Entering into the second half of summer vacation, First High’s campus became rather deserted.
With the Nine Schools Competition – a major event of the summer season – drawing to a close, the various athletic clubs fell into a state of self-guided practice. Another week into the future, all the clubs would once again be bustling with activity in order to welcome the new semester, but currently even club activities fell prey to summer vacation.
Yet, the place was not completely deserted as a small minority of students still came to engage in individual practice. This was especially the case for Year 1 students, who found it difficult to use the training facilities when certain upperclassmen were present and could now take full advantage of this opportunity to fully employ the facilities.
In the sealed practice field for mock battles, the figures of many a Year 1 student could be seen.
◊ ◊ ◊
Someone was running amidst the irregularly erected large, square pillars.
With vision so severely limited like this in a room, this was practically a maze even if there were no walls. The intermittent flashes of light as well as the abandoned terrain littered about one’s feet aroused the terror that one might stumble at any moment.
Nevertheless, deceleration was out of the question even under these conditions. This was a timed exercise that was in progress. Even if this was individual practice, leaving behind a terrible blemish was unacceptable.
The forest of pillars split into a fork in the road.
The choice was made in a flash – take the right path. There was an automatic turret set just ahead.
As if on reflex, the right hand holding the CAD aimed the “muzzle” and pulled the trigger.
The preset Mass-Type Magic for competitive use was triggered.
The gravity sensory devices flipped a switch and the automatic turret ceased moving.
Cold sweat dripped down his back a little after the fact, but there was no time to ponder this. In order to salvage the time lost when his footsteps came to a halt on reflex, he had to pick up the speed to complete the exercise. Thus, he passed to the side of the motionless automatic turret and corrected his trajectory by following the curve formed by the pillars on the left.
At that instant –
--His flank suffered a vicious impact.
--The alarm signaling his disqualification rang out.
◊ ◊ ◊
Along the racetrack that was illuminated once more, Morisaki grimaced as he glanced down at his body. A red paint pellet was tightly stuck to the right side of the practice uniform worn by the Battler Shooting Club.
The pellet could be directly peeled off by hand since it had already dried off, but in order to properly clean the uniform he needed to use the removal fluid stored in the preparation room. Morisaki swiftly headed for the exit in order to avoid obstructing the next user.
The sound of him brutally shoving the door open caused the female student performing maintenance on the shooting device used for Guided Shooting to widen her eyes and turn around. (Guided Shooting utilized bullets fired with magic rather than employing gunpowder or compressed air. This was a magic competition that fired small bullets that had a diameter of 2.54 cm (1 in). The shooting device used specifically for Guided Shooting was shaped like a rifle and the stock of the rifle was altered so that there were four channels fixed in place so bullets could be inserted from four different locations and a CAD was mounted within.)
“……Morisaki, you’re rude.”
This female student – Takigawa Kazumi from Year 1 Class C, stopped working on the shooting device and turned a caring voice towards Morisaki.
“Takigawa…… You’re a member from the Guided Shot (Guided Shooting
Club). What are you doing here?” “Woah, you actually responded like that.”
Just as Takigawa said, Morisaki’s response was “like that” and certainly rubbed others in the wrong way.
“I came to look for a few components for the internal CAD and I have received permission from your club leader. That’s why I think there’s no reason for you to ask something like “What are you doing here”?”
“Hmph…… And this can’t be done in storage?”
“So sorry about that. I’m going to say this first, sharing excess components has always been a tradition among the shooting clubs. Morisaki had no idea because you always use your own CAD.”
Setting aside members of the Student Council or Public Moral Committee who have been granted the right to carry CADs on campus, “normal club members” had to configure the reserve CADs provided to the various clubs and equipped with restrictions in the Local Positioning System for personal use. Upon entering high school, Morisaki had immediately joined the Public Moral Committee and had always used his own CAD even during club activities, so there was no chance he could have learned about the club’s processes and procedures for CAD maintenance.
This rejoinder was normally proof against any rebuttal, but Morisaki only snorted and turned his back on Takigawa. Wholly ignoring her words about “rubbing the wrong way”, he removed the spray can from the cabinet by the wall and sprayed it over his flank. The paint pellet stuck to his side fell off and landed on the ground in one piece. Several similarly red contours lay scattered across the floor.
“Morisaki…… How many times has it been now? Aren’t you pushing yourself too much? You should probably call it a day now.” “……Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I’m worried about you.”
Morisaki rubbed away at the sweat that endlessly dripped from his forehead and spoke with a mocking tone. Takigawa nodded in earnest in reply.
“I want to make this perfectly clear. This is not because I’m interested in you, crushing on you, or some sort of malicious joke. I just can’t stand by and say nothing as someone I know collapses in front of me.”
“—I’m aware of that.”
Heedless of her words, Morisaki left those words as he turned to leave. Takigawa pressed on.
“In that case, you should stop here today. Continuing to practice will only pointlessly waste your strength, nor can you derive any personal satisfaction out of it.”
Takigawa directly took in the ugly glare Morisaki sent her way without averting her eyes.
“—I got it.”
The one who looked away first was Morisaki.
He ceased to speak and vanished into the men’s changing room.
“I can relate to that sort of anxiety, but…… No, I probably can’t understand.
After all, “he” and Morisaki are both boys.”
Takigawa watched his back disappear and murmured to herself.
◊ ◊ ◊
Morisaki took off the club uniform and changed into a shirt and the school pants. Just as he was about to put on the school uniform for the summer, his eye fell across the embroidered insignia on the pocket that lay over the left bosom.
--Four months ago, he took pride in that insignia.
--Yet recently, he was usually confounded by a frustration that found no release.
This unexplainable frustration continued to erode Morisaki’s heart. Nay, perhaps it was more appropriate to describe this as “a truth he did not wish to explain”.
Morisaki forsook wearing the coat and draped it over one shoulder as he walked out of the changing room.
He squinted his eyes and raised his gaze towards the blazing sun that illuminated the earth.
Even without Takigawa reminding him, Morisaki could feel the anxiety building in him.
Still, without her putting it so plainly, Morisaki might still be wasting his time on fruitless self-practice even now. That was something Morisaki comprehended.
Next time they met, he should buy her a popsicle, Morisaki thought.
His injury from the Nine Schools Competition was deemed as having to take over a month to heal, though thanks to the advent of magical healing, he was the picture of good health. Nevertheless, his body had grown rusty after staying in the hospital for a week and he hadn’t fully recovered to his original level. At least, that was how Morisaki felt about himself.
Also……
--Forget being boosted by the experience on the grandest stage, his magic skills seemed to have regressed compared to his state before summer vacation—
This doubt lurked in the recesses of his heart.
Morisaki was aware that this was not a healthy state of mind, but he was unable to beat down his frustration.
(After all, there’s no teacher present……)
Course 1 students possessed the “privilege” of being individually instructed by the instructors, but this was of course out of the question with no instructor on campus. This went beyond Morisaki, as even the participants of the Nine Schools Competition wouldn’t typically receive instruction during summer vacation and would have to make an appointment for some time after next week.
If all he wanted was to learn theory then a simple visit to the library would suffice, but at the moment Morisaki was contemplating how to improve his technical skills. He was not decadent enough to ask for practical experience, but at the very least he wished to improve his magical abilities. That was the thought that dominated Morisaki’s mind.
◊ ◊ ◊
When speaking of the Morisaki Family, the first thing that came to mind was the “Quick Draw” technique.
Among the Hundred Families, the Morisaki Family was a side family that did not possess a “number”. Though their magic power was rated as pedestrian, when it came to practicality under specialized conditions, they received high praise thanks to their unique talents. Even when compared to the “Numbered Families”, their talents matched if not exceeded them outright.
So, what sort of technique was “Quick Draw”?
In reality, this title did not contain any hidden meaning. “Quick Draw” was simply “quick activation”. This technique was designed with one thing in mind
–how to activate magic as quickly as possible when employing CADs. Specifically speaking, this was a technique that jumpstarted CAD activity and activation before the CAD had even been raised in hopes of using magic to subdue the opponent before they could release their magic.
Strength was a secondary priority.
Degree of difficulty was not within the realm of consideration.
Even if the strength of the magic was lowered, so long as the attack could be launched first then a successful incapacitation of the enemy could be achieved.
After CADs became available at large, the speed of magic activation also increased. This technique was developed with this consideration in mind to utterly maximize speed and its element lay in the development and modification of CAD operation to raise efficiency.
In pursuit of speed, the focal point naturally drifted towards Specialized CAD and not Generalized CADs. Specialized CADs in the form of handguns were currently mainstream, so the first developed technique was the motion of swiftly drawing the handgun-shaped CAD and firing.
Hence the English name “Quick Draw”.
This initial development brought about an unforeseen side effect.
From not holding a CAD, which is to say being “completely unarmed”, to striking down the ambusher by activating magic before they could. This technique was highly compatible with Japanese operatives who usually carried concealed arms.
American special agents might intentionally brandish a weapon to threaten the attacker, but Japanese agents were asked to conceal their weapons so as to reduce the anxiety level of their principals or related personnel.
Owing to the unique nature of this ability, the Morisaki Family frequently accepted bodyguard requests. Their primary clients were civilian corporations that could not always call upon the police or military for personal protection. Although their primary objective remained researching modern magic, the Morisaki Family was better known in society for their side job running a protection agency.
Morisaki Shun was the only son of the Morisaki Family’s main branch (there were no other young men in his generation) and had started working in the agency two years ago. As a youth, people were not as wary of him. Rather than serving as a primary accompanying agent, he utilized this to his full advantage and served in a support role and observed the surroundings from the rear while preventing attacks.
When the agency was short on manpower, he was always called upon to assist regardless of whether he had the time (even though this was a side job), but recently he had not been asked to undertake any missions. Currently, Morisaki wasn’t interested in conducting practices that had no physical sense of accomplishment as he was more desirous of real (combat) experiences that validated his existence. However, he was not dispatched on a mission today either.
After removing his uniform jacket and tossing it aside, Morisaki caught the eyes of the frustrated young man watching him from the mirror.
The face belonged to him and no one else. Takigawa’s warning reverberated in his ears.
Morisaki was aware that his current mental status was decidedly in poor condition.
He needed to switch gears while the warning from other people still dwelt in his mind – he told himself while forcibly suppressing his frantic mood before changing from his uniform into casual wear.
◊ ◊ ◊
Even if this was a spur of the moment outing in the afternoon, he could immediately find four or five companions if he opened his communication device right now.
Yet, Morisaki chose to walk the streets by himself.
He kept a small CAD hidden in the front pocket on the inside of his vest and kept the smaller, scattered belongings in a backpack slung over one shoulder before hitching a ride on the bus to downtown.
His destination was chosen entirely on whim. He did not come here for some specific purpose nor was this Morisaki’s preferred stomping grounds. Strictly speaking, he probably just wanted to will away the hours in a location that wasn’t too noisy but fairly lively at the same time.
With so many parks in the area, this location belonged to more than just youngsters. Still, during daylight hours on a day that wasn’t a holiday, the most conspicuous figures were young men and women of high school age enjoying their summer vacation. Most of them wore clothing appropriate for the summer season with an emphasis on cooling off.
This was rather refreshing for Morisaki.
Even during summer vacation, most students were dressed in accordance with school rules on campus.
Male students wore large sleeved tunics and female students wore leggings beneath their dresses. As a rule, both men and women wore jackets on top. Their athletic uniforms had long sleeves and pants while female students wore swimsuits used for competitions that covered everything below the neck.
However, cuteness in the form of backless clothing or revealed shoulders was on full display here. Wearing sandals with bare feet was perfectly natural just as miniskirts or shorts that covered the bare minimum areas were nothing out of the ordinary.
Morisaki himself was wearing easy-going gear that included a short-sleeved tunic embroidered with flower patterns and the top two buttons unbuttoned.
However, he was wearing a vest that opened in front that concealed a CAD. This was the singularly most out of place area.
The youth coming and going were not carrying CADs. From the onset, Morisaki never witnessed any young man wearing dark jackets or vests nor did he see any young ladies carrying thick bracelets.
Just now, he hadn’t seen a single Magician.
It seemed like Morisaki was only able to truly comprehend the cold truth just now that Magicians belonged to a decisive minority.
Furthermore, he suddenly felt that “his throat had gone dry”. (……This must be because I was sweating a lot in the morning……)
He rationalized this as thirst.
Not far from where he was standing stood the terrace of a café.
Without further contemplation, Morisaki walked towards the aesthetically pleasing café as if in stark resistance to acknowledging his thoughts and doubts.
The rather limited capacity of the café had no empty spaces left.
Lacking further options, Morisaki could only take a seat on the terrace that only provided an umbrella’s shade from the sun. Outdoor air conditioning services were not a rarity, but this café was not equipped with one. Given the outer appearance in the style of a small log cabin and the white wood furniture, the café owner was possibly a fan of natural décor.
A certain group of people might conceive the café’s style as “fashionable”. Though there was indeed a demand of such in the market, this was wholly dependent on the time of year. As proof of this, the terrace of the café was sparsely populated.
Morisaki claimed a corner seat for himself as he held a cup of iced coffee and observed the youth on the streets in a lackadaisical manner.
He felt that most of them were young men and women about his age.
At least half of them were couples whereas over 90% of the other half were moving as a group. Less than 5% of the crowd were loners like him (though based on mood, he was more of a solitary soldier than a true loner).
An ostracized feeling gradually overcame Morisaki as he continued to observe the human beings around him when suddenly the silhouette of a young girl entered his eyes.
Just like him, she was by her lonesome self. No, the rarity of this was exponentially higher given that she was female.
She wore a sleeveless tunic with a high collar and a pleated skirt that fell to her knees while her bare feet were covered with sandals, a rather neutral wardrobe that was neither coquettish nor mundane.
Still, her features defied the term “mundane”.
Eight out of ten people, and this number would spike to nine if they were men, would rate her as a “beautiful young lady” or “beautiful woman”.
If released from the ponytail that trailed down the front side along her left shoulder, her hair would have fallen to waist length. Her large eyes that were slightly uplifted along the corners flitted about without any effort, giving the impression of a large feline on the prowl. In this case, she was a leopard rather than a tiger or lion.
Her face bespoke of an Eastern ancestry but her complexion was that of a Caucasian. Rather than labeling her a leopard, perhaps a snow leopard would be more precise (except that in reality, the snow leopard’s fur was closer to gray than true white).
She looked to be two or three years older than Morisaki.
Though her features were certainly eye catching, there were quite a few young ladies present whose appearances were more beauteous when it came down to “eye catching”. Morisaki noticed her because of her appearance, but stared at her for an altogether different reason.
(She…… must be a Magician, right?)
