was all that was necessary.
There was no need to tell him the words Tatsuya didn't say. Tatsuya's heart did not possess the ability to "hate".
He could not feel any strong emotions like fury, despair, envy, hatred, disgust, gluttony, lust, sloth, and...... love.
Never would he forget himself in anger. Neither would he wallow in despair. Nor struggle with envy.
Unknown to hatred, nor known to disgust. Or fall in love with women.
To hunger, but not gluttonous. To arouse, but not lustful.
To tire, but not slothful.
The unique magic that only his mother possessed in the entire world erased all the strongest emotions and urges from his heart.
He did not hate his mother. Nor was he furious.
That was because he was "unable" to enrage and "unable" to hate.
The only "emotion" they left for him was intentionally left behind to bind him to the Yotsuba Family with a chain forged of duty.
Of course, this was not filial piety.
And so, Tatsuya cradled the sobbing Miyuki as they left the premises without a word of goodbye.
