And that system had easily been breached. Moreover, the sender was far from being an ordinary person.

  The sender of the audio file was labeled as that "Shiba Tatsuya."

  Tatsuya's message, which wasn’t censored at all, was heard not only by the Administrative Vice-Minister and the Chief of the Joint Military Command (※ the equivalent of the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff), it even reached the Minister of Defense.

  The resulting disarray within the ministry came from a lack of consensus on how to address the message.

  Despite the advocacy for severe legal action to be taken against Tatsuya, that idea was quickly shot down. There was no evidence to determine that said message involved unauthorized access. As far as the network logs were concerned, it was nothing else than a legitimate email. What could be concluded from the remaining logs was that the firewall had coincidentally crashed at the moment the message was received. A coincidence too convenient for Tatsuya, but there was no evidence to contradict this data.

  As for the contents of the message itself, there was nothing criminal about it. It just made no sense.

  In summary, the message read, "Tomorrow at 4:00 A.M., please observe the night sky at the heliocentric ecliptic coordinates of 60°-61° ecliptic latitude and 121°-123° ecliptic longitude. However, direct observation with a telescope may result in blindness."

  At one o'clock in the afternoon, Inukai and Onda were summoned to the Director’s private room in the Army Intelligence Department.

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  "Deputy Director Inukai, what are the results of your investigation into the unsolicited message from Shiba Tatsuya."

  "Yes, sir. First of all, we didn't find anything suspicious in the message itself. There's no evidence of any malware embedded, and there are no indications of any processing in the voice."

  "I guess we don't need to worry about a ridiculous situation where a cabinet minister ends up in the hospital after accidentally playing it."

  The Director muttered this as if spitting the words out. Inukai didn't lose his serious expression while Onda had a faint wry smile on his face.

  "As for the point of origin of the message, it was sent from a private house in Fuchu City.

  It’s a single-family house that Shiba Tatsuya lived in until the spring of three years ago, the owner is Shiba Tatsurou. He’s the father of Shiba Tatsuya's fiancée."

  Inukai continued his report, making no mention of the Director's soliloquy.

  "On the surface, there is nothing questionable about it. That is, unless the IP address has been falsified, in which case we could use that as an excuse to investigate."

  "Although we suspect that the point of origin is different, as you pointed out, we couldn't find any illegality."

  Inukai's back-channeling caused the Director to furrow his brow.

  "Anything else?"

  "That's all."

  Inukai was unwilling to end up leaving his superior in a sour mood, but he had no choice since he had no more information to report. It has only been about three hours since the message in question arrived to begin with. There was just not enough time to investigate.

  With his disappointment evident, the Director moved his gaze from Inukai to Onda.

  "The spot in space specified by Shiba Tatsuya matches a recently discovered comet."

  Onda began his report with the wordless request.

  "A comet?"

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  "It is an astronomical object that is presumed to be a comet, for which the precise orbital calculations have not yet been concluded. According to the present calculations, it’s expected to cross paths with the Earth at a distance of one and a half million kilometers in approximately one month."

  "One and a half million kilometers… Isn't that four times the distance to the moon?"

  Having done some rough mental arithmetic, a frown crossed the Director's face.

  "Isn't that… pretty close?"

  "Yes. The experts said it was exceptionally close for a comet."

  "And that's a month away? Why didn't the information about this thing come to our attention?"

  Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the Director raised his voice.

  "Don't worry, sir. They also said there's almost no danger of a collision."

  "But it wouldn't be zero! Was your source of information the Japan Spaceguard?"

  "Yes."

  "Were the researchers over there withholding this information!?"

  "No, it doesn't seem so. They explained that the announcement of the discovery was delayed because the object reflected almost no light."

  "I don’t suppose the media knows about this!?"

  "I immediately made sure they didn't share it. And they seem to be fully aware of the gravity of the situation, and are keeping a tight control on the information regarding this comet."

  Upon hearing Onda's answer, the evident urgency on the face of the Director of the Intelligence Department eased if only slightly.

  "If the general public gets wind of this, it may cause widespread panic. I want you to keep an eye on the media as well as the Spaceguard."

  "Leave it to me, sir."

  Onda asserted confidently as he took on the Director's instructions.

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  "Please wait a moment, sir…"

  Inukai raised an inquisitive voice, though he probably didn't mean to sound petty about it.

  "The fact that the coordinates specified by Shiba Tatsuya in his message correspond to that comet means that at least Shiba Tatsuya's party is privy to that information, doesn't it?"

  After Inukai pointed this out, the expressions on the Director’s and Onda's faces grew tense.

  "……"

  "……"

  Inukai as well as Onda remained silent as they watched the complexion on their superior's face.

  "…Is that man planning to do something?"

  After the short silence, the Director let out a grunt.

  Of course, if they knew the answer then they would say it, but unfortunately they don’t.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  On this day, Miyuki and Lina ultimately stayed on Miyakishima instead of returning to Tokyo.

