Added to this were unconfirmed reports of them repelling the USNA's "Stars," the strongest magic unit in the world. James hadn't been able to take any of it at face value—until now.
The man leading the enemy forces this time was the "Great Tengu," Genzou Kazama, who had won fame on the Indochina Peninsula. He and the other magicians of the Japanese military were of an incredibly high caliber. There were even unconfirmed reports that Lieutenant General Tatsuzo Kamijo was the true mastermind, though no concrete intelligence had surfaced.
Regardless, the prevailing belief was that the Strategic-Class Magic used during the "Scorched Halloween" two years ago was a secret weapon of the National Defense Force. Logically speaking, such power was too immense for a private organization to possess. Allowing such a thing would collapse the nation's balance of power in an instant.
—The Yotsuba and the Kagurazaka are not to be slighted.
—Even if they are merely teenage students.
For James, Yugen was the one who had escaped him. He carved that warning into his heart like a commandment.
Since it was Miyuki's birthday, we enjoyed a high-end dinner at the hotel restaurant (as a group of five), after which Miyuki and I retreated to the observation lounge for a drink. Being minors, our cocktails were naturally non-alcoholic. And yet... Miyuki was intoxicated.
"Yugen-san... I feel... strange..."
I had checked our drinks with Osiris's Eye; they were definitely alcohol-free. Even a hotel under the Kamisaka Group wouldn't serve alcohol to minors. I had to conclude she was "drunk on the atmosphere."
Miyuki was wearing an orthodox dress. Normally, the skirt would cover her knees even while seated, but the height of the sofa combined with the cushions meant the hem had ridden up significantly. Given that Miyuki was sitting perfectly poised, I found myself struggling with where to look, silently commending the Tatsuya of the original story for his legendary self-restraint.
"In that case, shall we return to the room?"
Miyuki complied without protest. She clung to my left arm, leaning her weight against me. I had no reason to refuse such a small gesture, especially since we were now publicly engaged. Still, I caught a flicker of relief on her face. Even if she knew I wouldn't push her away, she must have felt a lingering spark of anxiety. With her arm in mine, we left the lounge behind.
Once inside the room, Miyuki detached herself and headed to the washroom to bathe first. I headed to the bedroom to change. Even as her fiancé, I knew where to draw the line. Once I had swapped my suit for loungewear, I activated Osiris's Eye.
Tatsuya's Elemental Sight had evolved during the Gu Jie incident, but my own eyes had undergone an even more dramatic leap. Previously, I needed to perceive a person directly to track their information. Now, as long as I had a photo or an electronic image, I could pull their data directly from the Information Dimension.
I quickly located the person who had been watching us.
(Australian Army magician, Captain James Jeffrey Johnson... I thought the presence felt familiar. He was part of the group that chased me and the old man when we visited Australia.)
We had visited Australia purely for sightseeing. Despite entering the country through legal channels, the Australian military had tried to abduct us. I had been forced to neutralize their magic in self-defense. It was a stroke of luck that I had already mastered Gram Dispersion by then.
Searching for Captain Johnson's current location, I confirmed his presence northeast of Kumejima. He had a psion marker on him—likely Tatsuya's work—so I decided to leave him be.
(I can't rule out the possibility that he was sent as a form of petty revenge for that time... but the "other girl" isn't with him. I suppose even in a temporary alliance, they can't reveal her existence to the Great Asian Alliance.)
Though I hadn't suffered direct harm, that girl-shaped magician had unleashed the Strategic-Class Magic Ozone Circle at Gozo and me. I had nullified it, then escaped by literally running across the ocean at near-sonic speeds... Looking back, realizing that such absurd trials were what made me strong left me with a rather complicated feeling.
Using James as a focal point, I used Kaleidoscope to analyze the structural information of his surroundings.
(A submarine, huh... This really does bring back memories of five years ago.)
Back then, I had taken the lead in neutralizing torpedoes and "decomposed" the submarine for good measure. At the time, my relationship with Tatsuya and the others wasn't as friendly; I had directed their attention to the torpedoes, and since we had agreed not to pry into each other's magic, it was never brought up again.
I debated whether to share this info, but ultimately decided to wait and see if Tatsuya reported today's events to Kazama. In the end, I chose to remain silent.
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