Volume 13 - CH 6(4/4)
By no surveillance, it might mean that this forced experiment of the Kudou clan had nothing to do with Fujibayashi Kyouko, or it might mean that they could trust her so much that there was no need for surveillance.
“May I ask a question, Ojousan of the Fujibayashi.”
Before Tatsuya could ask that, Yakumo butted in from his side. Addressing her as ‘Ojousan of the Fujibayashi’ didn’t seem proper, at least to Tatsuya. However, Fujibayashi didn’t seem to mind; she smiled serenely as she nodded to Yakumo.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“What might be the stance of the Fujibayashi clan?”
However, she wasn’t able to maintain her poker face at the content of the question. She wasn’t scowling because she hadn’t wanted to be asked that question, but because she herself was anxious about the stance of the Fujibayashi clan.
“Neutral.”
“They are truly against it but they can’t oppose what the Kudou clan is doing covertly, is that what you mean?”
“..........”
“The honored wife of the actual head of the Fujibayashi clan is the daughter of the actual head of the Kudou clan. That connection with the magicians who bear the ‘9’ whom the traditionalists hold hostility to places them at the side of the magicians of the ‘9’ although they are Ancient Magicians. If they break away from the Kudou clan, the Fujibayashi clan could be standing alone in Japanese magic society.....is that it?”
Fujibayashi’s face lost all expression, probably to keep them from reading what was going on in her head. However, it goes without saying that the disappearance of her smile made this attempt a total failure.
“But that is not what I wish you to tell me. What does the Fujibayashi clan feel about the usage of the occultists from the continent?”
Yakumo’s eyes did not reflect his usual amusement. Instead, they bore a sharp gleam.
“If they did such a thing, I believe the Fujibayashi clan wouldn’t like it. Regarding the refugees Makoto-ojiue welcomed into the former Lab 9, Father has repeatedly urged him to change his mind.”
The gleam in Yakumo’s eyes faltered as Fujibayashi gave a clear reply to the query. Certainly, the Fujibayashi clan and the Kudou clan had become allies with the marriage. Nevertheless, both those who had chosen to take the path of bridging the gap between “those who bore the number 9” and ‘the Traditionalists’ and the traditionalists who clung to the antagonism felt welcoming that another nation’s occultists, who were searching for cracks in their defenses, was dangerous.
“Certainly, the refugee occultists possessed useful spells. By using the spells they provided, the volume of psion consumption by the Parasite Dolls slightly. However, despite that, both Father and I think it is a mistake.”
“Pardon me, Master, but we should go over the sequence of events.”
With Tatsuya’s interruption, the tension that had arisen between Yakumo and Fujibayashi was quelled. Yakumo’s face returned to its default faint emotionless smile.
“Lieutenant Fujibayashi.”
On the other hand, faced with Tatsuya’s treacherous fake smile, Fujibayashi started to feel an entirely different kind of tension.
“This incident has been incredibly frustrating and irritating for me. Although I am aware of what you would call the outline of the plan to test a new weapon on magic high school students at the Nine Schools Competition, I don’t have a very good grasp on what is actually happening behind the scenes. Well, the truth is I don’t really understand. For some reason, my informant has been stingy with information.”
“Uuumm.... Tatsuya-kun, about that.”
Fujibayashi’s face stiffened slightly but distinctly.
Perhaps seeing that satisfied him, and Tatsuya’s sadistic smile disappeared.
“If you just ignore the intentions of those maneuvering behind the scenes, it’s not all that complex.”
Miyuki had already made Tatsuya aware of that, but since it was irrelevant, he didn’t mention it.
“First, the anti-Asian Alliance hardliners in our nation’s military changed the events in the Nine Schools Competition to more combat oriented ones.”
No one disagreed with Tatsuya’s point.
“Next, the Kudou clan took advantage of this to plan a performance test of the Parasite Dolls.”
“Grandfather proposed it, but Uncle seems to have opposed it at first.”
“So then, the one who decided to use the refugee occultists was Kudou-kakka?”