She was not wearing the commonly seen bracelet-shaped CAD.
Seeing the bag she carried with her, there was the possibility that she was carrying a handgun-shaped CAD, but there was no way to verify short of popping open his machine.
Her appearance gave no indication that she was a Magician, but Morisaki instinctively labeled this girl as someone connected to the magical world.
She remained oblivious of Morisaki’s gaze, or at least feigned so, as she walked in front of the café where Morisaki was sitting.
Morisaki pursued her figure with his eyes and noticed that there were others also watching her.
And not with flirtatious intent.
Helping out the family business – an “instinct” gained from his role as support personnel raised the alarm.
She was being pursued by gazes with “malice” lurking behind them.
Morisaki paid the bill using the terminal on the table and stepped away from his seat as if nothing was out of sorts.
Morisaki was not shadowing this girl due to careful contemplation on his part. Morisaki’s experiences were not profound enough to constitute a “workaholic”, but this description was the closest approximation. Truth be told, the fact that she was a beautiful (young) woman certainly had an impact on Morisaki’s choice.
This young lady (though she was probably more mature than that appellation) seemed to be on some sort of business as she departed the park area and walked towards the manufacturing streets.
Maintaining a prudent distance as he trailed behind her, Morisaki noticed that there were few pedestrians passing by. Although this direction ran counter to the park or other amusement facilities, the rate at which the pedestrians were disappearing could not be explained as mere coincidence.
Morisaki recognized that this was unnatural – as if some “unnatural” force was at work.
Morisaki was unfamiliar with Ancient Magic, but he believed that Taoism or onmyoshi arts should be able to use some sort of technique to affect the subconscious, causing people to avoid a specific location.
In other words, this was the work of Magicians. Ever since Morisaki noticed this young girl, she never showed signs of casting magic. Thus, Morisaki judged that there was someone other than her wielding magic to ward away outsiders.
Then, what was the motive behind avoiding other people?
Obviously, this wasn’t a confusion engineered to avoid embarrassment. There was no way that would be the reason.
Possibilities included kidnaping, robbery, or – sexual assault.
In Morisaki’s opinion, assassination in broad daylight was out of the question, but at any rate they were up to no good.
The next question was how many people the other side possessed. Based on the broad scale of the magic involved, there couldn’t just be one or two people behind this. Without a clear picture on the opposing manpower, direct confrontation was a choice for fools. As such, the only option was to wait for the opponents to act then catch them by surprise from the flank, temporarily immobilizing the “enemy” and seizing that opportunity to evacuate the girl from the scene.
--Morisaki decided on this course of action.
However, the speed at which the situation spiraled out of control surpassed Morisaki’s calculations.
Morisaki had believed that these miscreants – at least whom he deemed were miscreants – would wait until the young woman reached the deserted factory area before making their move.
Even if there were only a few people around, the streets were still under observation from the cameras. Hence Morisaki was certain the events would not play out according to the miscreants’ wishes once the young girl reached the (second generation) Rainbow Bridge.
Nevertheless, during the instance that the road was devoid of vehicles and pedestrians, the eyes that followed the young girl transformed into figures that surrounded the girl.
“Who…… Who are you guys!?”
The young girl screamed at the silently approaching men.
Her reaction was rather defiant. Under these circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange for even a male to be stricken with fear and unable to speak freely.
Still, based on the fact that the young woman failed to detect that there was no one else around her, she too must have fallen prey to the miscreants’ magic.
Morisaki verified that the young woman was not panicking – her state of panic would necessitate a change in plans – and raised his CAD from behind the trees that dotted the sidewalk. Sniping from concealment was not one of the Morisaki Family’s stronger suites, but from an objective perspective, given Morisaki’s traditional responsibilities as a support member in the protective agency, he should be more adept at “Flanking” than “Quick Draw”.
There were a total of 6 suspects.
He needed to take them all out in one strike to safeguard the young woman. Cold sweat slid down Morisaki’s temple.
At some point, his breathing became shallow and hurried. Forcibly adjusting his breathing pattern, Morisaki charged out from behind the trees.
As he charged towards the young woman, he squeezed the trigger twice.
He dove forward when he saw his targets reach inside their jackets and squeezed the trigger once more in mid-air.
In lieu of the nature surrounding the “bodyguard” profession (even a side business still counted as a profession), the Morisaki Family developed a type of a magic that could bring down a target with one blow without inflicting serious damage.
He caused the targets to accelerate to the rear then immediately accelerated them forward to nullify the force. By rapidly looping this Move-Type Magic that incorporated two processes, he shook the internal organs of five of the targets – with an emphasis on the brain, causing them to collapse one by one.
By the time Morisaki took aim at the sixth target, his heart leaped violently. Directly in front of his eyes was a silencer – the gun’s muzzle.
That was no CAD.
It was a real gun – an automatic pistol.
Morisaki had accounted for the possibility of a magical counterattack, but never expected that someone would possess a firearm.
Given their use of magic to clear the area, he had assumed that his targets would lash out with magic.
He had erected magical countermeasures ahead of time, but was not prepared to defend against bullets.
There was no time to use magic to block the bullets or shift his own body. Morisaki redoubled the efforts in his legs and sought to escape the line of fire.
Nonetheless, by the time he gave the order for his muscles to move, the unique cough that accompanied any firearm equipped with a silencer rang out.
The muzzle was not aimed at Morisaki.
The young girl had grabbed ahold of the hand holding the gun from the side. Morisaki pulled the CAD’s trigger.
When the sixth person collapsed to the ground, the young girl seemed to be dragged downwards as she fell to a seat on the road.
“Can you stand?”
Morisaki ran to the young girl and reached out for her hand without waiting for a response.
“We best leave here soon. At any rate, let’s head for the bus station. These guys don’t seem like they want to cause a scene.”
The young girl was indeed made of sterner stuff. Despite suffering an ambush, there was no sign of tears or hysterics. After nodding in reply to Morisaki’s words, she grasped his hand and scrambled to her feet.
“This way.” “Thank you.”
Hand in hand, Morisaki led the young girl on a run towards the train station.
Wearing sandals with heels normally prevented running at will, but rather than being pulled along by Morisaki, the young girl was neck to neck with him (Morisaki had obviously lowered his velocity as well).
She never let go of his hand.
The soft touch of that petite hand spurred the (nominally) chivalrous spirit in Morisaki’s heart.
◊ ◊ ◊
After reaching the bus station, Morisaki proposed that they quit Ariake, but the young girl shook her head.
“I have an appointment with someone else here.” “Sending an e-mail message would……”
“Owing to a few pressing reasons, I am unable to directly contact the other person.”
The young girl raised her eyes and wore a slightly perplexed smile.
This bewitching smile caused Morisaki to lose the tenuous control he had over his internal turmoil.
“I am very grateful that you saved me.”
The young lady turned a blind eye to his furious blush.
Morisaki was appreciative of this caring side of hers that was altogether different from his peers.
The obligation that men held towards beautiful females – or something of that nature – burned even brighter in Morisaki’s heart.
Which is why he found it doubly hard to accept the young woman’s next words that ran counter to his expectations.
“However, I think this is far enough. Some other time…… Some other day I would like to find a way to repay the favor. If it's convenient, could you give me your contact information?”
At this point, the young girl revealed a “dismayed” expression. Figuring something was amiss, Morisaki’s entire body tightened, but upon discovering the bashful smile on the young woman’s face, a different sort of anxiety pervaded his frame.
“Ah, my apologies. My name is Lin Richardson. I’m attending college in California and traveling at the moment. Please call me Lin.”
“I am Morisaki Shun.”
Morisaki was intensely thankful that his voice wasn’t amplified when he delivered his name, though it wasn’t like he knew who these thanks should be extended to.
“You don’t have to pay me back. After all, you bailed me out when I was in danger earlier. That aside……”
Morisaki drew upon duty as his motivation and sought to switch gears from his agitated mood (that being said, claiming that this duty arose from a more romantic motivation would be the most genteel way of putting it). When the enemy possessed the numerical advantage, loitering near the scene of the ambush was not a wise decision. Normally, they should not be leisurely conversing like so.
“I do not believe that this incident will end like this. Do you have any inkling as to the cause behind this attack?”
Seeing as the optimal decision of “fleeing” was off the table, Morisaki was trying to gather more information to devise a plan of action. For example, factors such as the identity of the enemies, how long until reinforcements arrive, etc. Protection of privacy was also one of the mandatory duties of a bodyguard, but this was subservient to necessity if that information was vital to the principal’s protection.
“I’m terribly sorry. I cannot reveal that.”
Furthermore, being unable to obtain all the necessary information was not a legitimate reason for failing to complete a protective assignment.
“Is that so……? I understand. I will not pry into Lin-san’s personal business. In turn, may I serve as Lin-san’s protection until the arrival of the person who was responsible for meeting you?”
Morisaki’s request caused Lin to widen her eyes. “……Why?”
“This country has a saying: years of toil for a single moment.” “I have heard of it.”
Lin’s tone sounded displeased. “I see, my apologies……”
Morisaki awkwardly apologized, but that did not imply that he was backing down.
“I chanced upon the scene where Lin-san was almost abducted. This must be a fate of some sorts.”
In truth, Morisaki himself did not know why he was so stubborn on this matter. Lin had made her stance very clear. Even if she had not blatantly rejected him, she was hoping that Morisaki ceased to associate with her – that she didn’t want to put him at risk was obvious enough. In spite of this, Morisaki was not of a mind to beat a retreat here.
In short, the term “abduction” was based solely from Morisaki’s point of view. There was a possibility that Lin was a young lady of wealth who had gone truant and that these men were dispatched by her parents to bring her home. Assuming this was actually an “abduction”, then this may be related to a major crime and the earlier group of people may belong to an opposing organization. Alternately, they may have been sent to recapture a former member who fled the organization. Regardless, anyone who dared to directly fire their weapon without warning in broad daylight could not possibly be an upstanding citizen. This was the conclusion that Morisaki arrived at – or perhaps unilaterally decided this was so.
“……You should have realized just now that this will be very dangerous, correct? You don’t seem like a person who cannot differentiate between reality and games.”
Lin’s somewhat befuddled eyes did little to dampen Morisaki’s ardor. The other side consisted of scoundrels who were preying on a fragile, defenseless woman. In that case, it was clear which side Morisaki should support – at least this was what his heart told him.
“Lin-san is in far more danger than I am. I would not be lying or exaggerating to say that this country’s law enforcement is quite capable, but the crime rate is not zero. This is especially true for magical police officers handling magic crimes, where the reaction speed is practically lethargic.”
“The same could be said for every country.”
Lin wore an impish grin as she tried to deflect the statement, but Morisaki was not fooled.
“That’s why I believe that Lin-san needs a retinue.” “……And you are volunteering?”
With a completely serious expression on his face, Morisaki nodded in agreement to her leading question.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. I have two years of experience as an attache.” “……Aren’t you a high school student?”
“I am a Year 1 student at the Magic University-affiliated high school. However, the family business manages a protection agency.”
“Oh......
Your name is Morisaki, so you must be from the Morisaki Family then?”
Lin only halfheartedly lent an ear to Morisaki up until this point before finally nodding in the affirmative. At the same time, this also implied that Lin belonged in a social stratum that was well versed with a retinue.
“But I don’t have any money on me.”
“I’m not here to talk about a job. I just don’t want to pretend not to see anything.”
“How gentlemanly of you.”
Lin laughed lightly, causing Morisaki to avert his eyes in embarrassment. “—I understand. Since you’re so worried, then I place myself in your care.” “—Please leave it to me.”
Altering her earlier expression, Lin fixated her eyes on Morisaki, to which he responded with a nod as if bestowed a great honor.
“Then there’s no time like the present, is it OK if I made a request right this moment?”
“What is your request?”
Bodyguards were not butlers, but in order to effectively fulfill their protective duties, establishing rapport with their principal was highly important. So long as the demand was not too ridiculous and did not affect the guard’s mission, then compliance with the principal was a must. This was one of the basic rules for bodyguards in both the east and the west – though “East Side” might be a little different. Morisaki had no idea what this request could entail so he was slightly nervous as he waited for her to continue. Lin smiled in a charming fashion before dropping this line:
“Please call me Lin. The next time you call me “Lin-san” will be grounds for immediate dismissal.”
◊ ◊ ◊
“……So Lin isn’t a Magician?”
“Yes, though I don’t know how Shun came to that misunderstanding……”
Lin smiled in confusion. In comparison to Morisaki who was struggling to lower his guard and still spoke in a stiff tone, Lin freely referred to Morisaki as “Shun” and embraced him as a friend.
Was this the poise that came with maturity? Morisaki pondered this as he peeked at Lin’s face. He felt that Lin was a beautiful young woman.
Normally, a person’s appearance would be beautified when observed from a distance, but in her case, seeing her from up close was just the same and may be even more bewitching. This might be due to her rich array of expressions that never appeared twice – that was the conclusion Morisaki drew from his limited life experiences.
“Ah, maybe it’s because of this?”
Lin said this as she pulled a necklace out from before her chest.
With the top button left undone, soft cleavage danced in and out of sight. Morisaki’s heart raced at this scene just as blood suffused his face, but Lin appeared to be entirely unaware.
“What is that?”
“It’s a magic talisman.” “Ah?”
“A magic talisman. Wearing this reduces attention from other people. This was made during the age when abductions ran rampant for a variety of reasons and was crafted as a protective charm to ward against being targeted by evildoers…… It’s a bona fide artifact.”
Modern magic was created from the research and systemization of Ancient Magic. In that context, Morisaki was aware that among the objects referred to as magic talismans, there was many an “artifact” that could actually release a magical effect.
On the other hand, it was also true that fakes which were nothing more than decorations had flooded the market in numbers that were dozens of times greater than the true artifacts. Given that Morisaki was a young Magician who focused solely on modern magic, it should be no surprise that he bore a suspicious impression of objects like “magic talismans”.
Yet right now, Morisaki was not questioning Lin’s words.
Her smile seemed to dispel the skeptical thoughts being raised in Morisaki’s mind.
The question that floated into Morisaki’s brain was another one altogether. “You’re not a Magician but you carry a magic talisman?”
When Morisaki asked this question with a perfectly straight face, Lin suddenly wore a flustered expression.
“Oh…… Well, this was something a friend gave me to “ward away stalkers”.”
“Stalkers...... So you ran into something like this in the past?”
“Uh…… Well, kind of.”
“Then were those guys earlier……? No, I said I wouldn’t pry. Sorry.”
Seeing Morisaki abidingly refrain from questioning her any further, Lin secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
“……Still, this doesn’t seem to work against those guys any longer.”
