Still, she could not leave it alone.

  It was impossible to turn a blind eye to the situation.

  Lina pressed her free hand to her forehead.

  "Ben… Could you please check it out anyway?"

  [Roger that, Lina.]

  Perhaps it was her imagination, but Canopus' voice sounded like it had a tinge of sympathy in it.

  "I'm back."

  "Welcome back, Fifi."

  About an hour or so after the call with Canopus ended, Sophia returned to the room.

  "Any problems?"

  "I didn't see anyone suspicious in the hotel."

  47

  She wasn't having an evening out. Sophia was scouting to ensure that the people they spotted during the day weren't up to any tricks.

  "I put up an 'Alarm' just in case, so as long as I'm here in the hotel, I think everything should be fine."

  The selection process for star-class members of Stars is based on their direct combat abilities, so in addition to her striking power, she is also an expert in the field of intelligence, most notably with her use of a special kind of magic suitable for counterintelligence.

  The name of this magic is "Tentacles." It is a Non-Systematic Magic capable of remote and simultaneous psychometry, in which a Psion Information Body is established as a "post" that, when comes into contact with a person, through the resulting interference between Psions, the information on the Psions surrounding that person's body is conveyed to the caster.

  Although it's a convenient and sophisticated magic that can detect intruders and even identify their psionic patterns, it's not a magic that Sophia is often prideful about. Mainly due to the nomenclature of the name, "Tentacles." The developers gave it the name "Tentacles," in a sense like "tactile hairs" or "antennae," but it was from the word

  "tentacle" that it took its name from. Not wanting to be treated as the "tentacle woman,"

  Sophia herself uses the name "Alarm" instead of "Tentacles."

  "So, that 'Alarm' of yours is magic, right? Can you maintain that while sleeping?"

  Sophia was recruited after Lina left Stars, and Lina doesn't know yet of Sophia's capabilities or lack thereof.

  "It's fine. I'm used to it."

  Unfamiliar with what she can and can't do, Lina trusted her words and decided to rest.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  At the same time, Mayumi and Mari were about to get into bed.

  They are sharing the same room. Naturally, Ryousuke has his own.

  "Mayumi, I'm turning off the light."

  "Yeah, go ahead."

  Waiting for Mayumi, who was sitting on the bed, to answer, Mari turned off the room light.

  48

  The weak glow of the bedside light did not reach the corners of the room, but Mari made it to the bed without fear of walking in the dark.

  "Mari."

  Mayumi, lying sprawled on the bed, spoke to Mari, who is also flat on her bed.

  "What was that this afternoon?"

  Mari didn't ask back, "What do you mean?"

  "You mean when we took a break at the upstairs café?"

  Perhaps she wasn't expecting for it to be brought up.

  "Yeah, that. You weren't really tired then, were you?"

  "Of course not. A hint: It's easier to see the streets from a seat upstairs."

  "Do we really have to make this a quiz… Do you mean there was a stalker?"

  "A stalker, hey… No, I guess that's the right word, is it?"

  "Eh! There really was a stalker?"

  Mayumi rose up briskly.

  "It wasn't really a stalker, but there was someone tailing us."

  By contrast, Mari replied in a calm voice, still lying flat.

  "There were two that I was able to confirm, but there were probably others there. I think they were a team and were coordinating with each other to keep an eye on us."

  "How can you be so calm about this!?"

  Mayumi exclaimed, her voice breaking.

  "We have to be calm right now."

  "—ngh."

  Maris's answer only made Mayumi stifle more screams, however.

  "Don't worry. I have plenty of training to deal with nocturnal assaults. I have anti-personnel sensors and gas sensors already in place."

  "When did you…"

  "While you were taking a shower, that is. So, don't worry and get some rest."

  49

  "But…"

  "Though, I'll have to be in a shallow sleep, to be able to respond at any time, so I won't be able to perform at one hundred percent during the day. Mayumi, if you also don't get enough sleep we might not be able to handle any unforeseen circumstances."

  "…Got it. I'll handle things during the day, so I'll leave the night to you."

  "Yeah, please do."

  She could tell that Mari had closed her eyes.

  Mayumi also laid down once again.

  There were many things on her mind, but Mayumi tried not to think about anything, forcing all the bothersome thoughts out of her consciousness.

  Any normal person would fail miserably in attempting to stop their thoughts. It would only result in having even more tangential thoughts.

  But for magicians like Mayumi, they have trained to control their own state of consciousness, and their own state of mind. Keeping her mind clear, she fell into a deep sleep.

  50

  Chapter 3

  [Conspiracy]

  June 28th, 1:00 A.M. local time in Vancouver.

  "Lina, they're here. Get up."

  Sophia's voice was all it took for Lina to raise her body from her bed.

  "They really came, huh."

  There wasn't a trace of drowsiness in her fed up remark. She stood up as quickly as she got up, stepping into her shoes that she usually keeps lined up beside her bed.

  "Do we capture them? Or should we drive them away?"