“.....No, that was Uncle.”
“Is that so. Let’s call the person manipulating things behind the scenes through the refugee occultists who the current head of the Kudou clan took in X for now. X is aiming for the Parasite Dolls to go out of control and cause injuries and deaths among the athletes of the Nine Schools Competition. They might not intend to go as far as killing anyone, but they may intend to cause injuries that end their lives as magicians. X’s ultimate goal might be decreasing our nation’s military power by cutting off the supply of magicians who will become soldiers. Because an increase in the military power of Japan would be a hindrance to him.”
“Yes, that is our take as well. Therefore, I’m here.”
“.......What do you mean?”
Fujibayashi did not avert her eyes from Tatsuya’s gaze, which was laced with distrust and suspicion.
“Tatsuya-kun. We request your cooperation in stopping the Parasite Dolls from going out of control.”
She did not rise up to bow, as she sat on the sofa with both knees together with her hands on top of them, but Fujibayashi bowed her head down low. She did not call him ‘Special Officer” but “Tatsuya-kun”.
“Cooperation?”
“Yes, this is not an order. This request is not something in the realm of what we can command you to do as your duty. Therefore, this is a plea for your cooperation.”
Fujibayashi raised her head and got up from the sofa. Reading her unspoken intentions, Tatsuya got up as well. Fujibayashi moved in front of a box that looked like a coffin that could snugly hold a fully grown man. In front of Tatsuya who was by her side, she opened the lid.
Perhaps there was a spring in the hinge, as after the lid was opened only slightly, it sprang open. Inside was an ultramarine mobile suit---it resembled a bulky work jumpsuit.
“While the Parasite Dolls’ performance test is unofficial, it is still a project entrusted to the Kudou clan of the Ten master clans by our nation’s military. If we interfere in that, it could lead to discord within the military or a private war with the Ten Master Clans.”
“You want me to become an illegal agent of destruction.”
Tatsuya’s voice was cold and hard. It was inevitable after all; it was implied that they wouldn’t protect him if his identity was revealed. It could be called a mild response considering what had just been said.
“Even if you put it that way, I believe that nothing else can be done.”
Tatsuya’s gaze became even sharper; however, Fujibayashi met his gaze firmly. It might have been a bluff, but she did not appear to flinch.
“.....Fine.”
Their short face off ended with Tatsuya giving in. He had intended to finish off the Parasite Dolls himself from the start. He was actually grateful that he was able to use the new type of mobile suit augmented with stealth functions.
“Thank you. You can use this car as you wish. Here is the key.” Tatsuya accepted the wireless control box from Fujibayashi.
“When you are done with it, please press this button. After five minutes, the contents will self-destruct.”
Fujibayashi indicated a corner of the wall. There was a red button surrounded by yellow and black caution stripes.
“What do I do with the mobile suit? I don’t think it will be destroyed with the van’s contents.”
“If you place it in the box, it can be completely destroyed. Finish off the experiment.”
“Roger.”
Tatsuya directed a nod toward Fujibayashi while he looked at the ‘self destruct button’ with subdued eyes, and murmured that as if speaking to himself.
“Since this is in part a personal request, I will surely have you repay this favor someday.”
As Tatsuya’s statement made her cheeks lose color, Fujibayashi said farewell and left like she was fleeing. Since she offloaded the mobile suit and the RV onto Tatsuya, she was probably going to the hotel. Yakumo insisted on escorting her, ‘just in case’, as was proper. As their shadows merged with the big square one, Yakumo engaged Fujibayashi in conversation.
“Ojou-san, was that actually Kazuma-kun’s order?”
“.......What do you mean by that? Besides, could you please stop calling me ‘Ojou- san’?”
Fujibayashi answered with a stiff face without looking in Yakumo’s direction.
“Forgive my rudeness. Fujibayashi-san, I’ve been thinking. I would say that there was no need to make Tatsuya-kun do that. Make no mistake, by that I mean the Parasite Dolls won’t actually go out of control, will they?”
“Are you saying I lied?”