Morisaki’s attention was already turning to the attackers from earlier. His diligent personality saved Lin just now.
“……Nor is it effective against Shun. Are Magicians just special?”
This question was angled in a different direction than the dialogue Morisaki was constructing.
If asked in the days of old, he would probably have puffed his chest and answered with a nod in the affirmative.
He believed he was special. His status as a Magician was a source of great pride, just as he was confident that even among his peers he was a particularly talented Magician. Although the results of the Nine Schools Competition ran counter to his hopes, he was of the belief that had the other team not treacherously broken the rules, he should have been able to achieve results befitting his own confidence without relying on that strategist who only had wily tricks up his sleeve for assistance.
However, for some reason, the current Morisaki was unable to affirm Lin’s words.
“……I don’t think there’s a great difference, since magic is a human ability after all. Lin’s magic talisman is an object that allows people to use magic powers. In that context, there’s nothing different than a Magician’s arts.”
“Hm…… That makes sense when you put it that way. Magicians are human beings just like us.”
Lin was unaware that her words formed an opinion that separated “Magicians” and “non-Magicians” into two racial groups.
Fortunately, Morisaki missed that nuance.
Morisaki was adamant about avoiding areas with few people, so the two of them ultimately spent their time in the restaurant in front of the bus station until the person Lin was waiting for made contact. The one who initiated the conversation was always Lin with Morisaki largely only agreeing with her, but neither felt the time was ill spent.
Just as Morisaki expected, they never caught sight of any suspicious individuals afterward. Yet, occasional opportunities allowed him to feel various auras watching them from a distance in all directions.
At this point, Lin’s expression suddenly tightened in anxiety as she pulled out her information terminal before Morisaki’s questioning eyes. Apparently, her point of contact had sent her an e-mail.
However, how should he explain why Lin tensed instead of relaxing when the person they were waiting for made contact? Morisaki was quite bewildered by this.
Could it be that the person they were waiting for was one of Lin’s “enemies”? Morisaki hoped that Lin was at least able to explain that to him – or perhaps come clean.
“Directly beneath the Rainbow Bridge.”
Lin spoke with a tight expression on her face. “A boat will be dispatched to pick me up.” “……Let’s go.”
Directly beneath the Rainbow Bridge that the other individual spoke of probably referred to the square next to the bridge’s foundations. On a normal weekday, that was a location inundated with visitors. Morisaki urged Lin to stand and reached out his hand towards the terminal set on the table’s surface.
However, Lin beat him to the punch by a hair and placed her card on top of the terminal first.
“Plainly a high school student yet you dare to pick up the tab for an older woman. Far. Too. Brazen.”
Using her index finger, Lin punctuated each word with a poke on Morisaki’s forehead, eliciting a furious blush on his part.
Lin’s originally tensed face was now exchanged with a composed smile.
Taking the main road would be faster, but Morisaki purposefully chose the winding paths leading through the park. He believed that the magic used earlier to ward away pedestrians and vehicles would have a much harder time in the park where most people stood still compared to the constantly moving flow of people on the streets.
He was not cognizant that this lengthened the time he spent with Lin. At the very least, his surface thoughts did not venture into this territory.
Morisaki also requested that she place her necklace into her purse. Under the current conditions, spells that diverted other people’s attention would only achieve the opposite effect.
Logically speaking, this was the right idea. However – this unfortunately brought them to unexpected trouble.
Currently, a human wall was erected in front of Morsaki and Lin.
The human wall was thick enough that it could even block the free kick from a professional soccer player.
Alas, in terms of wardrobe, appearance, and all assorted factors, these individuals were a far cry from the refreshing air found on athletes. To put it bluntly, they looked more like hoodlums.
Though there might be a few minute differences here and there, the majority of them wore similar garb. Most of their naked torsos were only covered by leather vests whereas metal rings covered above and below their wrists and elbows.
Their vests reminded people of a lizard’s scales and their surface texture reflected the metallic scales that were popular three years ago among the “small crowds”. Compared to the usual bulletproof and anti-piercing fibers, this composite material boasted gigantic leaps in improvement in both protection and shock resistance. However, since the air permeability was terrible, forget wearing this outdoors in summer, even wearing this in a heated indoor environment during winter would cause someone to sweat like a horse, thereby deeming this product a failure. The overwhelming majority of the young men in front of them kept the front unzipped, though even the sleeveless vests looked to be quite warm indeed. Given that this completely defeats the purpose of blocking frontal stabs or shots, the only conclusion that could be drawn was that this was a fashion statement from the past that was stylish but impractical.
The metal rings around their wrists utilized EMS – muscle amplifiers that stimulated the muscles through electric currents. Training devices that utilized EMS were an early form of technology that existed back in the 1960s, but in the modern age, other electric currents have been introduced to successfully raise the speed for muscle contraction. These rings were normally used for medicinal purposes during rehabilitation, but could also be used to easily improve punching power, making it a popular choice among disreputable street fighters.
Several of the young men wore AR goggles over both eyes. The metallic straps attached to the goggles were covered with sensory devices which appeared to be equipped with light capture processes. These processes normally emitted a directional signal once objects approached within a predetermined distance but were not something that could be wielded at will by casual users. In short, this was also probably a fashion statement.
This martial (?) style that emphasized physical appearance was the telltale feature of the delinquent gang who styled themselves “Fight Club”. Standing in front of the two people who came to a halt, the group of young men never stopped leering at them.
Not a word was uttered.
Morisaki slipped an arm around Lin’s shoulder and sought to retrace their footsteps.
Several people let out wolf whistles.
The human wall moved with an astonishing level of organization and surrounded the two of them in a veritable human fence.
“—We are in a hurry, please let us pass.”
“Ah hah, please don’t say that. How about playing with us?”
“Yeah, yeah, compared to that little man, we know what the really fun things are.”
Lin sought to peacefully defuse the situation, but the young men only tightened the noose while making disgusting sounds that were displeasing to the ear.
“We’re really in a hurry—“
“It’s no use, these guys never planned to listen our words in the first place.” Morisaki stopped Lin’s continued attempt at persuasion.
“Ho ho, telling it like a big man.”
“Though it’s true that we’re not here to talk.” Crude laughter drifted in from their surroundings. “Little man, let’s cut to the chase.”
“Leave the job of guiding her to us, you’re free to go. Now scram!”
A young man who must be the leader of this gang changed his tone from friendly to threatening from the rear of the crowd – which happened to be right in front of these two. He was a head taller than Morisaki and the T-shirt he wore was missing sleeves that appeared to be ripped off, revealing a pair of biceps with thick muscles rising and falling. His arm was covered from hand to shoulder with silver geometric shapes which served the same purpose as the muscle amplifiers in boosting muscle contraction speed (though the results were questionable). A swarthy waist and sturdy thighs clearly denoted a physique that did not belong on someone with a passing fancy.
In response to the look that did not stretch the term ugly, Morisaki wore a light smirk on his face.
“What’s so funny……?”
“Nothing, pardon my manners.”
The young man’s low tone grew evening more threatening. However, Morisaki still wore a mocking expression as his choice of words grew scathing.
“I could understand if this was Shibuya or Ikebukuro, but I never imaged I could run into endangered species like yourselves in Ariake.” “……What a fascinating guy.”
“You should be satisfied with blowing one round of hot air, no? We’re actually pressed for time, so could you let us pass?”
“……Looks like you need to learn a lesson in pain.”
The young man shifted his weight to the tips of his toes. Seeing this, Morsaki slightly shifted his right shoulder backwards.
The vest that opened forward moved slightly. “Takashi-ni, this guy is a Magician!”
The movement must have revealed the handle of the CAD being held in the hidden holster. A young man to Morisaki’s right side shouted out a warning.
The circle surrounding the two of them backed off a bit. With one notable exception, they had grown fearful.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
The sole exception – the “Takashi” who served as the leader exhorted his comrades onward.
“I know as well, Magician.”
The corners of his mouth twisted as he looked down upon Morisaki in a theatrical manner. This didn’t seem like bravado, so perhaps he warranted a tiny hint of praise.
“Your guys’ magic is on the same level as guns, right? You would be arrested and imprisoned if you use magic on an unarmed person, right?”
Morisaki silently looked upon the young man. The young man continued onward with a gusto.
“A Magician who cannot use magic is nothing more than a wooden doll. What did you think that sort of empty hot air was going to do? Ah ha ha ha!”
The youth let out a foolish bray of laughter to which Morisaki returned a merciless smile up at him.
“You who face extinction, dare you put that to the test?” “……What did you say?”
“I said, do you want to test whether we Magicians are nothing more than wooden dolls without our magic, you pretentious scoundrel.”
“Ha…… Hey, none of you interfere.”
The leader of the endangered species who styled themselves the “Fight Club” turned his face back from a jigsaw mess to his normal expression (as ugly as it was). He raised his fists before spreading his legs to lower his center of gravity, hereby adopting a fighting stance.
Seeing this, Morisaki also wiped away the derisive smirk on his face and allowed his backpack to slide off one shoulder. He raised both fists in front of his face and lightly starting hopping in place.
“Wooden doll, let’s dance.”
“I accept, superficial scum. However, you touch her at your own peril. I will make you all regret being born into this world.”
“You’re just a little man, but that mouth of yours…… Has spunk!”
That sentence served as a declaration of hostilities.
Like a whip, an upward kick was sent hurtling towards Morisaki’s face.
In order to protect Lin right behind him, Morisaki could not evade to the back. Instead, he lowered his head to duck beneath the swirling kick.
“Takashi” adroitly pulled back the upward kick and sent the leg pummeling downwards to Morisaki’s head.
Rather than calling this a hook kick, this was more like an ax kick. Morisaki rose in the direction of his kick and narrowly avoided the blow. The other man’s face changed.
The moment the leg touched the ground, he immediately let fly a lightning fast punch.
Morisaki deflected it with one hand.
Forward kick, mid punch, low kick, mid kick, sweeping kick, revolving elbow…… A swift combination of attacks showed that this young man was not just shooting his mouth and his moves were not just cheap imitations. Based on these movements, he had probably undergone the entire training regime for karate under special tutelage.
Yet, all of his blows were being entirely dodged or neutralized by Morisaki. Frustration was starting to mount on “Takashi’s” face.
He sought to decide the fight in one blow and telegraphed a long range hook punch towards Morisaki’s chin.
Morisaki was not going to let this opening pass by.
Stepping forward, he directed a left jab towards “Takashi’s” face. No, the force behind the punch was a direct punch rather than a jab.
If his fists had not been thoroughly trained, the force of the punch might readily damage his own hand, but Morisaki never wavered and sent a well-trained right palm strike inside the enemy’s guard.
“Takashi” wavered and fell rear first onto the ground.
He was utterly astounded at being taken to the floor in two blows by someone who was an entire head shorter than he was.
Morisaki sent a mocking smile at the older man looking up at him with “disbelief” written all over his face.
“Damn, that was slow. That sort of speed might get you through a street brawl, but you don’t have a chance against us combat Magicians.”
The other young man probably could not grasp the meaning behind Morisaki’s declaration.
The young man was unable to accept a reality where a Magician who relied entirely on a cheating ability like “magic” somehow possessed greater physical prowess than someone like him who had undergone rigorous training.
In systematic magic, there were the Four Great Systems and Eight Major Types, one of which was Acceleration-Type Magic.
This sort of magic was not just used to accelerate or decelerate an object, but could also be used on the caster.
A Magician who cast personal acceleration magic would normally become accustomed to operating at the upper speed limits of what the senses can handle. This was a speed that could not be comprehended by people without magic.
In truth, the speed that professional racers experienced on the race track was a velocity that they frequently encountered at school, on the practice field outside of school, during competitions, and in combat.
Blows that professional fights would deem “fast” were practically slow motion in their consciousness.
Morisaki picked up his backpack and grasped Lin’s hand.
He had no inclination to continue dealing with the “endangered species” who refused to accept reality.
Furthermore, even though they hadn’t wasted too much time, there was no denying that this was the longer route.
Nonetheless – Lin quickly thrusted away Morisaki’s hand.
Before Morisaki’s shocked gaze stood Lin as she seemed to stare in surprise at her own actions.
The mind ground to a halt as their limbs seemed to be frozen in time.
Seeing Morisaki freeze, the young men reached out their hands towards Lin instead of taking action against him.
Grab ahold of her hand, pull her entire body over, and then press a knife against her face – that was probably their plan of action. Yet, this desperation ploy was rendered obsolete before they even reached the phase of pulling Lin over to them.
Behavior patterns that had been deeply engrained into his subconscious overcame his brain’s rigidity and spurred Morisaki’s body into action on reflex.
In a smooth motion like flowing water, Morisaki drew the CAD from his bosom.
By the time the “muzzle” was aimed correctly, the standby phase for the CAD had already been disabled.
The time Morisaki spent hesitating over using magic could be measured in milliseconds.
The young men were all struck in the head and keeled over on the ground.
Some of them fell on soft parts of the body and started to bleed, but Morisaki’s “reflex” never stopped.
By the time Morisaki recovered his wits, the only people standing at the scene were her and himself.
And one other person.
The young man who had his seat glued to the ground was spared being knocked unconscious.
Morisaki turned an emotionless eye, one that had not reawakened his feelings, on the young man.
“Y…… You damnable monster! Don’t come over here! Don’t come over here!”
The youth remained prone on the round and reached a hand into one of his pockets before plucking something out and throwing it.
Seeing that the opened switch knife harmlessly flew off into an inconsequential direction, Morisaki once more reached out a hand to Lin.
This time – Lin grasped his hand.
◊ ◊ ◊
And so, the two of them silently ran hand-in-hand all the way to the appointed place where the boat should be waiting.
There were no further obstacles along the way. As befitting the waterside square in a park, many couples were about. Many spared a glance at the two people that had a carried a different air about them before turning their eyes away as it was none of their business.
Lin stood on the small pier where the ferries docked and looked out towards the sea. The hands that connected the two of them naturally parted here.
“……Shun.”
After a lengthy silence, Lin softly called out to Morisaki. “What is it, Lin?”
Lin kept her eyes on the sea and did not turn her head. “Do Magicians…… have a thirst for battle?”
Lin did not look at Morisaki’s face and made sure that he could see her face as she asked this question.
“Lin?”
“Do Magicians…… have a thirst for battle? Do they like hurting others? Do they hunger for danger? Do they desire to display abilities that normal people do not possess?”
Lin’s volume was slightly elevated, giving Morisaki the impression she was reprimanding him.
“……Are you upset?”
“I’m not upset! I’m furious!”
In short, she’s upset, right? This thought ran across Morisaki’s mind, but he wasn’t calm enough to actually retort.