  The similarly roused Sophia asked about the course of action. She didn't even seem remotely bothered by Lina's prompt transition to combat readiness when she should be naturally drowsy. Sophia knows that Lina had previously been "Sirius" of Stars. As far as Sophia is concerned, it is only natural to expect Lina to behave like a soldier due to her military discipline.

  …If her Japanese friends could see Lina now, they would probably rub their eyelids and look at her again incredulously.

  "It's a shame, but we don't have anywhere to keep them locked up, nor any means of interrogation, right now. We're not prepared enough to capture them. So let's just drive them away."

  Sophia's question brought up a valid point.

  "Roger that."

  There were no objections during the conversation.

  "I'll go on ahead first. Lina, back me up."

  Lina doesn't know exactly what kind of combat magician Sophia is. But her skills earned her a first-magnitude star codename at the very least.

  "I'll leave it to you. Stay sharp."

  51

  Although she has no espionage skills, Lina, who can use "Parade," is better at covert operations than one would expect. Thus it was decided, however, to leave things in her hands for the time being.

  Sophia planted "Alarm" — the interpersonal perception magic "Tentacles" in the corridor, elevator hall, and emergency staircase. She detected an intruder by the "Alarm" on the emergency staircase.

  Their room is situated on the floor above that of Mayumi's group.

  The intruder was descending from above.

  Therefore, Sophia decided to wait for the intruder on the landing just below whereas Lina was waiting for the intruder at the lower floor door. This formation was in case the intruder took a different route. However, so far there had been no response on the lower floor where Sophia had set up an "Alarm." It seemed safe to assume that the intruder was descending from above. Lina thought so at least.

  Sophia indicated upwards with a hand sign.

  It seemed that the intruder was closing in.

  Furthermore, the intruder really is descending from above.

  Ready to respond at any time, Lina kept an eye on Sophia on the landing and the staircase above to the upper floor. Since she was also paying attention to Sophia, Lina immediately noticed her picking up a small object from her pocket.

  Smaller than a coin, just enough that she could pick it up with her fingers.

  (A pill…?)

  It was too dark to see clearly, but it was presumably a white pill.

  The moment a figure came into view, muffling the sound of their own footsteps while coming down the stairs, Sophia flicked the pill-like object with her right thumb.

  She could barely discern the figure bending backwards in the darkness. Immediately thereafter, the intruder tripped over his own feet and tumbled down the staircase.

  She felt signs of agitation from above. Said signs then stopped movement. Perhaps out of fear it might happen again, they did not run down in aid of their companion.

  Sophia came down to Lina's position.

  52

  With a hand gesture, she suggested that they go out through the emergency staircase and into the hallway.

  Lina nodded and used a sound-dampening magic.

  They soundlessly opened the door and walked out of the emergency staircase.

  "Aren't there still some intruders left, though?"

  Lina asked Sophia, after deploying a barrier of soundproofing magic around them.

  "If we take them all down, there wouldn't be anyone to pull them out, right?"

  "So you deliberately only took down one of them so as not to leave any trace of the attack?"

  "That was the idea. We also don't want the others to know what we're up to."

  Lina thought to herself, "I understand."

  "…By the way, what was that thing that you flicked with your finger just a bit ago?"

  With one question out of the way, the next one came to mind.

  "Hmm? Ah, this."

  Sophia pulled out something like a flat bead from the same pocket as before.

  Similarly as before, it looked like a rather large pill.

  "What is it?"

  "It's a solidified powder of a type of synthetic drug that you inhale through your nose. I use magic to send it to about the tip of the enemy's nose, and I turn it back into a powder. It's highly toxic, so you just need this much to induce acute intoxication."

  "So that's what made the guy fall over."

  "If they leave their buddy behind, he will be caught red-handed for drug use. I'm pretty sure they'll do their best to pick his body up though since he won't be able to move on his own."

  Though Sophia is explaining in a serious tone of voice, it was quite noticeable that the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. It was an unconscious, uncontrollable smile on her part, " a smirk," like she is commiting a crime for the fun of it.

  53

  54

  She's quite mean, Lina thought.

  Maybe this is just the kind of personality to expect from someone who specializes in espionage work.

  "She seems dependable in that sense, I guess?" Lina thought next.

  It has been a while, so Lina and Sophia used the emergency staircase to return to their room, as there weren't any signs of the intruders.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  On the afternoon of June 28th, in the former Canadian territory of Vancouver. Mayumi, accompanied by Mari and Ryousuke, were meeting with Lena once again.

  "Have you gotten used to the time zone difference, Miss Saegusa?"

  "Yes, I'm all right."

  Mari and, not to mention, Mayumi showed no signs of sleep deprivation. That's thanks to the fact that, contrary to their expectations, no one broke in while they were sleeping, so they ended up not being woken up in the middle of the night. Both Mayumi and Mari were oblivious to what occurred outside their room, Ryousuke, who was asleep in another room, was also unaware of what took place.

  "I'd like to discuss your offer."

  Lena ended her preamble at that and proceeded to the main topic.

  "I'll begin by saying that a partnership with the Magian Society would be a most welcome opportunity for us. I believe there is a need to refine the details of the agreement, but we would like to make a statement to the effect of the agreement."