“Since lying is part of your job....”
Yakumo barked that out in a tone that was both condemning and comforting.
“The weapon has a failsafe device. I don’t believe Kudou Retsu is the type of man who would neglect that..... By the way, did you know, Fujibayashi-san? Even
Mikkyou has spells for manipulating a doll like a puppet. Novitiate monks whose virtue is insufficient to summon genuine Gohou Doushi use them to create fake Gohou Doushi.”
“No....I didn’t know, but I theorized it.”
Fujibayashi responded to the sudden switch of topic by speaking with deliberation. Even though she peeped with sidelong glances to see what kind of face Yakumo was making, she completely failed to read his expression. Fujibayashi understood that the reason for that was not completely due to hostility.
“Before I came here, I went to the ‘Main Temple’, which I haven’t done in a while. I questioned an expert in this area. He claimed that he had already achieved the ability to call Gohou Doushi and was no longer using fakes, but-”
It seemed like some kind of trouble had occurred at that meeting. Yakumo made a reminiscing smile.
“No matter what type of practitioner, they would not neglect to define the rules of offense and defense. And, when a puppet broke those defined rules, a punishment would be incurred. A sealing so that the puppet could not inflict more harm. The seal spell is said to be part of the enslavement spell.”
Yakumo turned. His eyes were empty, his mouth had burst into a crescent shape. The face was so like a possessed doll that Fujibayashi let out a scream. ---No, she wasn’t able to scream.
In an instant, Fujibayashi had succumbed to Yakumo’s spell.
“The Parasite Dolls have the same type of spell installed, right? For instance, a prohibition about attacking non-combatants. If they didn’t, they couldn’t be deployed as an autonomous weapon.”
“....It is as you say.”
Fujibayashi had lost neither her mind nor her will.
“Even if the occultists want the Parasite Dolls to attack high school students, the foundation spell wouldn’t allow it. The instant they became violent, the control sequence would switch to a sealing sequence and seal the parasite.”
“That is what I heard.”
However, she didn’t hide it. She didn’t lie.
“If the Parasite Dolls are let loose, is the spell keeping them emplaced inside the mechanical doll cancelled, and does the procedure to emplace the free parasite into the mechanical doll have to be repeated. Does this not affect the fact that the parasite is attached to the mechanical doll?”
“I don’t know.”
“I see....the testing hasn’t proceeded that far.”
Yakumo took his eyes off Fujibayashi.
Exhausted, Fujibayashi dropped down to her knees. Yakumo called out to the darkness.
“It seems like that is how it is, Kazama-kun. Did you know?”
The shadows created the silhouette of a person. As it proceeded from the parking lot, under the scattered lights of the hotel the form of Kazama appeared.
“Why are you here?”
“You say that there wasn’t a need for Tatsuya-kun to cross that dangerous bridge.”
“No, I don’t know that.”
Perhaps he didn’t think his monitoring had been directly observed; Kazama paid no attention to Fujibayashi who was looking up at his own face with terror and answered his teacher’s question with a ---visibly---pensive look.
“You didn’t hear it from this Ojou-san?”
“Yes.”
Kazama was also one of the users of ancient magic. He should also have general knowledge of puppet spells. There should be no way that he wasn’t aware of the embedded failsafe. For him not to have asked about that...
“Hmmmm.... Apparently, there is a reason you want Tatsuya-kun to run amok.”
“You didn’t tell Tatsuya-kun either, Master, right?”
By answering the question with a question, he indirectly agreed with Yakumo’s words.
“I have no reason to defend the decision, but the commander of the brigade is unaware of this. Although the Major General is well informed in how to use magic, this is only regarding modern magic; she is the same as any amateur regarding ancient magic.”
“I thought you were her advisor....”
“Why didn’t you stop us, Master?”
Apparently, this policy of not answering was inconvenient for Kazama. “Because it would be unpleasant to stop him.”
That didn’t particularly matter to Yakumo. He hadn’t intended to condemn Kazama from the start.