When Lin turned to face him, her eyes were brimming with tears.
“……It is not because Magicians thirst for battle. At the very least, I dislike hurting others.”
Lin’s expression and the tears threatening to burst from her eyes put enormous pressure on Morisaki.
“Then why did you aggravate him?”
“Because that wasn’t someone you can talk down!”
Yet, Morisaki had his own reasons. He did not believe he made the wrong decision. Perhaps there was an even better solution, but Morisaki believed that he had also handled the situation fairly well.
“In that case, we can still flee! There was no need to defeat everyone, all we had to do was use magic to escape! We also had the option of calling for help. I don’t think that fighting was the only option we had.”
“That……”
Morisaki was unable to say anything because he knew Lin’s words made sense. But –
“Maybe we could have ran away at the time. However, those guys might have called in more companions. Also, there is no way of knowing if the earlier crowd was going to show up either. There was no need to take on unnecessary risk, so if the opportunity presented itself to crush the enemy then it should be taken.”
--Even so, he was not going to back down.
“Why is fighting the only thing you think about! Why is it that everyone who isn’t with us is against us!?”
“Magicians are not superheroes! It’s not like in the TV dramas, where there’s a logical solution for everything!”
This principle, along with the fundamentals of the bodyguard business, was drilled into Morisaki by the uncle that was closest to him in age.
Magicians are not superheroes.
Magicians did not possess the power to do whatever they pleased. Thus, do not hesitate when pulling the trigger.
Calmly differentiate between enemy and ally.
The techniques of the Morisaki Family and Morisaki Shun the person, neither was strong enough that they were still able to safeguard their target of protection after an enemy had launched their attack.
“—I am unable to show mercy to my enemies. I’m not incredible.” “Shun……”
When Lin saw Morisaki gritting his teeth with a pained expression his face, the tumultuous emotion in her eyes faded.
With a warm expression on her face, she reached out and took hold of Morisaki’s hand.
“Lin……”
Morisaki allowed Lin to grasp his hand, but didn’t match her gaze as he murmured to himself.
“Do you also think…… that Magicians are monsters? Do you believe that
Magicians are monsters that wield powers beyond human limits? That Magicians are able to grant any wish like Deus ex machina?”
“Shun……”
“Magicians…… are also human beings.”
“Shun…… are you afraid of fighting?”
“……I’m terrified. Regardless of whether its guns, blades, fists, magic…… I’m scared of them all.”
“Then why do you fight? You are obviously a high school student, why do you take on a dangerous job like being a bodyguard?”
“That’s because…… I possess a power that I was born to carry……”
“Shun, I don’t think that you have to do dangerous things simply because you’re a Magician or because you possess magic. Since you’re terrified, then why don’t you just stop……? Magicians are human beings too, right?”
Morisaki’s face was clearly faltering.
Terror and hope were stirred together among the maze of confusion. With a protective smile, Lin continued to watch over Morisaki.
Amid all the couples at this location, their actions were not particularly conspicuous.
Still, based on what was about to ensue, the two of them were overly focused on the conversation.
Lin was the one who noticed that something was awry. “Shun…… Isn’t this strange?”
“Lin?”
“I get the feeling that no one has been looking at us for a while……”
If this phrase had originated from one of Morisaki’s peers, he would have explained it as being “overly self-aware”. Yet, these words coming from someone as beautiful as Lin carried an entirely different context.
“Lin, you aren’t using that necklace, are you?”
“Ah? Yeah…… That’s why it’s so strange. I’m plainly not using that, but I feel just like as if I’m using it……”
“Lin, sorry.” “Ah!”
Morisaki suddenly clasped Lin to his chest.
At the same time, he swiftly surveyed their surroundings.
Even after performing such an outrageous (in his eyes) motion, no one paid them the slightest heed.
No one even glanced at them.
Morisaki let go of Lin and began hunting for the hint of magic.
Although there was no way to be sure, there was definitely a vague aura enveloping them.
“What is it? What’s going on?” “Quiet!”
Morisaki dropped his backpack and pulled out a thick bracelet from within before wearing it on his left wrist.
Then, he removed an empty holster and hung that from the pocket around the right side of his waist.
Completely abandoning the “low-key” approach, he was preparing for battle.
As if on cue, men dressed in pitch black and wearing dark sunglasses materialized all around them and half surrounded Morisaki and Lin. This was practically straight out of the urban legends surrounding the MIB.
Morisaki gritted his teeth.
He should have known ahead of time that the enemy would use mental interference magic.
(……The time for regret is later!)
Morisaki told himself in encouragement.
One of the men in black stepped in front of the two of them.
The gaze hidden behind those dark shades was not directed at Lin, but at Morisaki instead.
“……We are from the Intelligence Control Agency.”
The man pulled out a black card holder with those words. He opened it to show Morisaki.
There was indeed the mark of the Department of the Interior’s Intelligence Control Agency inside, as proven by the special print that changed color and shape depending on the light’s refraction. Morisaki was aware that the changing shape carried a hypnotic effect so he immediately averted his gaze after verifying its authenticity.
The corners of the man’s mouth twitched upwards as he stored the document in his breast pocket.
“We will take responsibility for protecting Miss Richardson. What happens beyond here is official business, so please leave immediately.”
Morisaki was on the verge of nodding in reply when he realized Lin behind him had a white-knuckled grip on his vest.
“Lin, are you going with them?”
Lin furiously shook her head in response to Morisaki’s inquiry.
Morisaki turned his eyes forward and gazed into the eyes of the man in black – or more like his sunglasses.
“Permit me to refuse.”
His conveyance left little room for misinterpretation. “I’ve already said this was official business……”
“This is a mission of protection, isn't it? In that case, you have no right to override the decision of the person in question and enforce your own will on the matter. Or do you all have a warrant? Not that “Internal Affairs” has the right to make arrests, of course.”
The man in black revealed a smile that said “you’ve forced my hand” and turned to look to his side.
That was the signal.
Gun muzzles appeared from the men’s sleeves.
Throwing his left arm around Lin’s waist, Morisaki used his right hand to operate the bracelet and jumped for the water’s surface.
Lin gave out a shriek.
The sounds of compressed air being fired and short needles shredding through the air were covered by her cries.
The darts from the tranquilizer rifles passed above the two figures who had leaped to one side.
Morisaki activated Move-Type Magic while in mid-air.
They stopped falling as they approached sea level and bounded to the next pier.
At the same time that he moved Lin to a kneeling position, Morisaki also dropped his own stance and set his bracelet to standby mode.
In the next instant, he had pulled out the handgun-shaped CAD from his breast. He had confirmed 8 enemies when they had been surrounded.
Of which 2 were Magicians.
The enemies’ identities were extinguished from his mind.
The sole idea that occupied his thoughts was to protect the young woman behind him.
The notion of “escape” never crossed his mind. His fear of battle had already faded.
Nor was he afraid of being watched by terrifying eyes. He will strike down the enemy to protect others.
That was the only option in his mind.
First, Morisaki acted to disable the enemy Magicians and clicked the trigger twice.
Following that, one deep groan could be heard. Confirming results. One down and the other warded it off.
Morisaki saw the enemy Magician operating a CAD with his fingers. He also saw the muzzle of tranquilizer rifles pointed towards him.
With the speed of a stage magician employing his tricks, Morisaki returned the handgun-shaped CAD to the holster around his waist and disabled the standby mode on the bracelet-shaped CAD he wore.
He could feel that the enemy’s Acceleration-Type Magic was beginning to have an effect on him.
However, Morisaki ignored that magic.
He was calling the Activation Sequence for Area of Effect Move-Type Magic.
Morisaki used “Stillness” Magic to catch the incoming needles fired by compressed air.
Horizontal Acceleration-Type Magic rushed towards Morisaki’s body. His feet left the ground and fell towards the water.
Lin stretched out her upper torso and called for Morisaki. The men in black swarmed towards her.
The “gun” popped out of the water.
Holding the CAD that bore a resemblance to a handgun in his right hand, Morisaki began to float upwards thanks to the breath he inhaled earlier and aimed at the Magician to the enemy’s rear.
Magic was activated.
The “opposing” Magician was caught off guard by Morisaki’s surprise attack and struck unconscious.
Following that, Morisaki once again changed the Specialized CAD in his hand to standby mode and activated the powers set in the Generalized CAD. He sank into the water while operating the number pad and activated Acceleration-Type Magic.
Morisaki burst through the water in a manner that would turn a dolphin green with envy, no, that even a dolphin could not hope to match.
His wrists overlapped with the right hand over the left as he aimed the Specialized CAD in this manner at the enemy while turning off the power of the Generalized CAD. Pumping his psions into the Specialized CAD, Morisaki pulled the trigger six times in the air.
Morisaki was unable to completely neutralize his descending force and had to immediately fall into a roll upon coming into contact with the cement.
As his body descended to the earth, all of the men in black collapsed as well.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Shun, Shun! Are you alright?”
Lin knelt next to Morisaki as he lay prone on the ground and desperately called out to him.
“I’m fine.”
Morisaki opened his eyes and nodded. Maintaining his current position, he temporarily regulated his breathing before sitting up.
“Ouch!”
However, he immediately fell to one knee when he attempted to stand. “Shun?”
“It’s nothing…… I just twisted my ankle.”
By the time he said this, cold sweat beaded his temple.
Lin looked around them for help. The mental interference magic that blocked other people from noticing them had already been disabled. Many sightseers or couples out on a date were watching them from afar.
They were just watching them from a sizeable distance with an uncomfortable look in their eyes.
Their eyes were focused on Morisaki’s left hand.
On the bracelet-shaped CAD that signified his status as a Magician.
Lin knew that the people around them were whispering among themselves. Not a single person approached them.
Morisaki gave up on trying to stand and sat down with legs splayed out. “Lin, has the appointed boat arrived yet?”
“Huh? Ah…… I think it’s that one.”
“I see……”
A small vessel was drawing closer. It was a swift boat that didn’t draw much water and could be used either on the river or at sea.
“I’m sorry, it’s all because of me……”
Morisaki said “Don’t worry about it” to the drooping Lin.
“Forget about it, so long as Lin is safe and sound. I can finally relax now that I’ve kept my promise.”
This was not the sound of bravado, but of earnest satisfaction that welled forth from the heart.
“Why……?”
“Why indeed……”
Morisaki used a reply that was not a reply to answer Lin’s question that was not a question.
“Maybe it’s just as Lin said.”
Still, even if her question was incomplete, Morisaki largely understood what Lin wanted to ask.
“Our magic is a tool developed for battle…… We Magicians were assembled with this in our hearts, so it may be true that we have a thirst for battle and are only tools used for battle.”
Morisaki’s soliloquy seemed to have entirely abandoned his own sense of self and prompted tears to appear in Lin’s eyes when she heard this.
“I’m sorry, Shun, I’m so sorry……”
Lin burst into tears as she lowered her head and repeatedly choked out apologies.
“Lin? Why are you apologizing? Why are you crying……?”
Bewildered, Morisaki asked Lin the reason behind her tears and apologies, but his mind was calm and at peace to the point that even he was astounded.
“I’m sorry. I said something so terrible, I’m sorry……”
“Lin?”
Morisaki was flabbergasted. He had no idea what to say.
Nor did he have any clue what to do.
Unfortunately, up until this moment, no one had ever taught him what to do under these circumstances.
“Don’t call yourself a tool. Shun always protected me regardless of the danger. Compared to those who only watch other people suffering without lifting a finger, Shun is much more humane.”
Morisaki managed to connect Lin’s broken words that came between her sobs – --and his heart swelled with pride.
“I’m…… ashamed of myself. Just then, I was exactly like those people in that I also felt somewhere in my heart that Magicians were disgusting and were different creatures than myself. That’s why…… Shun…… I’m sorry……”
“Don’t worry about it too much.”
Morisaki’s words were spoken in a steady tone. More so than the literal words themselves, this served to help encourage Lin and caused her to raise her head.
“I am very satisfied that I was able to assist Lin. For me, today was a very meaningful day.”
Just as Morisaki had no idea what Lin was hiding, neither did Lin knew the inner struggles Morisaki was facing.
Before a rather perplexed Lin, Morisaki revealed a pleasant smile. “Lin, the boat’s here.”
Morisaki’s words prompted Lin to turn her body.
Just as he said, the small vessel had docked. Two men wearing suites bowed deeply to Lin.
“Lin, please go ahead. I’ll be alright after I sit here a little longer.” “Huh, but……”
“Go on. They might attack again later.” “……I know. Shun, thank you very much.”
There was no kiss of goodbye.
To say that there were no expectations involved would be a lie, but not progressing in that direction may actually be for the better. This fulfilling “reality” would not be tarnished. Rather than pushing himself, this was how Morisaki truly felt.
The only regret he had was that he could only sit there and watch her leave.
Lin waved from the boat, to which Morisaki raised a hand from his sitting posture in response.
This was rather improper, but Morisaki felt that this was probably more like his style.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Meilin-sama, thank goodness you’re alright.” “Yes, that’s because that young man saved me.”
On board the vessel that had left the shoreline, Lin wore a radically different and cold expression as she called out a name to one of the men who came to welcome her and nodded in agreement.
At this moment, an older gentleman with a head full of white hair appeared.
“Meilin-sama…… To visit this country alone at a time like this. Do take heed of your position.”
“Are you giving me orders?” “No, your subordinate dares not.”
The old man bowed respectfully towards Lin.
The older gentleman’s decorum was impeccable, but his attitude was hollow.
“Nevertheless, this country’s government appears to fight with us until the end. This time they dared to insult Meilin-sama, I believe equivalent retribution is in order.”
“I forbid it.”
The old man raised his eyes and put forward this suggestion, but Lin resolutely vetoed it.
“It’s true that the Japanese government was both barbaric and rude this time. However, from that young man, I obtained a bond of friendship that is more than enough to compensate. Since you all have chosen a person without any magic like myself as your leader, then I forbid you all from taking action against this country. If you are unwilling to accept that, then I will return to California.”
“No, let everything be done in accordance with Meilin-sama’s wishes.” Morisaki was not arrested by Internal Affairs.
They were likely also acting beyond the bounds of law. The unconscious men in black were borne away in front of Morisaki’s eyes by their comrades. The agents from Internal Affairs who came to collect their colleagues never spared Morisaki a single glance.
As to who Lin was and why she was being targeted a government organization, no one told Morisaki the truth.
Lin’s real name was “Sun Meilin”. She was the adopted daughter of “Sun Richardson”, the head of the Hong Kong international crime ring known as “No Head Dragon” – the daughter of the leader’s most beloved mistress – and the new leader chosen by the lucky survivors, but Morisaki never had the opportunity to know that.