  Tatsuya was planning to use the facility for a demonstration tomorrow before dawn, so it was natural that Miyuki didn’t want to return home. And, as for Lina, even though the date of her trip to the United States (returning home?) was approaching, after all was said and done, she was Miyuki's buddy6.

  Thus, together, the three of them were having an early dinner at the villa on Miyakishima.

  "Tatsuya, don't you think it's time you told us?"

  It was here that Lina asked Tatsuya about that matter. ──Apparently, Miyuki had forgotten about giving Lina the lecture.

  6 companion; friend; best friend

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  "What exactly are we going to do tomorrow? And what is the original purpose of Material Burst?"

  When Lina raised those questions, Tatsuya stopped his chopsticks with a slightly amused look plastered on his face.

  "I think you already have an idea, don't you?"

  Tatsuya asked back, as if to tease her, and if to test her.

  "I want to hear it straight from your mouth."

  In a surprising twist, Lina wasn’t provoked.

  "Lina, what do you think is the original purpose of magic?"

  But, Tatsuya didn’t have such a good character that he’d answer so easily.

  "For example, what do you consider your Heavy Metal Burst magic to be for?"

  "When you’re asking what for… are you asking about the raison d'etre of magic?"

  "That's right."

  Faced with the unexpected question, Lina pondered over it with a bewildered expression.

  "…I don't know. Is there supposed to be a reason for magic to exist? And even if there is, who decides?"

  Lina raised the white flag.

  "Exactly," Tatsuya responded to her answer with a satisfied nod.

  "Huh? What do you mean?"

  "Who decides the original purpose of magic, the reason for magic's existence? And if there is one, we have absolutely no way of knowing. If so, who else should decide the meaning of your magic but yourself. Don't you think so?"

  "Eh, yeah, I guess."

  Though Lina nodded right away, she was clearly oblivious to where the conversation was going.

  "Let's get back to the topic."

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  Seeing Lina like that, Tatsuya felt it would be a bad idea to confuse her any further. The amused note in his voice disappeared.

  "I believe that Material Burst is overkill, no matter what battlefield it’s being applied to."

  "…I have to agree."

  With the sudden change to the topic of "war," Lina's confused face turned serious.

  "But even so, this is still my magic. Instead of sealing it away out of fear of its power, I thought I should find a positive use for it. I thought that I needed to decide for myself what its original use was."

  "So, that’s what you meant by the raison d’etre of magic from a moment ago?"

  Lina brought up the question with a pensive expression.

  Beside her, Miyuki attentively listened to Tatsuya's words with a similar expression.

  Dinner had come to a complete halt, yet no one paid it any notice in the least.

  "It can't be used on the battlefield. And it's also not necessarily useful for productive purposes like, say, as an energy source. That magic is just too destructive."

  More energy wasn’t always better. Too much heat was generated in an instant, that makes it virtually impossible to convert the heat into a usable output. Material Burst generates seven to eight times the thermal output of a commercial nuclear reactor of about a century ago, in an instant, from a mass as small as a hundred grams. Capturing that much heat was nearly impossible.

  "In order to make effective use of that magic, I need a target to which I can direct all that destructive power as a destructive power. Destruction for destruction's sake, for a purpose other than destruction itself. But there is no such target on Earth."

  Lina opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

  But no words came out of her mouth.

  "However, beyond Earth, in space, there are ways to effectively use its destructive power."

  Tatsuya briefly stopped his words, thinking that not only Lina but also Miyuki might want to say something. But when he turned to look at her, Miyuki gave him a look that urged him to continue.

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  "The prevention of disasters caused by astronomical collisions. Although disasters caused by the collision of other celestial bodies with the Earth are low in probability, if they were to actually occur, they could cause tremendous damage."

  "Like the asteroid that caused the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period?"

  Lina asked,

  "It doesn't even need to be on such a large scale, there are examples like the Tunguska Event."

  Miyuki added.

  Tatsuya nodded at them both.

  "──Blowing up large meteorites, asteroids, as well as comets that would cause catastrophic disasters here on Earth in space to avoid impacts with the Earth. I thought that this would be the most beneficial use of Material Burst. So, I decided that this was the primary purpose of Material Burst."

  "So that's what you're trying to demonstrate this time, right Tatsuya?"

  Lina said with an understanding look on her face,

  "Astronomical collisions are a long-term risk that can never be ignored, no matter how low the probability. You're trying to show the majority the value of Magians by offering a solution, aren't you?"

  Miyuki asked in a lively voice.

  "There is that side of it, but the main purpose of this event is different."

  Tatsuya, however, didn’t quite follow Miyuki's words with a nod.

  "In order to avoid a catastrophe, Magians and the majority need to cooperate on a global scale in order to avoid catastrophes. That's what I intend to show this time."

  "…Seems like I'm still far from having an understanding of Tatsuya-sama's far sight and deep design."

  Miyuki realized that her misunderstanding of Tatsuya's intentions had been a misunderstanding of her own.

  However, she wasn’t ashamed of it, but was rather proud.

