In the end, Ryousuke uttered aloud, "What?" But his voice was low enough that it did not reach the ears of Mayumi and the others.

  [Tell me the time, and I'll appear by your side with my astral body. I keep asking you for favors, I know, but I'd be very grateful if you could help me.]

  Lena's video message ended here.

  Ryousuke returned the terminal back to Charlotte.

  "Lena didn't ask personally because she wanted to keep this from Miss Saegusa and company."

  Charlotte told him this as she received the terminal.

  Ryousuke nodded, "Of course, I know."

  "Then please keep it that way."

  Charlotte reminded him and returned to where Lena was talking with Mayumi.

  Ryousuke followed closely behind.

  On the way through the security checkpoint to the boarding gate, Ryousuke was asked by Mayumi about what his conversation was about.

  120

  In anticipation of this question, Ryousuke answered with a made-up story, "She passed a message from a guy I'm friends with over here, about something that would be embarrassing to explain to a young woman."

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The next morning, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.

  Lina stood at the ramp of a transport plane, dressed in her federal military officer's uniform with her "Lina Brooks" ID card and passport in hand.

  She was being seen off by Captain Ralph Hardy Mirfak, First Lieutenant Sophia Spica, and Colonel Benjamin Canopus, the Commander-in-Chief of Stars.

  "Fifi, Hardy, and Ben too. Thank you for all your help. It was nice to be able to see you, even if it was only for a short time."

  Lina held out her hand.

  As she shook hands with each one, Sophia and Mirfak respectively, they said in turn,

  "Come again anytime," and "Take care."

  And then Canopus said,

  "Take care of yourself, Lina. If you need anything at all, call me. I will always be available to help you."

  in turn.

  These words conveyed a deep sense of friendship that went beyond professional relationships and interests. Lina wasn't particularly tearful, however.

  "Thank you. You all too, take care."

  Lina waved with a smile and boarded the transport plane.

  Although it externally resembled a military transport aircraft, the inside was as well-equipped as a business-class airliner.

  Leaning back in her cushioned seat, Lina looked out the window.

  Perhaps noticing her gaze, Canopus and the others waved at her from a short distance away.

  A feeling of reluctance to say goodbye welled up inside Lina only now, reminding her of the sentimentality she holds for her homeland.

  121

  She closed her eyes, resting in her seat, trying to keep the sentimentality bottled up inside.

  And just like that, the transport plane with her onboard took off from American soil.

  122

  Chapter 6

  [Request from America]

  July 5th, 4:30 P.M. Izu, in the director's office of the Industrial Magic Academy.

  In this room that he uses as his office, Tatsuya was now facing a man and a woman.

  The man is Tookami Ryousuke. He is a member of FEHR, a magician human rights organization that is based in Vancouver, USNA, and is an employee of the Magian Company.

  The woman is Lena Fehr. She is the representative of FEHR and has a peculiar constitution, appearing to be a beautiful girl who looks to be around 16 years old, but is actually 30 years old.

  It's worth noting that Lena's physical body isn't present. Although this Lena appears virtually indistinguishable from her physical body — indistinguishable unless you have "eyes" such as Tatsuya's — the one before them is an astral body, and she herself is in Vancouver. She has all but sent her consciousness across the Pacific Ocean by astral projection.

  More precisely, she made a visible Psion Information Body by creating a copy of the Eidos of her physical body, and then possessed it with her consciousness.

  "…Stone tablets excavated from a cave, you say?"

  [Yes. We can confirm at least two types: black stone tablets and white stone tablets. Of those, FAIR has taken a black stone tablet. As for the white stone tablet, while we took it away from them, they seem to have successively dug up several more of the same type.]

  Lena's astral body described to Tatsuya the clash between FEHR and FAIR over the stone tablet that took place on Mt. Shasta and the details that followed.

  "Are those stone tablets relics of some kind?"