Entering into the second half of summer vacation, First High’s campus became rather deserted.
With the Nine Schools Competition – a major event of the summer season – drawing to a close, the various athletic clubs fell into a state of self-guided practice. Another week into the future, all the clubs would once again be bustling with activity in order to welcome the new semester, but currently even club activities fell prey to summer vacation.
Yet, the place was not completely deserted as a small minority of students still came to engage in individual practice. This was especially the case for Year 1 students, who found it difficult to use the training facilities when certain upperclassmen were present and could now take full advantage of this opportunity to fully employ the facilities.
In the sealed practice field for mock battles, the figures of many a Year 1 student could be seen.
◊ ◊ ◊
Someone was running amidst the irregularly erected large, square pillars.
With vision so severely limited like this in a room, this was practically a maze even if there were no walls. The intermittent flashes of light as well as the abandoned terrain littered about one’s feet aroused the terror that one might stumble at any moment.
Nevertheless, deceleration was out of the question even under these conditions. This was a timed exercise that was in progress. Even if this was individual practice, leaving behind a terrible blemish was unacceptable.
The forest of pillars split into a fork in the road.
The choice was made in a flash – take the right path. There was an automatic turret set just ahead.
As if on reflex, the right hand holding the CAD aimed the “muzzle” and pulled the trigger.
The preset Mass-Type Magic for competitive use was triggered.
The gravity sensory devices flipped a switch and the automatic turret ceased moving.
Cold sweat dripped down his back a little after the fact, but there was no time to ponder this. In order to salvage the time lost when his footsteps came to a halt on reflex, he had to pick up the speed to complete the exercise. Thus, he passed to the side of the motionless automatic turret and corrected his trajectory by following the curve formed by the pillars on the left.
At that instant –
--His flank suffered a vicious impact.
--The alarm signaling his disqualification rang out.
◊ ◊ ◊
Along the racetrack that was illuminated once more, Morisaki grimaced as he glanced down at his body. A red paint pellet was tightly stuck to the right side of the practice uniform worn by the Battler Shooting Club.
The pellet could be directly peeled off by hand since it had already dried off, but in order to properly clean the uniform he needed to use the removal fluid stored in the preparation room. Morisaki swiftly headed for the exit in order to avoid obstructing the next user.
The sound of him brutally shoving the door open caused the female student performing maintenance on the shooting device used for Guided Shooting to widen her eyes and turn around. (Guided Shooting utilized bullets fired with magic rather than employing gunpowder or compressed air. This was a magic competition that fired small bullets that had a diameter of 2.54 cm (1 in). The shooting device used specifically for Guided Shooting was shaped like a rifle and the stock of the rifle was altered so that there were four channels fixed in place so bullets could be inserted from four different locations and a CAD was mounted within.)
“……Morisaki, you’re rude.”
This female student – Takigawa Kazumi from Year 1 Class C, stopped working on the shooting device and turned a caring voice towards Morisaki.
“Takigawa…… You’re a member from the Guided Shot (Guided Shooting
Club). What are you doing here?” “Woah, you actually responded like that.”
Just as Takigawa said, Morisaki’s response was “like that” and certainly rubbed others in the wrong way.
“I came to look for a few components for the internal CAD and I have received permission from your club leader. That’s why I think there’s no reason for you to ask something like “What are you doing here”?”
“Hmph…… And this can’t be done in storage?”
“So sorry about that. I’m going to say this first, sharing excess components has always been a tradition among the shooting clubs. Morisaki had no idea because you always use your own CAD.”
Setting aside members of the Student Council or Public Moral Committee who have been granted the right to carry CADs on campus, “normal club members” had to configure the reserve CADs provided to the various clubs and equipped with restrictions in the Local Positioning System for personal use. Upon entering high school, Morisaki had immediately joined the Public Moral Committee and had always used his own CAD even during club activities, so there was no chance he could have learned about the club’s processes and procedures for CAD maintenance.
This rejoinder was normally proof against any rebuttal, but Morisaki only snorted and turned his back on Takigawa. Wholly ignoring her words about “rubbing the wrong way”, he removed the spray can from the cabinet by the wall and sprayed it over his flank. The paint pellet stuck to his side fell off and landed on the ground in one piece. Several similarly red contours lay scattered across the floor.
“Morisaki…… How many times has it been now? Aren’t you pushing yourself too much? You should probably call it a day now.” “……Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I’m worried about you.”
Morisaki rubbed away at the sweat that endlessly dripped from his forehead and spoke with a mocking tone. Takigawa nodded in earnest in reply.
“I want to make this perfectly clear. This is not because I’m interested in you, crushing on you, or some sort of malicious joke. I just can’t stand by and say nothing as someone I know collapses in front of me.”
“—I’m aware of that.”
Heedless of her words, Morisaki left those words as he turned to leave. Takigawa pressed on.
“In that case, you should stop here today. Continuing to practice will only pointlessly waste your strength, nor can you derive any personal satisfaction out of it.”
Takigawa directly took in the ugly glare Morisaki sent her way without averting her eyes.
“—I got it.”
The one who looked away first was Morisaki.
He ceased to speak and vanished into the men’s changing room.
“I can relate to that sort of anxiety, but…… No, I probably can’t understand.
After all, “he” and Morisaki are both boys.”
Takigawa watched his back disappear and murmured to herself.
◊ ◊ ◊
Morisaki took off the club uniform and changed into a shirt and the school pants. Just as he was about to put on the school uniform for the summer, his eye fell across the embroidered insignia on the pocket that lay over the left bosom.
--Four months ago, he took pride in that insignia.
--Yet recently, he was usually confounded by a frustration that found no release.
This unexplainable frustration continued to erode Morisaki’s heart. Nay, perhaps it was more appropriate to describe this as “a truth he did not wish to explain”.
Morisaki forsook wearing the coat and draped it over one shoulder as he walked out of the changing room.
He squinted his eyes and raised his gaze towards the blazing sun that illuminated the earth.
Even without Takigawa reminding him, Morisaki could feel the anxiety building in him.
Still, without her putting it so plainly, Morisaki might still be wasting his time on fruitless self-practice even now. That was something Morisaki comprehended.
Next time they met, he should buy her a popsicle, Morisaki thought.
His injury from the Nine Schools Competition was deemed as having to take over a month to heal, though thanks to the advent of magical healing, he was the picture of good health. Nevertheless, his body had grown rusty after staying in the hospital for a week and he hadn’t fully recovered to his original level. At least, that was how Morisaki felt about himself.
Also……
--Forget being boosted by the experience on the grandest stage, his magic skills seemed to have regressed compared to his state before summer vacation—
This doubt lurked in the recesses of his heart.
Morisaki was aware that this was not a healthy state of mind, but he was unable to beat down his frustration.
(After all, there’s no teacher present……)
Course 1 students possessed the “privilege” of being individually instructed by the instructors, but this was of course out of the question with no instructor on campus. This went beyond Morisaki, as even the participants of the Nine Schools Competition wouldn’t typically receive instruction during summer vacation and would have to make an appointment for some time after next week.
If all he wanted was to learn theory then a simple visit to the library would suffice, but at the moment Morisaki was contemplating how to improve his technical skills. He was not decadent enough to ask for practical experience, but at the very least he wished to improve his magical abilities. That was the thought that dominated Morisaki’s mind.
◊ ◊ ◊
When speaking of the Morisaki Family, the first thing that came to mind was the “Quick Draw” technique.
Among the Hundred Families, the Morisaki Family was a side family that did not possess a “number”. Though their magic power was rated as pedestrian, when it came to practicality under specialized conditions, they received high praise thanks to their unique talents. Even when compared to the “Numbered Families”, their talents matched if not exceeded them outright.
So, what sort of technique was “Quick Draw”?
In reality, this title did not contain any hidden meaning. “Quick Draw” was simply “quick activation”. This technique was designed with one thing in mind
–how to activate magic as quickly as possible when employing CADs. Specifically speaking, this was a technique that jumpstarted CAD activity and activation before the CAD had even been raised in hopes of using magic to subdue the opponent before they could release their magic.
Strength was a secondary priority.
Degree of difficulty was not within the realm of consideration.
Even if the strength of the magic was lowered, so long as the attack could be launched first then a successful incapacitation of the enemy could be achieved.
After CADs became available at large, the speed of magic activation also increased. This technique was developed with this consideration in mind to utterly maximize speed and its element lay in the development and modification of CAD operation to raise efficiency.
In pursuit of speed, the focal point naturally drifted towards Specialized CAD and not Generalized CADs. Specialized CADs in the form of handguns were currently mainstream, so the first developed technique was the motion of swiftly drawing the handgun-shaped CAD and firing.
Hence the English name “Quick Draw”.
This initial development brought about an unforeseen side effect.
From not holding a CAD, which is to say being “completely unarmed”, to striking down the ambusher by activating magic before they could. This technique was highly compatible with Japanese operatives who usually carried concealed arms.
American special agents might intentionally brandish a weapon to threaten the attacker, but Japanese agents were asked to conceal their weapons so as to reduce the anxiety level of their principals or related personnel.
Owing to the unique nature of this ability, the Morisaki Family frequently accepted bodyguard requests. Their primary clients were civilian corporations that could not always call upon the police or military for personal protection. Although their primary objective remained researching modern magic, the Morisaki Family was better known in society for their side job running a protection agency.
Morisaki Shun was the only son of the Morisaki Family’s main branch (there were no other young men in his generation) and had started working in the agency two years ago. As a youth, people were not as wary of him. Rather than serving as a primary accompanying agent, he utilized this to his full advantage and served in a support role and observed the surroundings from the rear while preventing attacks.
When the agency was short on manpower, he was always called upon to assist regardless of whether he had the time (even though this was a side job), but recently he had not been asked to undertake any missions. Currently, Morisaki wasn’t interested in conducting practices that had no physical sense of accomplishment as he was more desirous of real (combat) experiences that validated his existence. However, he was not dispatched on a mission today either.
After removing his uniform jacket and tossing it aside, Morisaki caught the eyes of the frustrated young man watching him from the mirror.
The face belonged to him and no one else. Takigawa’s warning reverberated in his ears.
Morisaki was aware that his current mental status was decidedly in poor condition.
He needed to switch gears while the warning from other people still dwelt in his mind – he told himself while forcibly suppressing his frantic mood before changing from his uniform into casual wear.
◊ ◊ ◊
Even if this was a spur of the moment outing in the afternoon, he could immediately find four or five companions if he opened his communication device right now.
Yet, Morisaki chose to walk the streets by himself.
He kept a small CAD hidden in the front pocket on the inside of his vest and kept the smaller, scattered belongings in a backpack slung over one shoulder before hitching a ride on the bus to downtown.
His destination was chosen entirely on whim. He did not come here for some specific purpose nor was this Morisaki’s preferred stomping grounds. Strictly speaking, he probably just wanted to will away the hours in a location that wasn’t too noisy but fairly lively at the same time.
With so many parks in the area, this location belonged to more than just youngsters. Still, during daylight hours on a day that wasn’t a holiday, the most conspicuous figures were young men and women of high school age enjoying their summer vacation. Most of them wore clothing appropriate for the summer season with an emphasis on cooling off.
This was rather refreshing for Morisaki.
Even during summer vacation, most students were dressed in accordance with school rules on campus.
Male students wore large sleeved tunics and female students wore leggings beneath their dresses. As a rule, both men and women wore jackets on top. Their athletic uniforms had long sleeves and pants while female students wore swimsuits used for competitions that covered everything below the neck.
However, cuteness in the form of backless clothing or revealed shoulders was on full display here. Wearing sandals with bare feet was perfectly natural just as miniskirts or shorts that covered the bare minimum areas were nothing out of the ordinary.
Morisaki himself was wearing easy-going gear that included a short-sleeved tunic embroidered with flower patterns and the top two buttons unbuttoned.
However, he was wearing a vest that opened in front that concealed a CAD. This was the singularly most out of place area.
The youth coming and going were not carrying CADs. From the onset, Morisaki never witnessed any young man wearing dark jackets or vests nor did he see any young ladies carrying thick bracelets.
Just now, he hadn’t seen a single Magician.
It seemed like Morisaki was only able to truly comprehend the cold truth just now that Magicians belonged to a decisive minority.
Furthermore, he suddenly felt that “his throat had gone dry”. (……This must be because I was sweating a lot in the morning……)
He rationalized this as thirst.
Not far from where he was standing stood the terrace of a café.
Without further contemplation, Morisaki walked towards the aesthetically pleasing café as if in stark resistance to acknowledging his thoughts and doubts.
The rather limited capacity of the café had no empty spaces left.
Lacking further options, Morisaki could only take a seat on the terrace that only provided an umbrella’s shade from the sun. Outdoor air conditioning services were not a rarity, but this café was not equipped with one. Given the outer appearance in the style of a small log cabin and the white wood furniture, the café owner was possibly a fan of natural décor.
A certain group of people might conceive the café’s style as “fashionable”. Though there was indeed a demand of such in the market, this was wholly dependent on the time of year. As proof of this, the terrace of the café was sparsely populated.
Morisaki claimed a corner seat for himself as he held a cup of iced coffee and observed the youth on the streets in a lackadaisical manner.
He felt that most of them were young men and women about his age.
At least half of them were couples whereas over 90% of the other half were moving as a group. Less than 5% of the crowd were loners like him (though based on mood, he was more of a solitary soldier than a true loner).
An ostracized feeling gradually overcame Morisaki as he continued to observe the human beings around him when suddenly the silhouette of a young girl entered his eyes.
Just like him, she was by her lonesome self. No, the rarity of this was exponentially higher given that she was female.
She wore a sleeveless tunic with a high collar and a pleated skirt that fell to her knees while her bare feet were covered with sandals, a rather neutral wardrobe that was neither coquettish nor mundane.
Still, her features defied the term “mundane”.
Eight out of ten people, and this number would spike to nine if they were men, would rate her as a “beautiful young lady” or “beautiful woman”.
If released from the ponytail that trailed down the front side along her left shoulder, her hair would have fallen to waist length. Her large eyes that were slightly uplifted along the corners flitted about without any effort, giving the impression of a large feline on the prowl. In this case, she was a leopard rather than a tiger or lion.
Her face bespoke of an Eastern ancestry but her complexion was that of a Caucasian. Rather than labeling her a leopard, perhaps a snow leopard would be more precise (except that in reality, the snow leopard’s fur was closer to gray than true white).
She looked to be two or three years older than Morisaki.
Though her features were certainly eye catching, there were quite a few young ladies present whose appearances were more beauteous when it came down to “eye catching”. Morisaki noticed her because of her appearance, but stared at her for an altogether different reason.
(She…… must be a Magician, right?)