“Fujibayashi-san, about our earlier conversation.”
If he thought there was no danger, he would have told Tatsuya that.
“That is the truth in general. There is a possibility that it will not work so well in this matter.”
Yakumo, who had decided to divorce himself from the world, was seeing this incident to the end because he feared the impact this incident would have on the world.
“......For what reason?”
“Kudou Retsu is probably locked in the same mindset. Not just him, all the old guys at the former Lab 9 are assured by this bit of common sense.”
He himself was just about the age to be called an old guy, but Yakumo referred to the retired generation of ‘9’ as old guys.
“You should have received a detailed report from Tatsuya-kun regarding the nature of Parasites.”
Kazama and Fujibayashi nodded in answer to the question without a word.
“Parasites came to our world from a different direction via a small hole in the dimension wall and they are overwhelmed by strong pure thought. They fuse with the owner of that strong pure thought and that strong pure thought serves as an impetus.”
Yakumo repeated the phrase ‘strong pure thought’ many times. Fujibayashi was quicker to catch his meaning.
“Good grief... What is Kokonoe-sensei trying to say!?”
“Strong pure thought. It would be strange if the grounds were not soaked in the desire to win the NSC on the final day of competition, right?”
“If the binding spell on the parasite malfunctions....?”
Kazama groaned out the question.
“Maybe they go out of control. Maybe they don’t go out of control. I believe that we should at least decide that we cannot let them go out of control.”
Yakumo’s reply was terribly irresponsible and sincere.
“And when the out of control Parasite Doll is ultimately destroyed, the released parasite might possess a youth emitting a pure thought.”
Neither Kazama nor Fujibayashi could deny the possibility of the worst case scenario Yakumo outlined. If Kudou Retsu himself were here, he probably would have turned pale and been unable to refute it.
“Therefore, I think it is correct to let Tatsuya-kun have that battlesuit. Tatsuya can deal a unilateral defeat to the parasite dolls. The military might also give up the foolish plan of using demons as you are thinking, Kazama-kun. So I will keep this matter under wraps for you. I want you to repay me by telling me something.”
In repayment for not informing Saeki that Kazama was concealing information from her, Yakumo wanted information.
“About what?”
“Who sent those mainland occultists to the Kudou clan?”
Even though he was asked, Kazama didn’t know. Fujibayashi was the one who answered Yakumo’s question.
“......A Chinese merchant of Yokohama, a young man named Zhou Gongjin.”
“Zhou Gongjin of Yokohama. I have been hearing that name a lot lately.”
“You know of him, Master?”
Yakumo did not answer Kazama’s question.
“Well, I asked about what I wanted to know, so I’ll go. As promised, I will keep quiet about your concealment of information and covert actions.”
Yakumo took a single step off the lighted path. That was all it took for him to disappear.
After Yakumo left, Fujibayashi finally got up. “Major, well...”
“Go, Lieutenant. We do not want Tatsuya to see us.”
After cutting off whatever Fujibayashi had started to say, Kazama walked to the hotel.
Perhaps, she thought, if they followed Yakumo, it would become obvious to Tatsuya; Fujibayashi obediently trailed after Kazama, who hadn’t punished her.
“Lieutenant.”
Without turning around to confirm she was there, Kazama spoke to Fujibayashi. “Yes, Major.”
“Were you deceived by Kudou-kakka as well, Lieutenant?”
“Wha?”
Although she continued walking, for a moment she seemed about to trip.
“About the possibility of the Parasite Dolls going out of control. However, you thought it was an impossibility, Lieutenant. Right?”
“Ah, yes.”
She didn’t immediately understand what Kazama wanted to say, so she had to make a guess.
“I did not confirm the information myself, sir. I was in a situation where I couldn’t report immediately. I only brought in false information. Consequently, I prevented the giving of mistaken orders.”
Kazama was offering to overlook Fujibayashi cleaving to Kudou’s side. “Good work, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, don’t mention it.”
Fujibayashi stopped and bowed deeply to Kazama’s back as he continued on without stopping.