  [The white stone tablet that we secured, which is now in police custody, wasn't a Relic in the sense that it exhibited any magical power. But there's no doubt it was a magical artifact.]

  "And your basis for that is?"

  123

  [When I poured achromatic Psions into the white stone tablet, a number of curved traces appeared on the surface forming a pattern.]

  Achromatic Psions refers to a homogeneous flow of Psions that have not been imparted with any shape or properties, and not even a wave pattern for that matter.

  Metaphorically speaking, it could be described as the image of a mirror-like surface of a lake with flowing still water. Of course, it's not something that occurs naturally, and it takes a very sophisticated Psion control technique to produce achromatic Psions.

  [In my opinion, I think it is a map.]

  At Lena's words, Tatsuya made no attempt to hide his curiosity.

  "A map… like to the location of another Relic burial site?"

  [I thought of that possibility too… however, I believe it leads to an even more preposterous place.]

  "A place that contains buried objects that, if discovered, would cause great damage to modern society?"

  [Or a place with objects that, if discovered, would be a great boon to mankind.]

  "I see."

  Tatsuya did not dismiss Lena's notions as tenuous.

  "A stone tablet that appears to be a map of some sort is interesting, but I'm more concerned about the black stone tablet that FAIR took with them."

  [I'm of the same mind. I have a feeling that the black stone tablet leads to an even bigger threat.]

  Lena's (astral body) shivered.

  Tatsuya watched her attentively as she did so.

  "—Was that a precognition?"

  [Oh…? No, no.]

  Lena, who was taken by surprise, froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head from side to side.

  [I don't have any precognitive abilities. It's just my impression.]

  Tatsuya thought that it could have been precognition, but he didn't say it.

  "…Miss Fehr. I understand your concern. So, what exactly do you want from me?"

  124

  Lena hesitated for a moment, then she turned to Tatsuya with a determined look on her face, as if — to make use of a Japanese idiom — she had made up her mind to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu.15

  [Mr. Shiba. I'm aware it's a stretch to ask… but could you please come to the States, not to Hawaii, but to the West Coast on the mainland?]

  "To the American mainland…? I can't give you an immediate answer."

  Contrary to Lena's expectations, Tatsuya did not dismiss Lena's request with an immediate "No."

  To tell the truth, it isn't as difficult as one would believe for Tatsuya to visit the USNA mainland. The Japanese government is powerless to stop Tatsuya. Or, rather, they have the jurisdiction but not the pretext to do so. The self-restraint imposed upon magicians from leaving the country has been greatly diminished, if not eliminated, by Mayumi's visit to the United States.

  On the other hand, it is an open secret among defense and diplomatic officials that the USNA government has sought to bring Tatsuya into their country in cooperation over the Stellar Reactor technology. The high-ranking USNA officials understand that regardless of whether or not Tatsuya is in Japan or America, it makes no difference in the threat that he poses. The Pentagon knows that Tatsuya is able to bomb anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.

  If anything, there are a considerable number of officials in the USNA government who believe that Tatsuya's power would actually pose less of a threat if he were in America where he would be under their jurisdiction. If Tatsuya sought to enter their country, it is more than likely that he would eventually, despite the objections of some, be allowed to do so.

  "However, if I notice any signs that what they are doing can harm the stability of the world, then as you have asked, Miss Fehr, I'll gladly oblige you and get rid of the problem."

  [—Thank you, your words are very reassuring.]

  Lena cast her eyes downward, placing her hands on her chest with a calm expression. It was a gesture that showed as if she was taking to heart what Tatsuya said. That is at least how it appeared to Ryousuke.

  Ryousuke couldn't help but feel jealous of Tatsuya for this.

  15 Similar in meaning to the English idiom "to take the plunge."

  125

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Tatsuya didn't make any empty promises to Lena.

  "…Tatsuya-sama, is there something on your mind?"

  That night, he had been seriously considering Lena's offer to the extent that Miyuki had asked him this question while at their home in Chofu.