She was not wearing the commonly seen bracelet-shaped CAD.
Seeing the bag she carried with her, there was the possibility that she was carrying a handgun-shaped CAD, but there was no way to verify short of popping open his machine.
Her appearance gave no indication that she was a Magician, but Morisaki instinctively labeled this girl as someone connected to the magical world.
She remained oblivious of Morisaki’s gaze, or at least feigned so, as she walked in front of the café where Morisaki was sitting.
Morisaki pursued her figure with his eyes and noticed that there were others also watching her.
And not with flirtatious intent.
Helping out the family business – an “instinct” gained from his role as support personnel raised the alarm.
She was being pursued by gazes with “malice” lurking behind them.
Morisaki paid the bill using the terminal on the table and stepped away from his seat as if nothing was out of sorts.
Morisaki was not shadowing this girl due to careful contemplation on his part. Morisaki’s experiences were not profound enough to constitute a “workaholic”, but this description was the closest approximation. Truth be told, the fact that she was a beautiful (young) woman certainly had an impact on Morisaki’s choice.
This young lady (though she was probably more mature than that appellation) seemed to be on some sort of business as she departed the park area and walked towards the manufacturing streets.
Maintaining a prudent distance as he trailed behind her, Morisaki noticed that there were few pedestrians passing by. Although this direction ran counter to the park or other amusement facilities, the rate at which the pedestrians were disappearing could not be explained as mere coincidence.
Morisaki recognized that this was unnatural – as if some “unnatural” force was at work.
Morisaki was unfamiliar with Ancient Magic, but he believed that Taoism or onmyoshi arts should be able to use some sort of technique to affect the subconscious, causing people to avoid a specific location.
In other words, this was the work of Magicians. Ever since Morisaki noticed this young girl, she never showed signs of casting magic. Thus, Morisaki judged that there was someone other than her wielding magic to ward away outsiders.
Then, what was the motive behind avoiding other people?
Obviously, this wasn’t a confusion engineered to avoid embarrassment. There was no way that would be the reason.
Possibilities included kidnaping, robbery, or – sexual assault.
In Morisaki’s opinion, assassination in broad daylight was out of the question, but at any rate they were up to no good.
The next question was how many people the other side possessed. Based on the broad scale of the magic involved, there couldn’t just be one or two people behind this. Without a clear picture on the opposing manpower, direct confrontation was a choice for fools. As such, the only option was to wait for the opponents to act then catch them by surprise from the flank, temporarily immobilizing the “enemy” and seizing that opportunity to evacuate the girl from the scene.
--Morisaki decided on this course of action.
However, the speed at which the situation spiraled out of control surpassed Morisaki’s calculations.
Morisaki had believed that these miscreants – at least whom he deemed were miscreants – would wait until the young woman reached the deserted factory area before making their move.
Even if there were only a few people around, the streets were still under observation from the cameras. Hence Morisaki was certain the events would not play out according to the miscreants’ wishes once the young girl reached the (second generation) Rainbow Bridge.
Nevertheless, during the instance that the road was devoid of vehicles and pedestrians, the eyes that followed the young girl transformed into figures that surrounded the girl.
“Who…… Who are you guys!?”
The young girl screamed at the silently approaching men.
Her reaction was rather defiant. Under these circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange for even a male to be stricken with fear and unable to speak freely.
Still, based on the fact that the young woman failed to detect that there was no one else around her, she too must have fallen prey to the miscreants’ magic.
Morisaki verified that the young woman was not panicking – her state of panic would necessitate a change in plans – and raised his CAD from behind the trees that dotted the sidewalk. Sniping from concealment was not one of the Morisaki Family’s stronger suites, but from an objective perspective, given Morisaki’s traditional responsibilities as a support member in the protective agency, he should be more adept at “Flanking” than “Quick Draw”.
There were a total of 6 suspects.
He needed to take them all out in one strike to safeguard the young woman. Cold sweat slid down Morisaki’s temple.
At some point, his breathing became shallow and hurried. Forcibly adjusting his breathing pattern, Morisaki charged out from behind the trees.
As he charged towards the young woman, he squeezed the trigger twice.
He dove forward when he saw his targets reach inside their jackets and squeezed the trigger once more in mid-air.
In lieu of the nature surrounding the “bodyguard” profession (even a side business still counted as a profession), the Morisaki Family developed a type of a magic that could bring down a target with one blow without inflicting serious damage.
He caused the targets to accelerate to the rear then immediately accelerated them forward to nullify the force. By rapidly looping this Move-Type Magic that incorporated two processes, he shook the internal organs of five of the targets – with an emphasis on the brain, causing them to collapse one by one.
By the time Morisaki took aim at the sixth target, his heart leaped violently. Directly in front of his eyes was a silencer – the gun’s muzzle.
That was no CAD.
It was a real gun – an automatic pistol.
Morisaki had accounted for the possibility of a magical counterattack, but never expected that someone would possess a firearm.
Given their use of magic to clear the area, he had assumed that his targets would lash out with magic.
He had erected magical countermeasures ahead of time, but was not prepared to defend against bullets.
There was no time to use magic to block the bullets or shift his own body. Morisaki redoubled the efforts in his legs and sought to escape the line of fire.
Nonetheless, by the time he gave the order for his muscles to move, the unique cough that accompanied any firearm equipped with a silencer rang out.
The muzzle was not aimed at Morisaki.
The young girl had grabbed ahold of the hand holding the gun from the side. Morisaki pulled the CAD’s trigger.
When the sixth person collapsed to the ground, the young girl seemed to be dragged downwards as she fell to a seat on the road.
“Can you stand?”
Morisaki ran to the young girl and reached out for her hand without waiting for a response.
“We best leave here soon. At any rate, let’s head for the bus station. These guys don’t seem like they want to cause a scene.”
The young girl was indeed made of sterner stuff. Despite suffering an ambush, there was no sign of tears or hysterics. After nodding in reply to Morisaki’s words, she grasped his hand and scrambled to her feet.
“This way.” “Thank you.”
Hand in hand, Morisaki led the young girl on a run towards the train station.
Wearing sandals with heels normally prevented running at will, but rather than being pulled along by Morisaki, the young girl was neck to neck with him (Morisaki had obviously lowered his velocity as well).
She never let go of his hand.
The soft touch of that petite hand spurred the (nominally) chivalrous spirit in Morisaki’s heart.
◊ ◊ ◊
After reaching the bus station, Morisaki proposed that they quit Ariake, but the young girl shook her head.
“I have an appointment with someone else here.” “Sending an e-mail message would……”
“Owing to a few pressing reasons, I am unable to directly contact the other person.”
The young girl raised her eyes and wore a slightly perplexed smile.
This bewitching smile caused Morisaki to lose the tenuous control he had over his internal turmoil.
“I am very grateful that you saved me.”
The young lady turned a blind eye to his furious blush.
Morisaki was appreciative of this caring side of hers that was altogether different from his peers.
The obligation that men held towards beautiful females – or something of that nature – burned even brighter in Morisaki’s heart.
Which is why he found it doubly hard to accept the young woman’s next words that ran counter to his expectations.
“However, I think this is far enough. Some other time…… Some other day I would like to find a way to repay the favor. If it's convenient, could you give me your contact information?”
At this point, the young girl revealed a “dismayed” expression. Figuring something was amiss, Morisaki’s entire body tightened, but upon discovering the bashful smile on the young woman’s face, a different sort of anxiety pervaded his frame.
“Ah, my apologies. My name is Lin Richardson. I’m attending college in California and traveling at the moment. Please call me Lin.”
“I am Morisaki Shun.”
Morisaki was intensely thankful that his voice wasn’t amplified when he delivered his name, though it wasn’t like he knew who these thanks should be extended to.
“You don’t have to pay me back. After all, you bailed me out when I was in danger earlier. That aside……”
Morisaki drew upon duty as his motivation and sought to switch gears from his agitated mood (that being said, claiming that this duty arose from a more romantic motivation would be the most genteel way of putting it). When the enemy possessed the numerical advantage, loitering near the scene of the ambush was not a wise decision. Normally, they should not be leisurely conversing like so.
“I do not believe that this incident will end like this. Do you have any inkling as to the cause behind this attack?”
Seeing as the optimal decision of “fleeing” was off the table, Morisaki was trying to gather more information to devise a plan of action. For example, factors such as the identity of the enemies, how long until reinforcements arrive, etc. Protection of privacy was also one of the mandatory duties of a bodyguard, but this was subservient to necessity if that information was vital to the principal’s protection.
“I’m terribly sorry. I cannot reveal that.”
Furthermore, being unable to obtain all the necessary information was not a legitimate reason for failing to complete a protective assignment.
“Is that so……? I understand. I will not pry into Lin-san’s personal business. In turn, may I serve as Lin-san’s protection until the arrival of the person who was responsible for meeting you?”
Morisaki’s request caused Lin to widen her eyes. “……Why?”
“This country has a saying: years of toil for a single moment.” “I have heard of it.”
Lin’s tone sounded displeased. “I see, my apologies……”
Morisaki awkwardly apologized, but that did not imply that he was backing down.
“I chanced upon the scene where Lin-san was almost abducted. This must be a fate of some sorts.”
In truth, Morisaki himself did not know why he was so stubborn on this matter. Lin had made her stance very clear. Even if she had not blatantly rejected him, she was hoping that Morisaki ceased to associate with her – that she didn’t want to put him at risk was obvious enough. In spite of this, Morisaki was not of a mind to beat a retreat here.
In short, the term “abduction” was based solely from Morisaki’s point of view. There was a possibility that Lin was a young lady of wealth who had gone truant and that these men were dispatched by her parents to bring her home. Assuming this was actually an “abduction”, then this may be related to a major crime and the earlier group of people may belong to an opposing organization. Alternately, they may have been sent to recapture a former member who fled the organization. Regardless, anyone who dared to directly fire their weapon without warning in broad daylight could not possibly be an upstanding citizen. This was the conclusion that Morisaki arrived at – or perhaps unilaterally decided this was so.
“……You should have realized just now that this will be very dangerous, correct? You don’t seem like a person who cannot differentiate between reality and games.”
Lin’s somewhat befuddled eyes did little to dampen Morisaki’s ardor. The other side consisted of scoundrels who were preying on a fragile, defenseless woman. In that case, it was clear which side Morisaki should support – at least this was what his heart told him.
“Lin-san is in far more danger than I am. I would not be lying or exaggerating to say that this country’s law enforcement is quite capable, but the crime rate is not zero. This is especially true for magical police officers handling magic crimes, where the reaction speed is practically lethargic.”
“The same could be said for every country.”
Lin wore an impish grin as she tried to deflect the statement, but Morisaki was not fooled.
“That’s why I believe that Lin-san needs a retinue.” “……And you are volunteering?”
With a completely serious expression on his face, Morisaki nodded in agreement to her leading question.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. I have two years of experience as an attache.” “……Aren’t you a high school student?”
“I am a Year 1 student at the Magic University-affiliated high school. However, the family business manages a protection agency.”
“Oh......
Your name is Morisaki, so you must be from the Morisaki Family then?”
Lin only halfheartedly lent an ear to Morisaki up until this point before finally nodding in the affirmative. At the same time, this also implied that Lin belonged in a social stratum that was well versed with a retinue.
“But I don’t have any money on me.”
“I’m not here to talk about a job. I just don’t want to pretend not to see anything.”
“How gentlemanly of you.”
Lin laughed lightly, causing Morisaki to avert his eyes in embarrassment. “—I understand. Since you’re so worried, then I place myself in your care.” “—Please leave it to me.”
Altering her earlier expression, Lin fixated her eyes on Morisaki, to which he responded with a nod as if bestowed a great honor.
“Then there’s no time like the present, is it OK if I made a request right this moment?”
“What is your request?”
Bodyguards were not butlers, but in order to effectively fulfill their protective duties, establishing rapport with their principal was highly important. So long as the demand was not too ridiculous and did not affect the guard’s mission, then compliance with the principal was a must. This was one of the basic rules for bodyguards in both the east and the west – though “East Side” might be a little different. Morisaki had no idea what this request could entail so he was slightly nervous as he waited for her to continue. Lin smiled in a charming fashion before dropping this line:
“Please call me Lin. The next time you call me “Lin-san” will be grounds for immediate dismissal.”
◊ ◊ ◊
“……So Lin isn’t a Magician?”
“Yes, though I don’t know how Shun came to that misunderstanding……”
Lin smiled in confusion. In comparison to Morisaki who was struggling to lower his guard and still spoke in a stiff tone, Lin freely referred to Morisaki as “Shun” and embraced him as a friend.
Was this the poise that came with maturity? Morisaki pondered this as he peeked at Lin’s face. He felt that Lin was a beautiful young woman.
Normally, a person’s appearance would be beautified when observed from a distance, but in her case, seeing her from up close was just the same and may be even more bewitching. This might be due to her rich array of expressions that never appeared twice – that was the conclusion Morisaki drew from his limited life experiences.
“Ah, maybe it’s because of this?”
Lin said this as she pulled a necklace out from before her chest.
With the top button left undone, soft cleavage danced in and out of sight. Morisaki’s heart raced at this scene just as blood suffused his face, but Lin appeared to be entirely unaware.
“What is that?”
“It’s a magic talisman.” “Ah?”
“A magic talisman. Wearing this reduces attention from other people. This was made during the age when abductions ran rampant for a variety of reasons and was crafted as a protective charm to ward against being targeted by evildoers…… It’s a bona fide artifact.”
Modern magic was created from the research and systemization of Ancient Magic. In that context, Morisaki was aware that among the objects referred to as magic talismans, there was many an “artifact” that could actually release a magical effect.
On the other hand, it was also true that fakes which were nothing more than decorations had flooded the market in numbers that were dozens of times greater than the true artifacts. Given that Morisaki was a young Magician who focused solely on modern magic, it should be no surprise that he bore a suspicious impression of objects like “magic talismans”.
Yet right now, Morisaki was not questioning Lin’s words.
Her smile seemed to dispel the skeptical thoughts being raised in Morisaki’s mind.
The question that floated into Morisaki’s brain was another one altogether. “You’re not a Magician but you carry a magic talisman?”
When Morisaki asked this question with a perfectly straight face, Lin suddenly wore a flustered expression.
“Oh…… Well, this was something a friend gave me to “ward away stalkers”.”
“Stalkers...... So you ran into something like this in the past?”
“Uh…… Well, kind of.”
“Then were those guys earlier……? No, I said I wouldn’t pry. Sorry.”
Seeing Morisaki abidingly refrain from questioning her any further, Lin secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
“……Still, this doesn’t seem to work against those guys any longer.”
