even in more than a hundred different places at this base were the remains of a raging powerful magic.

"These traces... there can be no mistake. This is Minoru's "Jintai Hakka" magic."

This residual “smell” of magic, drifting in the air of the base, didn't differ from the same

“Jintai Hakka” of Minoru, with which he once attacked Tatsuya himself. This is deadly magic that destroys the human body at the molecular level by forcing the extraction of electrons from the cells that make up this body. The fact that this magic was used more than a hundred times meant that Minoru had committed the massacre of more than a hundred people.

"Minoru... what happened?"

He didn't think that the Parasite swallowed the mind of Minoru. But not because he

“didn’t want to believe it,” but only because he praised Minoru for his strength.

Including the power of his mind.

And given his obsession with Minami, it was very strange that he left her alone.

"Anyway... you need to get to Minami first."

When Tatsuya landed the air-car, he did it right near the building where the medical center was located. Of course, this wasn't an accident. He entered this deserted building to pick up Minami and take her back home.

Minami was found in a room on the third floor of this three-story building.

She wasn't in hospital clothes, but in a simple shirt with short sleeves and in trousers up to her ankles. Obviously, it was clothing intended for female soldiers of the USNA army.

“Minami.“

Sitting on the bed and looking out the window, Minami got up and looked back at Tatsuya's voice.

“Tatsuya-sama...“

From Minami's confused face, it was clear that her consciousness was only half awake.

When she saw Tatsuya, a smile and tears appeared on her face at the same time.

“I AM...“

A stream of tears flowed from her left eye.

“Minoru-sama left me.”

“Did Minoru say anything?”

“No. This happened while I was sleeping...“

Minami's voice was becoming intermittent.

Tears accumulated in the right eye also “broke through the dam” and ran down the stream.

Minoru obviously had a reason. And the reason is irresistible and compelling.

There may have been some major altercation between Minoru and the USNA army. The traces of the massacre at this base may be the result of a serious conflict between Minoru and the USNA army.

But Tatsuya didn't voice this assumption.

And he didn't ask whether she wanted to follow Minoru.

“Minami, come back.“

He told Minami just that.

“Tatsuya-sama...!“

Minami buried her head in Tatsuya's chest.

Clinging to him, she sobbed like a child.

Tatsuya gently stroked Minami's head and patted her on the back, as if soothing his youngest sister. It was these movements that he applied to Miyuki when they were still children.

“Ready?”

Tatsuya asked, a sidelong glance at Minami, who was hunched down in the front passenger seat.

“Yes.”

Minami answered, securely fastened with a four-point seat belt. Her eyes were still downcast, and her cheeks were still reddish. It seemed that she was very ashamed of the fact that she was sobbing, clinging to Tatsuya.... In addition to her cheeks, her forehead was also slightly red, but for another reason - she knocked it on the hard breastplate of Tatsuya's Freed Suit.

Tatsuya directed his sight forward and poured his psions into the flying device for the air-car.

“Come back. In our common home.“

“...Yes.“

This time, Minami nodded confidently in response to Tatsuya's words.

The air-car smoothly came off the surface.

Gradually increasing speed, he moved away from the base.

Minami looked around and looked at Pearl & Hermes Base from the passenger seat window.

And when she turned forward again, a previously noticeable shade of suffering completely disappeared from her eyes.

Aiming directly at Miyakijima, Tatsuya headed a little south from the route he arrived here.

Flying past the Virginia, he told them on the radio that he intended to fly straight home on his own.

Captain Curtis responded by congratulating him on the successful completion of the mission, and Shibata Katsushige said only one word: "Accepted."

About three hours have passed since the departure from the Pearl & Hermes base.

“Tatsuya-sama, um... is everything all right?”

Minami suddenly spoke to Tatsuya in an excited voice.

Tatsuya quickly realized the meaning of this question: "Is it normal to use magic continuously for so long?"

“Even after 10 hours there will be no problems. By the way, we will arrive in four hours.“

Tatsuya honestly answered her. Minami was amazed rather than delighted by this answer.

“Minami, how are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?“

In response, Tatsuya asked about Minami's well-being.

“No, everything is okay. Sorry for disturbing you.“

“But it looks like you were in the Pearl & Hermes base hospital...?”

He didn't tell Minami that he had been following her “information” for a long time.

Tatsuya directly “sees” the information itself, and these are not images or sounds. In other words, he didn't “spy” on her like a voyeur, however, if Minami finds out about this, she will certainly be ashamed, regardless of any explanation. At least, that was the logic that prompted him.

So Tatsuya pretended not to know that Minami was in critical condition 5 days ago.

“...Yes. But now everything is in order.“

Minami probably dodged the answer because she wanted to hide the fact that she had fainted.

However, Minami's voice lacked confidence.

Tatsuya's “sight” confirmed that her condition was stable. At least, the overheating of the magic calculation area has definitely recovered.

"Did Minoru do something? But there are no signs of parasitization..."

He, of course, was glad to see Minami improve, but something was wrong here.

Moreover, this happened immediately after separating with Minoru, so that cause-and-effect relationship was clearly traceable.

“I see. That's good.“

Out loud, Tatsuya answered only that.

NASA's reconnaissance satellites detected a haze-like shadow heading west across the Pacific Ocean.