  "Miyuki, can I ask for your opinion on something? I have something that I would like to think about together."

  He did not hesitate to ask Miyuki for her advice.

  "Of course, what is it?"

  Miyuki brought Tatsuya iced herbal tea as he pondered in the living room, she set the glass teacups on the low table and sat down opposite him, with her apron still on.

  "I had a visit from Lena Fehr at the Industrial Magic Academy earlier this evening."

  "From FEHR?! …Did she use Astral Projection?"

  Despite her unconcealed surprise, Miyuki immediately grasped what took place. Miyuki immediately thought back to what Tatsuya had told her about Lena and how she visited Ryousuke in her astral body during the incident in Itoigawa involving the theft by the New Humanity Front.

  "That's right. It was quite impressive, virtually indistinguishable from a flesh-and-blood body."

  "FEHR's "Saint," huh. …She is not someone to be taken lightly, I see."

  "Saint" is a nickname that was given to Lena. She is called "Milady" within the organization, but is often referred to as "Saint Lena" by her outside supporters.

  This probably stems from the fact that the Mental-Interference Type Magic, [Euphoria], which she excels at, can cause people to forget their melancholy, thereby removing any pain and sorrow from their hearts. Some people find this temporary solace a "salvation,"

  even if it is ephemeral.

  The name "Lena Fehr" is also a pseudonym, for that matter. Or, maybe more of a stage name. It's not a business name, as she uses "Lena Fehr" in her private life as well. Her real name, which she seldom uses herself anymore, is "Lena Chevalley."

  "She asked me to visit the United States."

  126

  "Tatsuya-sama, she wants you to visit America? What kind of business does she want with you?"

  Tatsuya then shared with Miyuki the dispute over the stone tablets unearthed on Mt.

  Shasta.

  "I see. Tookami-san did such a thing while in America…"

  Miyuki wasn't blaming Ryousuke in particular for neglecting the task given to him by Tatsuya to be escorting Mayumi around.

  "Lena Fehr apparently had an ominous premonition about the stone tablet that is in FAIR's possession."

  "I do understand that there is a chance that something bad might happen…"

  Miyuki tilted her head doubtfully.

  "Tatsuya-sama, what is she trying to accomplish by inviting you to America? I just can't understand why she would ask Tatsuya-sama for help when she doesn't even know for sure what is going to happen."

  "And that's just a hunch too, I suppose. That she will need my help to resolve the situation."

  "…Isn't that pretty much a precognition?"

  "I think so, too."

  A brief silence fell in the living room.

  "…Tatsuya-sama, how may I help you?"

  "We can't take action since an incident hasn't occurred yet, and we don't have the luxury of waiting for something to happen either."

  "So, you plan to take action once an incident has occurred?"

  Miyuki did not misunderstand Tatsuya's answer. She read his reasoning correctly, even the omitted details.

  "All I was thinking about was how to get to the United States."

  Tatsuya also moved on, his expression suggesting that she was on point.

  "Why don't you leave the country like how Saegusa-senpai did, would that be possible?"

  "It's not impossible, but I don't want to impose too much."

  127

  There is no way that Tatsuya could be stopped from visiting the United States through regular means. But there would be interference. And it could result in the loss of time, which can't be ignored.

  Considering this, Tatsuya concluded that even if it might be against the law, it would be more viable for him to sneak out of the country.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Wednesday, July 7th, 2100 A.D.

  Despite it being a weekday, Tatsuya wasn't at his office or the university.

  He's been at the Yotsuba Main House since early this morning.

  "What's wrong? It's unusual for you to come here without being invited."

  Maya said this to Tatsuya, when he came to greet her, with a mixture of surprise and teasing.

  Tatsuya shrugged off the teasing and went on to talk about Lena's visit.

  "Black and white stone tablets… That's a very interesting story you have there."

  "She believes them to be magical artifacts."

  "A new kind of Relic, then?"

