Honoka and Shizuku looked at each other and let out a sigh at the same time.

  "Mitsui-senpai!"

  There, from beyond the main gate she was called in a brisk, raised voice. It was Shippou Takuma.

  "Mitsui-san!"

  They heard a voice from the pavement behind them, as if trying to compete with Takuma's. It was Torii Matomo.

  "We'll have to wait until Tatsuya-san comes to the university to settle this. Until then, why don't you enjoy being the bad girl and playing with your juniors?"

  Shizuku suggested to Honoka with a very serious face, that didn't it make it sound like she was just joking

  "Play? No, I don't want to, being a bad girl is too troublesome."

  Honoka replied, looking to be genuinely against the idea.

  But, seeing how Takuma and Matomo energetically approached her, as if competing in a walking race, Honoka brought forth a nice charming smile and said "Good morning, Shippou-kun" and "Good morning, Torii-kun," giving each their own morning greetings. At that moment, there was no sign of disappointment for not being able to meet Tatsuya.

  Seeing Honoka skillfully handling her juniors, Shizuku exhaled a soft sigh.

  (…Honoka has enough of the makings of a bad girl.) Shizuku muttered in her mind.

  (…But being who she is, Honoka certainly won't be able to find a new love unless she puts her feelings for Tatsuya-san to rest.)

  However, she soon changed her mind, "I guess I don't have a choice."

  (What bad timing, both of you.)

  184

  She felt sorry for Takuma and Matomo, but they'll have to be Honoka's distractions for a while. ──With that under consideration, it was Shizuku who might be the one with the makings of a bad girl.

  185

  Main Story Epilogue

  [Returnees]

  Monday, July 5th.

  Having returned from the USNA the day before yesterday, Mayumi and Ryousuke are back to work at the Specialized Academy of Industrial Magic Technology, "Industrial Magic Academy" for short, after taking the previous day to rest. Furthermore, Mayumi returned to her company housing in Izu from her parents' house yesterday.

  Both of them have only one job lined up for today. Once they had reported to Tatsuya on the results of their trip to the United States, they were free to leave for the day. And they hardly had to wait.

  "Good morning, everyone."

  Tatsuya appeared at the Industrial Magic Academy at nine o'clock in the morning.

  "Good morning, Managing Director."

  As Tatsuya walked into the office, Mayumi stood up and greeted him, the others in the office followed suit. Of course, Ryousuke also stood up, a beat behind Mayumi, and gave Tatsuya his morning greeting.

  "Saegusa-san, Tookami-san. Please come to the Director's office when you have finished your preparations."

  Tatsuya requested the report without delay.

  "Very well, sir."

  Nodding to a bowing Mayumi, Tatsuya exited the office.

  About ten minutes after Tatsuya had settled down at his desk, there was a knock on the door of his office, the "Director's Office."

  "It's Tookami, sir. I'm here with Saegusa-san to deliver our report on the business trip."

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  "Please come in."

  While Tatsuya said this, he remotely unlocked the door.

  He then stood up and greeted Ryousuke and Mayumi as they walked in while saying,

  "Excuse me."

  "Please have a seat over there."

  Tatsuya offered them the sofa from the reception set, sitting down first on the opposite side.

  Mayumi exchanged looks with Ryousuke, where he told her with his eyes that she could go first. Ryousuke sat down right after her.

  Tatsuya looked at both of them.

  Mayumi spoke up in response to his gaze.

  "Allow me to give the report, sir. I'm pleased to inform you that Miss Lena Fehr, the representative of FEHR, is interested in a partnership with Magian Society on the condition that she may hold a discussion with the Managing Director."

  "With me? Not with the representative, Dr. Chandrasekhar?"

  "I asked Miss Fehr the same question, but she asked for a meeting with the Managing Director."

  "I see…"

  Tatsuya contemplated for a moment,

  "Did you secure a means of contact with the other party?"

  Then asked Mayumi.

  "Yes, this way, sir."

  Mayumi took out a mobile terminal and showed a phone number and an email address.

  The phone number was that of a satellite phone.

  Tatsuya stared at the screen for a good three seconds before giving a light nod of his head and saying, "Understood." It was enough time to memorize it all and not forget.

  "Is there anything else of note you would like to mention?"

  187

  "There is."

  Mayumi's answer came as a bit of a surprise. Mayumi's answer was a bit surprising, not so much because she said that "there is," but because she didn't even pretend to think about it.

  "Oh? And what would it be?"

  Tatsuya asked, his interest unconcealed.