  "I understand."

  Mayumi bowed at Lena's words.

  On the surface, this marks the end of the business she was sent to America for.

  But she felt that it was somewhat unexciting.

  "If it's alright with you, could you please elaborate, even briefly, on the items of concern?"

  Mayumi inquired of Lena as such.

  55

  "…As you may be aware, we are currently in the midst of an antagonistic relationship with an organization called FAIR."

  To which Lena replied after a moment's hesitation.

  Despite the fact that there have not been any arrests of its members, the "Janus" duo that were caught in Japan are not the only ones who have been involved in crimes. Just by having a relationship with such an organization — even if it's an antagonistic one — brings the consideration of many that FEHR may also have a dark side of their own as well. That's just the way the world is.

  Lena does not think that would prompt a rejection from an emissary sent by that Shiba Tatsuya. However, although it is not a criminal act, it is still true that FEHR itself engages in espionage-like conduct against FAIR. It was just not something that she would casually confide in someone she first met two days ago, and this being only the second meeting so far.

  "No, I'm afraid I'm not. When you say 'antagonistic relationship,' to what extent do you mean? So much so that they would try to break in and try to steal from my company?"

  "Mayumi's response wasn't far off from what Lena had predicted, but it was well beyond her expectations, however."

  Besides Mayumi, Ryousuke also couldn't hide his surprise.

  "…Were you stolen from?"

  "No, it ended in a failed attempt. A duo called 'Janus' did manage to break in, but we were able to drive them away."

  "…is that so. It's good that there weren't any losses, at the very least, then."

  Both Lena and Ryousuke are well aware of the events where the former FAIR members, Janus, broke into the Stellar Reactor Plant and FLT8 in search of a Relic. Ryousuke was very much a concerned party to this incident, after all.

  They aren't surprised because the incident itself was brought up. Neither of them were expecting Mayumi to know about the identity of Janus.

  It was not surprising that she discovered this information if you consider the facts.

  Mayumi wasn't involved in the capture of Janus. All that she did was repel the duo alongside Ryousuke, it was the older sister and younger brother of the Kuroba Family who drove them into a corner, and Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Lina were essentially the ones who captured them in the end.

  8 FLT: Four Leaves Technology

  56

  Mayumi, however, is the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family, which is said to rival the Yotsuba Family in the Japanese magical community. There was absolutely no doubt that the Saegusa Family would investigate the incident since she was involved. The Yotsuba Family didn't seem particularly zealous about concealing the incident. So, even though she doesn't know about the circumstances involving their capture, Mayumi did find out about the general identity of the criminal magicians that she fought.

  "Considering their involvement, if you say you're in conflict with FAIR, then so are we. As long as it doesn't escalate to the point of an illegal armed conflict, I don't believe it'll pose much of an impediment to our partnership."

  "Something like an armed conflict is just as outrageous to us. I can firmly assure you that we, FEHR, do not use force except for the purpose of self-defense."

  "Then there should be no problem."

  Mayumi responded with a radiant smile. "self-defense" is often used as an excuse to use violence. Behind that smile was a complete understanding of this fact.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Lina turned her head at the sound of tapping on the passenger-side windowpane to find Captain Mirfak standing there saluting her.

  Lina, who is in the driver's seat of a self-propelled car, unlocked the door.

  Mirfak readily slid into the passenger seat.

  "You figured it out pretty well, huh?"

  Lina's query could mean two things: "How did you know I was here?" and "How did you know it was me?" They're in a rental car that Sophia had arranged for them. And the current Lina has an appearance of a totally different person with the use of Parade.

  "Second Lieutenant Spica passed the car's license plate number to me."

  "I see."

  "By the way, where is Second Lieutenant Spica?"

  After satisfying Lina's curiosity, it was now Mirfak's turn to ask.

  "She's checking the area to make sure there aren't any others like the ones we saw last night lurking around. She should be back soon."

  57

  As if on cue, Sophia could be spotted coming from behind shadows of a building.

  Holding a takeout cup in each hand, she walked in a stride that was neither too fast nor too slow. Her figure blended in with the environment, as if she was just another local.

  Sophia came to stand beside the car.

  Lina rolled down the window and received her drink.

  "Want me to drive for a while?"

  "No, I'm good, thanks."

  Sophia didn't waver in the slightest at her answer and just opened the back seat door and climbed into the back seat behind Lina.

  "Fifi, how was it?"

  Lina went ahead and asked Sophia for her report.

  "There was no one suspicious around, that includes the bunch from last night. I imagine they didn't want to stick around and stand out."

  "So, is there a chance of what happened last night happening again?"

  "Yes, but not necessarily. They may attack during dinner time. Blending in with the crowd is another way of being inconspicuous, after all."

  Lina mulled over Sophia's assessment for a moment.

  "…At any rate, you don't think we're going to be attacked here, right Fifi?"

  "Yeah. Although it might be dangerous to take our eyes off of them completely."

  "I can take over the watch here."

  Mirfak followed up after Sophia spoke.