  "I can't draw any conclusions without access to the objects in question, but from her description, I'd say they're artifacts of a different nature than Relics."

  "There is a white one at the police station, isn't there?"

  "It wouldn't be impossible to acquire it, but…"

  "Yes. Let's make that a last resort."

  Neither of their expressions seemed to indicate that "stealing from the police" would be a difficult task.

  "So, what reason brings you here today? You didn't really come here simply to report to me, did you?"

  "I deemed a report necessary."

  "And?"

  128

  "I would also like to see how the research on [Kimon Tonkou]16 is progressing."

  "Sure, that's fine."

  Ever since the trouble they went through in tracking down Zhou Gongjin, the Yotsuba Family has been conducting research on [Kimon Tonkou]. The research on it has mainly been about how to defeat [Kimon Tonkou], but they are simultaneously developing a technique to achieve the same effect through Modern Magic.

  "Yuuka-san should be in the laboratory as always."

  At the forefront of this research is Tsukuba Yuuka, the next head of the Tsukuba Family, one of the Yotsuba branch families. The Tsukuba Family has a high aptitude for Mental-Interference Type Magic, and Yuuka who is particularly well suited for this, has been living up to her title as the next head of a branch family.

  "Then, if you'll excuse me."

  Tatsuya stood up, bowed not only to Maya but also to Hayama standing behind her, and left the room.

  To his misfortune, Tatsuya didn't have the chance to see Yuuka straight away.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting."

  It was only after 30 minutes of waiting in the coffee room of the research facility, set in a separate building from the main house, that Yuuka finally showed up.

  "No, it's my fault since I suddenly showed up unannounced."

  Answering Yuuka, Tatsuya told the other researchers present that he would be leaving the room.

  The researchers seemed to be sad and frustrated to have Tatsuya leaving the table.

  As they walked together toward the exit of the coffee room, Yuuka smiled at Tatsuya.

  "You're quite popular, Tatsuya-san."

  "I feel the same, for me, discussing with the researchers here is much more productive than at the university."

  16 鬼門遁甲（きもんとんこう）: Kimon Tonkou; Ghost Walker

  129

  "Please, spare me a few, okay? It has been a headache for me lately that so many of the research staff want to transfer to Miyaki-shima."17

  As a figure of authority among the branch families, Yuuka is responsible for part of the management of the research facilities in this "village." While the research institute has a horizontal organizational structure with no specific title, in terms of position, Yuuka is the No 2 in terms of authority after Butler Kurebayashi, who oversees the coordination of these facilities.

  "It isn't like I'm trying to recruit them, you know."

  "Well, yeah, I know."

  Yuuka understands the situation. She knows that the researchers simply want to work with Tatsuya out of sheer academic curiosity. Even so, in her expression, she couldn't hold back her frustration or rather, she didn't want to.

  "Oh, by the way, I heard you've decided to get married."

  "Huh!?"

  Yuuka faltered on the spot with Tatsuya's surprise attack.

  "My congratulations."

  "Ah, ha ha ha… Well, you know, I'll be turning 26 this year."

  Yuuka's eyes darted around as she feigned a laugh. It was clear the topic was uncomfortable for her. She seemed done with the topic from her exasperated expression, hinting at how insistently those around her must have been pressuring her about marriage.

  —Aware of that, Tatsuya still brought up the topic.

  Yuuka hastened her pace. Of course, not so fast that Tatsuya could not keep up with her.

  Once in her own laboratory, Yuuka immediately asked Tatsuya what his business was. As if suggesting that the topic of her marriage should not be rehashed.

  "Yuuka-san, how far have you been able to reproduce [Kimon Tonkou]?"

  Tatsuya was also not there to make small talk, so he cut right to the chase.

  "Oh, that."

  Yuuka frowned to the point of her eyebrows nearly meeting.

  17 島 : Island; “Shima” and “jima” mean the same thing, but the pronunciation changes to “jima”