  "I've met with an old acquaintance. Ono Haruka-sensei, who used to be a counselor at First High."

  "Ono-sensei? I heard that she left First High, but."

  To tell the truth, Tatsuya knew a little more detailed information surrounding that.

  Ono Haruka was an undercover investigator for the Ministry of Police, Public Security Agency ── a spy for public security. The person in question claimed that she was a "counselor by profession, and that she was made to work as a spy against her will," but on the level of immersion in the darkness of intelligence secrets, such nonsense simply does not hold water.

  That's why two years ago, Haruka was unavoidably caught up in a serious power struggle that broke out among spies from the Public Security Agency. In order to escape from there, as this turmoil escalated into a domestic assassination conflict, a year and a half ago she sought the help of Yakumo, who she previously had as a teacher, and went into hiding. Tatsuya didn't know where exactly she had gone after escaping Tokyo, but it seems that she had somehow crossed the Pacific Ocean.

  "What was she up to now?"

  "She told me that she was working for a detective agency in Seattle. It seems that she had just been in the middle of a case she was working on for FEHR."

  "Is that so…"

  What exactly was the request that Haruka was taking on? It's not just a matter of personal interest or curiosity, it is something that Tatsuya felt he needed to know.

  He thought he should gather information about the situation, including the circumstances before and after, so Tatsuya concluded.

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  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Lina had just returned yesterday, a day later than Mayumi and Ryousuke, but she still attended the Magic University, despite the jet lag.

  She hadn't been to campus since last Saturday. She’d been absent for only a week, but there had been quite a few big and small news developments that she didn't know about.

  "…Masaki's change in particular. What on earth happened for him to change his heart?"

  Lina, who is taking a break in the seminar room after leaving the crowded cafeteria, asked Miyuki, who has also taken refuge in the same room.

  "I don't know the details either. It just happened this morning."

  "Hmm… Maybe something happened over the weekend."

  "Well, Lina, that aside. Did anything happen during your time away?"

  Having only just returned to Japan yesterday, neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki had much of an opportunity to hear from Lina. Of course, this is not a conversation to be had in a place where others can hear, but Miyuki thought on checking at least if there were any major problems.

  "Ah… well, you know, some stuff here and there. I'll tell you when we get home."

  And apparently, there seems to have been some problems over on that side that they need to hear about.

  It's going to be a long night, Miyuki thought.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  After giving the report to Tatsuya, Mayumi left early as planned, whereas Ryousuke remained at the Industrial Magic Academy.

  Ryousuke had been working on a systematic operation under the guidance of the appointed head of the academy, Yatsushiro Takara, but around four o'clock in the afternoon, he asked Tatsuya for a private meeting with him.

  Ryousuke went to the director’s office once again, without taking the seat on the sofa recommended to him, he stood in front of Tatsuya's desk.

  189

  "Is there something you don't want Saegusa-san to hear?"

  Tatsuya fished Ryousuke for information.

  "There's that too, but it was the middle of the night over there."

  "I understand. So you waited until it was morning."

  Ryousuke's line lacked the specific name of the place, but Tatsuya correctly recognized

  "over there" as Vancouver.

  "So I should just make a phone call?"

  "No, if you wait a moment."

  Ryousuke shook his head at Tatsuya's query. Then he stopped talking.

  Ryousuke, in spite of the fact that he was the one who asked for the meeting, did not say what he wanted to discuss.

  But Tatsuya didn't have to dwell on it for long.

  He knew right away why Ryousuke had asked for a meeting alone with him.

  A vaguely human-shaped haze emerged beside Ryousuke.

  The haze swiftly took on the contours and colors of a person.

  Tatsuya understood at a glance that it was a virtual image created by the Outer-Systematic Type Magic, Astral Projection.

  Clear, bright chestnut-colored hair and amber-colored eyes.

  A young girl appearing to be a middle or high school student, about five years younger than Tatsuya.

  The name of the person matching this physical description immediately came to Tatsuya's mind.

  "Nice to meet you, Mr. Shiba. Please forgive my indiscretion in intruding suddenly without permission."

  A telepathic message from the astral body reached Tatsuya's outer consciousness.

  "I am Lena Fehr. I serve as the representative of FEHR."

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  The astral body of the young girl gave the very same name Tatsuya had thought of.

  "Mr. Shiba. I would greatly appreciate it if you would listen to the difficulties we are facing at the moment. And if you are willing, I would like to ask for your assistance in the matter."

  The voice of the thought does not give the impression of being so pressed to be pleading for help. But he could tell from the tone of her voice that she didn't have much time to spare.

