A man was loitering at an open café at high noon.
Various meals were being lined up at the guest-packed tables, but there was none of that at that man's table. Not even a single cup of coffee was found; only large quantities of photocopy sheets were disorderly placed there.
The man, with both hands jammed into the pockets of the lab gown he was wearing, was poring over the photocopy sheets spread out onto the table. Printed onto several bundles of paper were the AIM diffusion energy field data of espers that were in the Bank.
A young girl, clad in a crimson school uniform and sitting opposite him, watched him suspiciously.
"What did you find from seeing those?"
"Various things,"
The man answered, not even looking up.
"**A magician like you** may not understand it, but various information is written in here. It's simply not only energy that emanates weakly from espers. It is the unconscious interference against our reality... through investigation of the variety and strength of that multifaceted energy, we are able to even find the heart of an esper."
"Unconscious—interference...?"
The girl muttered, emotionless.
"If AIM diffusion field analysis pushes forward, it becomes data after highlighting the contours of the Personal Reality a man possesses and investigates his personality and behavioral tendencies. I believe it will be a quite practical and easy-to-understand data, more so than a psychological profile."
A silver-colored monster was waiting beside the seat where the man was seated.
It was a four-legged walking monster created from titanium alloy and synthetic resins. Its basic form was close to the carnivorous cat family, but its nose was unnaturally long like that of an elephant. Because the metallic monster had a guide robot dog walking program installed, it was surprisingly flexible in adapting itself to human society.
That monster opened its mouth.
["Professor."]
It was a lad's accented voice, and it didn't seem to be synthesized.
["It seems Group and School have made their moves."]
The man named Professor shifted his staring eyes, and looked at the man-made monster.
Its conversational function was not because of the robot's AI. It was only another person at a different location talking through wireless networks. In short, it was better to think of it as a phone made a bit complicated.
"Have they made contact?"
["No. It appears Group has failed at capturing them. Currently it's unknown whether or not they can catch on to School's shadow."]
Hm, the Professor exhaled only once and,
"In any case, **the others,** too, have probably started to move."
They were the unit under the direct control of Aleister, the chairman of the general board of directors.
Whether it was for good or bad, they moved as that [person's] hands and feet. They were a small organization expected to do only just that.
"From the start, **organizations just like us** have reasons for their complex behavior, but due to the various powers they were repressed by the top, and were subject to control. However, because of the riots that arose along with the 0930 Incident, the majority of the powered suits were sent out for the mop-up at Avignon. That force is, according to the man on the 'Telephone', one convenient set of limbs. This was the big opportunity, according to him, since the suits cannot be used freely,"
The Professor said all of that with a drawling tone.
"Soon there will be an opportune time, right?"
A voice was suddenly heard right behind the crimson-uniformed girl.
Someone was standing there, where there had been no one up until now. A young lad entirely clad in a greatly inflated down jacket.
It totally felt like he had come out from thin air.
"It seems so,"
The Professor buoyantly said, while reaching out and lightly stroking the monster's head. He was not surprised at the lad showing up. The girl seating opposite looked at the exchange, seemingly uninterested.
She inquired with a doubtful expression,
"Why did you correctly predict 'their' movements? Even though the information from above might be incorrect?"
"It's because the top brass holds the technology to make that possible."
And, the hand of the Professor that was stroking the monster stopped.
The Professor was gazing at the opposite sidewalk which was enclosing the roadway along with this open café. A young girl clad in what was commonly referred to as maid clothing was passing by. But the Professor was not looking at the girl. He was looking at the drum can-type cleaning robot that the girl clad in maid clothes was kneel-sitting on top of. He was looking at the robot that was very smoothly passing by.
The Professor nodded at once.
He was seriously impressed.
"That idea hadn't come up."
["Professor, please refrain from thinking of strange ideas."]