Morisaki’s attention was already turning to the attackers from earlier. His diligent personality saved Lin just now.
“……Nor is it effective against Shun. Are Magicians just special?”
This question was angled in a different direction than the dialogue Morisaki was constructing.
If asked in the days of old, he would probably have puffed his chest and answered with a nod in the affirmative.
He believed he was special. His status as a Magician was a source of great pride, just as he was confident that even among his peers he was a particularly talented Magician. Although the results of the Nine Schools Competition ran counter to his hopes, he was of the belief that had the other team not treacherously broken the rules, he should have been able to achieve results befitting his own confidence without relying on that strategist who only had wily tricks up his sleeve for assistance.
However, for some reason, the current Morisaki was unable to affirm Lin’s words.
“……I don’t think there’s a great difference, since magic is a human ability after all. Lin’s magic talisman is an object that allows people to use magic powers. In that context, there’s nothing different than a Magician’s arts.”
“Hm…… That makes sense when you put it that way. Magicians are human beings just like us.”
Lin was unaware that her words formed an opinion that separated “Magicians” and “non-Magicians” into two racial groups.
Fortunately, Morisaki missed that nuance.
Morisaki was adamant about avoiding areas with few people, so the two of them ultimately spent their time in the restaurant in front of the bus station until the person Lin was waiting for made contact. The one who initiated the conversation was always Lin with Morisaki largely only agreeing with her, but neither felt the time was ill spent.
Just as Morisaki expected, they never caught sight of any suspicious individuals afterward. Yet, occasional opportunities allowed him to feel various auras watching them from a distance in all directions.
At this point, Lin’s expression suddenly tightened in anxiety as she pulled out her information terminal before Morisaki’s questioning eyes. Apparently, her point of contact had sent her an e-mail.
However, how should he explain why Lin tensed instead of relaxing when the person they were waiting for made contact? Morisaki was quite bewildered by this.
Could it be that the person they were waiting for was one of Lin’s “enemies”? Morisaki hoped that Lin was at least able to explain that to him – or perhaps come clean.
“Directly beneath the Rainbow Bridge.”
Lin spoke with a tight expression on her face. “A boat will be dispatched to pick me up.” “……Let’s go.”
Directly beneath the Rainbow Bridge that the other individual spoke of probably referred to the square next to the bridge’s foundations. On a normal weekday, that was a location inundated with visitors. Morisaki urged Lin to stand and reached out his hand towards the terminal set on the table’s surface.
However, Lin beat him to the punch by a hair and placed her card on top of the terminal first.
“Plainly a high school student yet you dare to pick up the tab for an older woman. Far. Too. Brazen.”
Using her index finger, Lin punctuated each word with a poke on Morisaki’s forehead, eliciting a furious blush on his part.
Lin’s originally tensed face was now exchanged with a composed smile.
Taking the main road would be faster, but Morisaki purposefully chose the winding paths leading through the park. He believed that the magic used earlier to ward away pedestrians and vehicles would have a much harder time in the park where most people stood still compared to the constantly moving flow of people on the streets.
He was not cognizant that this lengthened the time he spent with Lin. At the very least, his surface thoughts did not venture into this territory.
Morisaki also requested that she place her necklace into her purse. Under the current conditions, spells that diverted other people’s attention would only achieve the opposite effect.
Logically speaking, this was the right idea. However – this unfortunately brought them to unexpected trouble.
Currently, a human wall was erected in front of Morsaki and Lin.
The human wall was thick enough that it could even block the free kick from a professional soccer player.
Alas, in terms of wardrobe, appearance, and all assorted factors, these individuals were a far cry from the refreshing air found on athletes. To put it bluntly, they looked more like hoodlums.
Though there might be a few minute differences here and there, the majority of them wore similar garb. Most of their naked torsos were only covered by leather vests whereas metal rings covered above and below their wrists and elbows.
Their vests reminded people of a lizard’s scales and their surface texture reflected the metallic scales that were popular three years ago among the “small crowds”. Compared to the usual bulletproof and anti-piercing fibers, this composite material boasted gigantic leaps in improvement in both protection and shock resistance. However, since the air permeability was terrible, forget wearing this outdoors in summer, even wearing this in a heated indoor environment during winter would cause someone to sweat like a horse, thereby deeming this product a failure. The overwhelming majority of the young men in front of them kept the front unzipped, though even the sleeveless vests looked to be quite warm indeed. Given that this completely defeats the purpose of blocking frontal stabs or shots, the only conclusion that could be drawn was that this was a fashion statement from the past that was stylish but impractical.
The metal rings around their wrists utilized EMS – muscle amplifiers that stimulated the muscles through electric currents. Training devices that utilized EMS were an early form of technology that existed back in the 1960s, but in the modern age, other electric currents have been introduced to successfully raise the speed for muscle contraction. These rings were normally used for medicinal purposes during rehabilitation, but could also be used to easily improve punching power, making it a popular choice among disreputable street fighters.
Several of the young men wore AR goggles over both eyes. The metallic straps attached to the goggles were covered with sensory devices which appeared to be equipped with light capture processes. These processes normally emitted a directional signal once objects approached within a predetermined distance but were not something that could be wielded at will by casual users. In short, this was also probably a fashion statement.
This martial (?) style that emphasized physical appearance was the telltale feature of the delinquent gang who styled themselves “Fight Club”. Standing in front of the two people who came to a halt, the group of young men never stopped leering at them.
Not a word was uttered.
Morisaki slipped an arm around Lin’s shoulder and sought to retrace their footsteps.
Several people let out wolf whistles.
The human wall moved with an astonishing level of organization and surrounded the two of them in a veritable human fence.
“—We are in a hurry, please let us pass.”
“Ah hah, please don’t say that. How about playing with us?”
“Yeah, yeah, compared to that little man, we know what the really fun things are.”
Lin sought to peacefully defuse the situation, but the young men only tightened the noose while making disgusting sounds that were displeasing to the ear.
“We’re really in a hurry—“
“It’s no use, these guys never planned to listen our words in the first place.” Morisaki stopped Lin’s continued attempt at persuasion.
“Ho ho, telling it like a big man.”
“Though it’s true that we’re not here to talk.” Crude laughter drifted in from their surroundings. “Little man, let’s cut to the chase.”
“Leave the job of guiding her to us, you’re free to go. Now scram!”
A young man who must be the leader of this gang changed his tone from friendly to threatening from the rear of the crowd – which happened to be right in front of these two. He was a head taller than Morisaki and the T-shirt he wore was missing sleeves that appeared to be ripped off, revealing a pair of biceps with thick muscles rising and falling. His arm was covered from hand to shoulder with silver geometric shapes which served the same purpose as the muscle amplifiers in boosting muscle contraction speed (though the results were questionable). A swarthy waist and sturdy thighs clearly denoted a physique that did not belong on someone with a passing fancy.
In response to the look that did not stretch the term ugly, Morisaki wore a light smirk on his face.
“What’s so funny……?”
“Nothing, pardon my manners.”
The young man’s low tone grew evening more threatening. However, Morisaki still wore a mocking expression as his choice of words grew scathing.
“I could understand if this was Shibuya or Ikebukuro, but I never imaged I could run into endangered species like yourselves in Ariake.” “……What a fascinating guy.”
“You should be satisfied with blowing one round of hot air, no? We’re actually pressed for time, so could you let us pass?”
“……Looks like you need to learn a lesson in pain.”
The young man shifted his weight to the tips of his toes. Seeing this, Morsaki slightly shifted his right shoulder backwards.
The vest that opened forward moved slightly. “Takashi-ni, this guy is a Magician!”
The movement must have revealed the handle of the CAD being held in the hidden holster. A young man to Morisaki’s right side shouted out a warning.
The circle surrounding the two of them backed off a bit. With one notable exception, they had grown fearful.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
The sole exception – the “Takashi” who served as the leader exhorted his comrades onward.
“I know as well, Magician.”
The corners of his mouth twisted as he looked down upon Morisaki in a theatrical manner. This didn’t seem like bravado, so perhaps he warranted a tiny hint of praise.
“Your guys’ magic is on the same level as guns, right? You would be arrested and imprisoned if you use magic on an unarmed person, right?”
Morisaki silently looked upon the young man. The young man continued onward with a gusto.
“A Magician who cannot use magic is nothing more than a wooden doll. What did you think that sort of empty hot air was going to do? Ah ha ha ha!”
The youth let out a foolish bray of laughter to which Morisaki returned a merciless smile up at him.
“You who face extinction, dare you put that to the test?” “……What did you say?”
“I said, do you want to test whether we Magicians are nothing more than wooden dolls without our magic, you pretentious scoundrel.”
“Ha…… Hey, none of you interfere.”
The leader of the endangered species who styled themselves the “Fight Club” turned his face back from a jigsaw mess to his normal expression (as ugly as it was). He raised his fists before spreading his legs to lower his center of gravity, hereby adopting a fighting stance.
Seeing this, Morisaki also wiped away the derisive smirk on his face and allowed his backpack to slide off one shoulder. He raised both fists in front of his face and lightly starting hopping in place.
“Wooden doll, let’s dance.”
“I accept, superficial scum. However, you touch her at your own peril. I will make you all regret being born into this world.”
“You’re just a little man, but that mouth of yours…… Has spunk!”
That sentence served as a declaration of hostilities.
Like a whip, an upward kick was sent hurtling towards Morisaki’s face.
In order to protect Lin right behind him, Morisaki could not evade to the back. Instead, he lowered his head to duck beneath the swirling kick.
“Takashi” adroitly pulled back the upward kick and sent the leg pummeling downwards to Morisaki’s head.
Rather than calling this a hook kick, this was more like an ax kick. Morisaki rose in the direction of his kick and narrowly avoided the blow. The other man’s face changed.
The moment the leg touched the ground, he immediately let fly a lightning fast punch.
Morisaki deflected it with one hand.
Forward kick, mid punch, low kick, mid kick, sweeping kick, revolving elbow…… A swift combination of attacks showed that this young man was not just shooting his mouth and his moves were not just cheap imitations. Based on these movements, he had probably undergone the entire training regime for karate under special tutelage.
Yet, all of his blows were being entirely dodged or neutralized by Morisaki. Frustration was starting to mount on “Takashi’s” face.
He sought to decide the fight in one blow and telegraphed a long range hook punch towards Morisaki’s chin.
Morisaki was not going to let this opening pass by.
Stepping forward, he directed a left jab towards “Takashi’s” face. No, the force behind the punch was a direct punch rather than a jab.
If his fists had not been thoroughly trained, the force of the punch might readily damage his own hand, but Morisaki never wavered and sent a well-trained right palm strike inside the enemy’s guard.
“Takashi” wavered and fell rear first onto the ground.
He was utterly astounded at being taken to the floor in two blows by someone who was an entire head shorter than he was.
Morisaki sent a mocking smile at the older man looking up at him with “disbelief” written all over his face.
“Damn, that was slow. That sort of speed might get you through a street brawl, but you don’t have a chance against us combat Magicians.”
The other young man probably could not grasp the meaning behind Morisaki’s declaration.
The young man was unable to accept a reality where a Magician who relied entirely on a cheating ability like “magic” somehow possessed greater physical prowess than someone like him who had undergone rigorous training.
In systematic magic, there were the Four Great Systems and Eight Major Types, one of which was Acceleration-Type Magic.
This sort of magic was not just used to accelerate or decelerate an object, but could also be used on the caster.
A Magician who cast personal acceleration magic would normally become accustomed to operating at the upper speed limits of what the senses can handle. This was a speed that could not be comprehended by people without magic.
In truth, the speed that professional racers experienced on the race track was a velocity that they frequently encountered at school, on the practice field outside of school, during competitions, and in combat.
Blows that professional fights would deem “fast” were practically slow motion in their consciousness.
Morisaki picked up his backpack and grasped Lin’s hand.
He had no inclination to continue dealing with the “endangered species” who refused to accept reality.
Furthermore, even though they hadn’t wasted too much time, there was no denying that this was the longer route.
Nonetheless – Lin quickly thrusted away Morisaki’s hand.
Before Morisaki’s shocked gaze stood Lin as she seemed to stare in surprise at her own actions.
The mind ground to a halt as their limbs seemed to be frozen in time.
Seeing Morisaki freeze, the young men reached out their hands towards Lin instead of taking action against him.
Grab ahold of her hand, pull her entire body over, and then press a knife against her face – that was probably their plan of action. Yet, this desperation ploy was rendered obsolete before they even reached the phase of pulling Lin over to them.
Behavior patterns that had been deeply engrained into his subconscious overcame his brain’s rigidity and spurred Morisaki’s body into action on reflex.
In a smooth motion like flowing water, Morisaki drew the CAD from his bosom.
By the time the “muzzle” was aimed correctly, the standby phase for the CAD had already been disabled.
The time Morisaki spent hesitating over using magic could be measured in milliseconds.
The young men were all struck in the head and keeled over on the ground.
Some of them fell on soft parts of the body and started to bleed, but Morisaki’s “reflex” never stopped.
By the time Morisaki recovered his wits, the only people standing at the scene were her and himself.
And one other person.
The young man who had his seat glued to the ground was spared being knocked unconscious.
Morisaki turned an emotionless eye, one that had not reawakened his feelings, on the young man.
“Y…… You damnable monster! Don’t come over here! Don’t come over here!”
The youth remained prone on the round and reached a hand into one of his pockets before plucking something out and throwing it.
Seeing that the opened switch knife harmlessly flew off into an inconsequential direction, Morisaki once more reached out a hand to Lin.
This time – Lin grasped his hand.
◊ ◊ ◊
And so, the two of them silently ran hand-in-hand all the way to the appointed place where the boat should be waiting.
There were no further obstacles along the way. As befitting the waterside square in a park, many couples were about. Many spared a glance at the two people that had a carried a different air about them before turning their eyes away as it was none of their business.
Lin stood on the small pier where the ferries docked and looked out towards the sea. The hands that connected the two of them naturally parted here.
“……Shun.”
After a lengthy silence, Lin softly called out to Morisaki. “What is it, Lin?”
Lin kept her eyes on the sea and did not turn her head. “Do Magicians…… have a thirst for battle?”
Lin did not look at Morisaki’s face and made sure that he could see her face as she asked this question.
“Lin?”
“Do Magicians…… have a thirst for battle? Do they like hurting others? Do they hunger for danger? Do they desire to display abilities that normal people do not possess?”
Lin’s volume was slightly elevated, giving Morisaki the impression she was reprimanding him.
“……Are you upset?”
“I’m not upset! I’m furious!”
In short, she’s upset, right? This thought ran across Morisaki’s mind, but he wasn’t calm enough to actually retort.
When Lin turned to face him, her eyes were brimming with tears.