  "That's perfect for me. I was hoping to find out more about the situation there."

  At Tatsuya's response, Lena's astral body expressed relief.

  "Let me hear what you have to say first, please. I'll ask a question if there is anything I don't understand."

  "I understand, I accept. …The situation started when FAIR, which mister also is familiar with, sent a survey team to Mount Shasta."

  Lena then began to explain to Tatsuya what had been happening in the USNA and what was due to happen in the future, with some speculation on her part.

  191

  Afterword

  Here you have it, the third volume of Magian Company.

  What did you think? I hope you enjoyed it.

  This third volume consists of half Main Story and half Side Stories.

  Since "Magian Company" is a sequel to "Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei," there is a continuity in the characters. However, it is not possible to integrate all the characters into the story. And since the narrative takes place in a different setting, it is natural to have some characters who were regulars in the previous series not having the chance to appear in this one. And even when they do have the opportunity to appear, there are cases where the characters have little to do with the main story and thus are not discussed in depth.

  The two side stories contained in this third volume are an attempt to fill in these gaps. If this idea does not turn out to be unpopular, I would like to continue to insert these episodes in the volumes in the form of short stories.

  I am writing this afterword at the end of July, 2021 A.D. At the moment, the spread of Covid-19 is becoming extremely severe. There has been an explosive growth of infections.

  I am beginning to really worry about whether this serious situation will be brought under control.

  I do not know now whether the vaccine will work or not, or whether a treatment will ever be completed. I do believe that the vaccine used in mass vaccinations in Japan will work, but there is no guarantee that there will not be a mutated variant in the future that the vaccine won't be effective against ── I can't shake this eerie fear.

  If the flow of people is really reduced, will the infection slow down? And If this is true, then the students from universities and schools will have to stop their club activities or circle activities and go home as soon as their classes are over. Office workers would go home on time instead of working overtime. Staying secluded at their homes, they would spend their leisure time reading or playing games, watching sports, cartoons and dramas 192

  on TV. Online communication becomes the only remaining way to interact with others.

  ──I would say that this is the ideal lifestyle.

  In other words, it was precisely this kind of lifestyle that the otaku had adopted as the ideal way of living in the modern age. According to one theory, the word "otaku" has its origins in a certain anime character who used the second person pronoun "otaku-sama,"

  shortened to "otaku," which became popular among fans. If the meaning of "otaku" is changed to "a person who spends most of his time at home," then undoubtedly the spread of Covid-19 will be brought under control. ──That is, if the reduction in the flow of people really helps to slow down the spreading.

  Perhaps Covid-19 might be an opportunity to change the nature of Japanese society. In the big cities, people suffer from crowded trains every morning and evening, while in the countryside there is only one train and one bus every hour, and in some places there are no trains or buses whatsoever. …Well, there are many things I'd like to say about this situation, but I'll stop here. I don't want this to turn into more of a political discussion.

  But I believe that if we could extend the range of things that can be done online, we would make great progress towards solving problems associated with things like public transport or road maintenance. I think that if we could do our shopping online, we could really make progress in solving the problem of shopping districts getting shuttered due to a lack of traffic. I have a memory from about 20 years or so ago, of a TV commercial by NTT advertising their optical fiber line. As the physical radius of people’s activities shrinks, I think that it's not all that unlikely to see the resurgence of the "errand boy" culture, where people rely on deliveries from local shops for their daily shopping. If the cashless system continues to advance, the biggest bottleneck of the errand boy business, the problem of money on hand and change, should also be solved.

  I hope that we can make use of this national crisis and take things in a positive direction.

  Well, leaving those big issues aside, let me tell you what I want to say.

  Everyone, let's read a book at home.

  …And now, after a self-deprecatory speech (did I get that right?). If all goes according to plan, by the time this book comes out, the schedule for the "Reminiscence Arc" anime should be settled by now. Besides the Reminiscence Arc anime, there will be other announcements concerning the 10th Anniversary Project. Please look forward to it.

  The fourth volume will feature the events of Mayumi, Ryousuke and Lina's time in America, which I deliberately skipped over this time. The story will be set mainly in the

  193

  western part of America, but rest assured that not only the United States group, but also the group back in Japan will also play an active role.

  Also coming up next will be the third volume of "Cygnus Maidens." It might have a slightly different atmosphere from the previous two volumes, but I hope you enjoy it.

  So, that's it for this volume. Thank you very much for reading.

  (Satou Tsutomu)

 

 

  Unknown, Mahouka Magian Company Vol.03 (-Manual TL-)

 

 

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