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  Chapter 6

  [A Show of Power]

  Of the Yotsuba Family’s buildings on Miyakishima that housed its central functions, there was an eight-story building that was remodeled from the prison administration facilities at the time when the island was used as a maximum security facility for magicians charged with a serious crime. Combined with the adjoining eight-story building formerly used as the administrator's residence, these twin buildings were often referred to as the "Miyakishima Branch" within the Yotsuba Family. The former was formally known as the

  "Miyakishima Administration Building" and the latter as the "Miyakishima No. 4 Building."

  ──However, there didn’t exist a No.1, No. 2, or even a No. 3 building.

  On Tuesday, June 22nd, at 3:00 A.M. Tatsuya was standing on the top floor of the administration building. The walls and ceiling of this floor composed a dome-shaped display similar to a planetarium (but without the seats), which projected vivid and realistic images of both the surface of the Earth and space. Its original purpose was as a recreational facility to enjoy virtual sightseeing trips, but for Tatsuya it became a targeting monitor. It served the same purpose as the main monitor in the Command Control Room located in the same building, but this one was easier for him to use.

  In his hands was a rifle-shaped CAD. This wasn’t the "Third Eye" that was created by the former Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. Instead, it's a personal CAD optimized for Material Burst, built independently by the Yotsuba Family. It’s called the "Third Eye II"

  within the Yotsuba Family, and its name lacks any originality or flair to it. Although some people were concerned about "how can it be called the second when it has third in its name," but as far as Tatsuya, the user, was concerned, he didn't care about it at all.

  Right now, the universe is being projected on the dome-shaped display. It's a starry sky where the floor has been angled to match the orbital plane instead of the universe as seen from the Earth.

  Raising the CAD high overhead, he peered into the sighting attachment that resembled an optical scope. There, he saw a magnified image of a star linked to the projected starry sky, a crosshair reticle, and the heliocentric ecliptic coordinates of latitude and longitude.

  After making adjustments to the CAD angle, Tatsuya aligned it with the coordinates of 61°

  ecliptic latitude and 122° ecliptic longitude. At the same time, he used Elemental Sight to

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  get a "visual" of the target comet.

  The target comet was displayed as a small dot on the sighting attachment screen, only slightly off from the intersection point of the crosshairs. He made fine adjustments to the angle of the CAD to align the sight, then lowered the CAD for a moment.

  "What time is it now?"

  "It’s 3:21 A.M., sir."

  Tatsuya's question was answered by his personal butler, Hanabishi Hyougo, who was standing by the wall behind him.

  "Tatsuya-sama, why don't you take a short break?"

  And this was from Miyuki, arranging the freshly brewed coffee on the round table that had been brought in.

  "I guess that's a good idea. I'll have a drink."

  He had less than twenty minutes until the time of the operation. Since the operational test had ended well, there was some time to spare. Tatsuya decided to let himself relax for a moment.

  On his way to the table, Tatsuya walked up to Hyougo and left the "Third Eye II" with him.

  When he took a seat, Miyuki took the seat to his left.

  As Tatsuya lifted his cup, Miyuki stared at him with a smile as she placed her hands on her knees in an elegant posture.

  "It hasn't started yet, has it!?"

  Just then, Lina came rushing in saying this.

  "It's alright. You arrived before the scheduled time."

  Miyuki replied, with her face still locked on Tatsuya.

  "If you're sleepy, you don't have to push yourself, you know."

  Tatsuya pulled the cup away from his mouth and turned to address Lina.

  "No, I don't want to. How could I miss such a big event?"

  As she said that, Lina sat down across from Miyuki and asked, "Is there any coffee left?"

  "Here you go, Rina-ojou-sama."

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  Hyougo placed a cup on a saucer in front of Lina and poured coffee brewed in a separate pot from Miyuki's. The name "Rina" was actually Lina's current official name.

  "Would you like some milk?"

  "I'll add it myself."

  At Lina's reply, Hyougo left a white porcelain milk pitcher in front of her.

  "Oh, is that a CAD?"

  Driving away the sleepiness with a swig of coffee and a generous amount of milk, Lina asked, staring at the "Third Eye II" propped up on the rifle stand.

  "Yes. It's a dedicated CAD for Material Burst, for Tatsuya-sama’s personal use."

  "You haven't used that magic since the time of "Scorched Halloween," right? The activation test of CAD’s is… Well, being you, I guess there’s no chance of error."

  "The last time wasn't five years ago, actually. I’ve already done a trial run."

  Lina widened her eyes in horror at Tatsuya's words.

  "Wait, when!?"

  "It’s not as if I’d be able to take a shot at a celestial body that is how many millions of kilometers away without any practice."

  "Ye-Yeah, I guess so."

  Though Tatsuya didn't give a clear answer, it was enough to satisfy Lina.

  "…Speaking of new developments, Honoka's been acting a little strange lately. It doesn't seem like she was affected by any hex."

  "Come to think of it, that is rather odd, it’s like she's been acting superficial lately."