“……It is not because Magicians thirst for battle. At the very least, I dislike hurting others.”
Lin’s expression and the tears threatening to burst from her eyes put enormous pressure on Morisaki.
“Then why did you aggravate him?”
“Because that wasn’t someone you can talk down!”
Yet, Morisaki had his own reasons. He did not believe he made the wrong decision. Perhaps there was an even better solution, but Morisaki believed that he had also handled the situation fairly well.
“In that case, we can still flee! There was no need to defeat everyone, all we had to do was use magic to escape! We also had the option of calling for help. I don’t think that fighting was the only option we had.”
“That……”
Morisaki was unable to say anything because he knew Lin’s words made sense. But –
“Maybe we could have ran away at the time. However, those guys might have called in more companions. Also, there is no way of knowing if the earlier crowd was going to show up either. There was no need to take on unnecessary risk, so if the opportunity presented itself to crush the enemy then it should be taken.”
--Even so, he was not going to back down.
“Why is fighting the only thing you think about! Why is it that everyone who isn’t with us is against us!?”
“Magicians are not superheroes! It’s not like in the TV dramas, where there’s a logical solution for everything!”
This principle, along with the fundamentals of the bodyguard business, was drilled into Morisaki by the uncle that was closest to him in age.
Magicians are not superheroes.
Magicians did not possess the power to do whatever they pleased. Thus, do not hesitate when pulling the trigger.
Calmly differentiate between enemy and ally.
The techniques of the Morisaki Family and Morisaki Shun the person, neither was strong enough that they were still able to safeguard their target of protection after an enemy had launched their attack.
“—I am unable to show mercy to my enemies. I’m not incredible.” “Shun……”
When Lin saw Morisaki gritting his teeth with a pained expression his face, the tumultuous emotion in her eyes faded.
With a warm expression on her face, she reached out and took hold of Morisaki’s hand.
“Lin……”
Morisaki allowed Lin to grasp his hand, but didn’t match her gaze as he murmured to himself.
“Do you also think…… that Magicians are monsters? Do you believe that
Magicians are monsters that wield powers beyond human limits? That Magicians are able to grant any wish like Deus ex machina?”
“Shun……”
“Magicians…… are also human beings.”
“Shun…… are you afraid of fighting?”
“……I’m terrified. Regardless of whether its guns, blades, fists, magic…… I’m scared of them all.”
“Then why do you fight? You are obviously a high school student, why do you take on a dangerous job like being a bodyguard?”
“That’s because…… I possess a power that I was born to carry……”
“Shun, I don’t think that you have to do dangerous things simply because you’re a Magician or because you possess magic. Since you’re terrified, then why don’t you just stop……? Magicians are human beings too, right?”
Morisaki’s face was clearly faltering.
Terror and hope were stirred together among the maze of confusion. With a protective smile, Lin continued to watch over Morisaki.
Amid all the couples at this location, their actions were not particularly conspicuous.
Still, based on what was about to ensue, the two of them were overly focused on the conversation.
Lin was the one who noticed that something was awry. “Shun…… Isn’t this strange?”
“Lin?”
“I get the feeling that no one has been looking at us for a while……”
If this phrase had originated from one of Morisaki’s peers, he would have explained it as being “overly self-aware”. Yet, these words coming from someone as beautiful as Lin carried an entirely different context.
“Lin, you aren’t using that necklace, are you?”
“Ah? Yeah…… That’s why it’s so strange. I’m plainly not using that, but I feel just like as if I’m using it……”
“Lin, sorry.” “Ah!”
Morisaki suddenly clasped Lin to his chest.
At the same time, he swiftly surveyed their surroundings.
Even after performing such an outrageous (in his eyes) motion, no one paid them the slightest heed.
No one even glanced at them.
Morisaki let go of Lin and began hunting for the hint of magic.
Although there was no way to be sure, there was definitely a vague aura enveloping them.
“What is it? What’s going on?” “Quiet!”
Morisaki dropped his backpack and pulled out a thick bracelet from within before wearing it on his left wrist.
Then, he removed an empty holster and hung that from the pocket around the right side of his waist.
Completely abandoning the “low-key” approach, he was preparing for battle.
As if on cue, men dressed in pitch black and wearing dark sunglasses materialized all around them and half surrounded Morisaki and Lin. This was practically straight out of the urban legends surrounding the MIB.
Morisaki gritted his teeth.
He should have known ahead of time that the enemy would use mental interference magic.
(……The time for regret is later!)
Morisaki told himself in encouragement.
One of the men in black stepped in front of the two of them.
The gaze hidden behind those dark shades was not directed at Lin, but at Morisaki instead.
“……We are from the Intelligence Control Agency.”
The man pulled out a black card holder with those words. He opened it to show Morisaki.
There was indeed the mark of the Department of the Interior’s Intelligence Control Agency inside, as proven by the special print that changed color and shape depending on the light’s refraction. Morisaki was aware that the changing shape carried a hypnotic effect so he immediately averted his gaze after verifying its authenticity.
The corners of the man’s mouth twitched upwards as he stored the document in his breast pocket.
“We will take responsibility for protecting Miss Richardson. What happens beyond here is official business, so please leave immediately.”
Morisaki was on the verge of nodding in reply when he realized Lin behind him had a white-knuckled grip on his vest.
“Lin, are you going with them?”
Lin furiously shook her head in response to Morisaki’s inquiry.
Morisaki turned his eyes forward and gazed into the eyes of the man in black – or more like his sunglasses.
“Permit me to refuse.”
His conveyance left little room for misinterpretation. “I’ve already said this was official business……”
“This is a mission of protection, isn't it? In that case, you have no right to override the decision of the person in question and enforce your own will on the matter. Or do you all have a warrant? Not that “Internal Affairs” has the right to make arrests, of course.”
The man in black revealed a smile that said “you’ve forced my hand” and turned to look to his side.
That was the signal.
Gun muzzles appeared from the men’s sleeves.
Throwing his left arm around Lin’s waist, Morisaki used his right hand to operate the bracelet and jumped for the water’s surface.
Lin gave out a shriek.
The sounds of compressed air being fired and short needles shredding through the air were covered by her cries.
The darts from the tranquilizer rifles passed above the two figures who had leaped to one side.
Morisaki activated Move-Type Magic while in mid-air.
They stopped falling as they approached sea level and bounded to the next pier.
At the same time that he moved Lin to a kneeling position, Morisaki also dropped his own stance and set his bracelet to standby mode.
In the next instant, he had pulled out the handgun-shaped CAD from his breast. He had confirmed 8 enemies when they had been surrounded.
Of which 2 were Magicians.
The enemies’ identities were extinguished from his mind.
The sole idea that occupied his thoughts was to protect the young woman behind him.
The notion of “escape” never crossed his mind. His fear of battle had already faded.
Nor was he afraid of being watched by terrifying eyes. He will strike down the enemy to protect others.
That was the only option in his mind.
First, Morisaki acted to disable the enemy Magicians and clicked the trigger twice.
Following that, one deep groan could be heard. Confirming results. One down and the other warded it off.
Morisaki saw the enemy Magician operating a CAD with his fingers. He also saw the muzzle of tranquilizer rifles pointed towards him.
With the speed of a stage magician employing his tricks, Morisaki returned the handgun-shaped CAD to the holster around his waist and disabled the standby mode on the bracelet-shaped CAD he wore.
He could feel that the enemy’s Acceleration-Type Magic was beginning to have an effect on him.
However, Morisaki ignored that magic.
He was calling the Activation Sequence for Area of Effect Move-Type Magic.
Morisaki used “Stillness” Magic to catch the incoming needles fired by compressed air.
Horizontal Acceleration-Type Magic rushed towards Morisaki’s body. His feet left the ground and fell towards the water.
Lin stretched out her upper torso and called for Morisaki. The men in black swarmed towards her.
The “gun” popped out of the water.
Holding the CAD that bore a resemblance to a handgun in his right hand, Morisaki began to float upwards thanks to the breath he inhaled earlier and aimed at the Magician to the enemy’s rear.
Magic was activated.
The “opposing” Magician was caught off guard by Morisaki’s surprise attack and struck unconscious.
Following that, Morisaki once again changed the Specialized CAD in his hand to standby mode and activated the powers set in the Generalized CAD. He sank into the water while operating the number pad and activated Acceleration-Type Magic.
Morisaki burst through the water in a manner that would turn a dolphin green with envy, no, that even a dolphin could not hope to match.
His wrists overlapped with the right hand over the left as he aimed the Specialized CAD in this manner at the enemy while turning off the power of the Generalized CAD. Pumping his psions into the Specialized CAD, Morisaki pulled the trigger six times in the air.
Morisaki was unable to completely neutralize his descending force and had to immediately fall into a roll upon coming into contact with the cement.
As his body descended to the earth, all of the men in black collapsed as well.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Shun, Shun! Are you alright?”
Lin knelt next to Morisaki as he lay prone on the ground and desperately called out to him.
“I’m fine.”
Morisaki opened his eyes and nodded. Maintaining his current position, he temporarily regulated his breathing before sitting up.
“Ouch!”
However, he immediately fell to one knee when he attempted to stand. “Shun?”
“It’s nothing…… I just twisted my ankle.”
By the time he said this, cold sweat beaded his temple.
Lin looked around them for help. The mental interference magic that blocked other people from noticing them had already been disabled. Many sightseers or couples out on a date were watching them from afar.
They were just watching them from a sizeable distance with an uncomfortable look in their eyes.
Their eyes were focused on Morisaki’s left hand.
On the bracelet-shaped CAD that signified his status as a Magician.
Lin knew that the people around them were whispering among themselves. Not a single person approached them.
Morisaki gave up on trying to stand and sat down with legs splayed out. “Lin, has the appointed boat arrived yet?”
“Huh? Ah…… I think it’s that one.”
“I see……”
A small vessel was drawing closer. It was a swift boat that didn’t draw much water and could be used either on the river or at sea.
“I’m sorry, it’s all because of me……”
Morisaki said “Don’t worry about it” to the drooping Lin.
“Forget about it, so long as Lin is safe and sound. I can finally relax now that I’ve kept my promise.”
This was not the sound of bravado, but of earnest satisfaction that welled forth from the heart.
“Why……?”
“Why indeed……”
Morisaki used a reply that was not a reply to answer Lin’s question that was not a question.
“Maybe it’s just as Lin said.”
Still, even if her question was incomplete, Morisaki largely understood what Lin wanted to ask.
“Our magic is a tool developed for battle…… We Magicians were assembled with this in our hearts, so it may be true that we have a thirst for battle and are only tools used for battle.”
Morisaki’s soliloquy seemed to have entirely abandoned his own sense of self and prompted tears to appear in Lin’s eyes when she heard this.
“I’m sorry, Shun, I’m so sorry……”
Lin burst into tears as she lowered her head and repeatedly choked out apologies.
“Lin? Why are you apologizing? Why are you crying……?”
Bewildered, Morisaki asked Lin the reason behind her tears and apologies, but his mind was calm and at peace to the point that even he was astounded.
“I’m sorry. I said something so terrible, I’m sorry……”
“Lin?”
Morisaki was flabbergasted. He had no idea what to say.
Nor did he have any clue what to do.
Unfortunately, up until this moment, no one had ever taught him what to do under these circumstances.
“Don’t call yourself a tool. Shun always protected me regardless of the danger. Compared to those who only watch other people suffering without lifting a finger, Shun is much more humane.”
Morisaki managed to connect Lin’s broken words that came between her sobs – --and his heart swelled with pride.
“I’m…… ashamed of myself. Just then, I was exactly like those people in that I also felt somewhere in my heart that Magicians were disgusting and were different creatures than myself. That’s why…… Shun…… I’m sorry……”
“Don’t worry about it too much.”
Morisaki’s words were spoken in a steady tone. More so than the literal words themselves, this served to help encourage Lin and caused her to raise her head.
“I am very satisfied that I was able to assist Lin. For me, today was a very meaningful day.”
Just as Morisaki had no idea what Lin was hiding, neither did Lin knew the inner struggles Morisaki was facing.
Before a rather perplexed Lin, Morisaki revealed a pleasant smile. “Lin, the boat’s here.”
Morisaki’s words prompted Lin to turn her body.
Just as he said, the small vessel had docked. Two men wearing suites bowed deeply to Lin.
“Lin, please go ahead. I’ll be alright after I sit here a little longer.” “Huh, but……”
“Go on. They might attack again later.” “……I know. Shun, thank you very much.”
There was no kiss of goodbye.
To say that there were no expectations involved would be a lie, but not progressing in that direction may actually be for the better. This fulfilling “reality” would not be tarnished. Rather than pushing himself, this was how Morisaki truly felt.
The only regret he had was that he could only sit there and watch her leave.
Lin waved from the boat, to which Morisaki raised a hand from his sitting posture in response.
This was rather improper, but Morisaki felt that this was probably more like his style.
◊ ◊ ◊
“Meilin-sama, thank goodness you’re alright.” “Yes, that’s because that young man saved me.”
On board the vessel that had left the shoreline, Lin wore a radically different and cold expression as she called out a name to one of the men who came to welcome her and nodded in agreement.
At this moment, an older gentleman with a head full of white hair appeared.
“Meilin-sama…… To visit this country alone at a time like this. Do take heed of your position.”
“Are you giving me orders?” “No, your subordinate dares not.”
The old man bowed respectfully towards Lin.
The older gentleman’s decorum was impeccable, but his attitude was hollow.
“Nevertheless, this country’s government appears to fight with us until the end. This time they dared to insult Meilin-sama, I believe equivalent retribution is in order.”
“I forbid it.”
The old man raised his eyes and put forward this suggestion, but Lin resolutely vetoed it.
“It’s true that the Japanese government was both barbaric and rude this time. However, from that young man, I obtained a bond of friendship that is more than enough to compensate. Since you all have chosen a person without any magic like myself as your leader, then I forbid you all from taking action against this country. If you are unwilling to accept that, then I will return to California.”
“No, let everything be done in accordance with Meilin-sama’s wishes.” Morisaki was not arrested by Internal Affairs.
They were likely also acting beyond the bounds of law. The unconscious men in black were borne away in front of Morisaki’s eyes by their comrades. The agents from Internal Affairs who came to collect their colleagues never spared Morisaki a single glance.
As to who Lin was and why she was being targeted a government organization, no one told Morisaki the truth.
Lin’s real name was “Sun Meilin”. She was the adopted daughter of “Sun Richardson”, the head of the Hong Kong international crime ring known as “No Head Dragon” – the daughter of the leader’s most beloved mistress – and the new leader chosen by the lucky survivors, but Morisaki never had the opportunity to know that.