At first, the NASA space forces personnel controlling the reconnaissance satellites thought that this shadow was just noise in the image from the surveillance camera.

However, the movement of this object, flying from the Pearl and Hermes atoll in the direction of Japan, was clearly artificial, so it was considered an aircraft with an advanced stealth system, and this was reported to the General Staff in the form of information requiring urgent action.

An aircraft that could not be identified by reconnaissance satellites posed a serious threat to national security. There was nothing strange in the fact that the General Staff issued a decree to order the submarine carrier hiding in Japanese territorial waters to capture or bring down this aircraft.

However, at the stage when this decision had to be transferred to the headquarters of the Navy, there was a certain “delay.” Departing from the principles of civilian control, the National Security Council didn't miss this decree because of the risk of a war with Japan, an allied state. As a result, this decision was returned to the General Staff.

The General Staff tried to defend its position, arguing that the goal would be missed if not to respond immediately. Their position was that the threat of national defense

should not be neglected.

Perhaps, from a military point of view, this was reasonable and correct. But in the end, they could not convince the politicians. The tragedy that happened on Midway Island and the Pearl & Hermes base has not yet been reported to the General Staff. Perhaps for this reason, they didn't have enough materials to convince others to agree with them.

No one in the entire federal army or the Department of Defense knew that Senator Wyatt Curtis was behind this interference.

July 24, just after midnight.

Touching the Kii Peninsula slightly, the typhoon accelerated and at the moment headed east. This meant that it was heading straight to Miyakijima.

“Miyuki... are you going to go to bed?”

Lina asked Miyuki, who was standing by the window and looking out of the room in a residential building in the western part of the island.

Mayumi, Honoka and the rest stayed only for one night and returned yesterday to the main Japanese island. And only Miyuki with Lina remained on Miyakijima.

“No. According to the message from the main house, Onii-sama should be back soon.“

There was a beaming smile on Miyuki's face. It even seemed to Lina that Miyuki radiates joy not only with her face, but with her whole body.

“In such a storm?“

This “aura of happiness” seemed to cover Lina, as her voice read simply doubt, not amazement.

“Just because there is such a storm.”

“Ah... I got it, of course.“

Lina quickly realized what Miyuki meant.

“He will return, hiding in the typhoon clouds.“

“Exactly.“

Miyuki confirmed that Lina’s guess is correct. By the way, Lina was able to stop saying

“hurricane”, but instead of “typhoon” [in Japanese] she said “typhoon”. It seemed like it was incurable.

There was heavy rain outside. The main part of the typhoon has not yet reached here, however, the night sky was densely covered with rain clouds moving east. Infrared cameras on reconnaissance satellites and stratospheric platforms were useless. The air-car didn't emit any electromagnetic waves, except for visible light, so it wasn't possible to detect it.

And in this darkness, Miyuki saw a “light."

“Onii-sama!“

“Uh?“

Hearing Miyuki's scream, Lina narrowed her eyes doubtfully.

But she saw nothing but raindrops glistening from the light from the window.

Lina wanted to ask Miyuki: “Where?”.

But before she could ask this, Miyuki turned around and headed for the exit.

“Hey! Wait, Miyuki!“

“Faster, Lina, keep up!“

Not listening to Lina's call to wait, Miyuki put on her shoes and left the room.

“Oh, okay!“

Lina was Miyuki's "acting bodyguard." She followed Miyuki, trying to maintain her composure.

Miyuki, of course, didn't run out in the rain.

She was waiting for Lina at the elevator.

Miyuki leaned the ID card against the reader and opened the panel, located just below the floor buttons.

Under it was hidden another button, labeled as "B".

Miyuki pressed the button without hesitation.

The elevator that smoothly went down brought them to a railed trailer, which looked a bit like a public transport electric booth.

Miyuki and Lina got into this four-seater car.

“Are we going to the airport?“

“Yes, please.”

Miyuki answered Lina's question. Hearing the answer, Lina pressed one of the buttons on the dashboard.

This button was labeled "Airport".

Using this metro, designed exclusively for important people, they got right to the airport terminal building.

It was already after midnight, but unlike ordinary civilian airports, the staff of this airport still worked.

Miyuki thought it was natural that everyone was waiting for Tatsuya to return.

“Miyuki-sama. Welcome.“

“Thanks for your work.“

Answering a courteously bowed employee, Miyuki headed for the door leading to the runway.

Lina followed her.

The double entry doors swung open inward.

“We have returned.“

“Welcome back, Onii-sama.”

Miyuki greeted Tatsuya with a very low bow, who was holding his helmet from the Freed suit under his arm.

Lina's eyes were not directed to this ceremony, which she had already seen several times, but to the girl standing behind Tatsuya.

Lina fled to Japan after Minami was hospitalized.

And when she came to Japan last winter, Minami wasn't yet assigned to Miyuki.

So this was their first meeting.

First, Lina wanted to ask Tatsuya to introduce them.

But when she saw how Minami looked at Miyuki, Lina decided to keep silent.

Tatsuya turned to Minami.

Minami hesitantly took a step forward.

“Welcome back, Minami-chan.”

Miyuki was the first to speak.

“Miyuki-sama, I...“

“I'm not going to demand an apology. Understood, Minami-chan.”

From these words, Minami trembled with her whole body.

“So... I still have no forgiveness?”

“From the very beginning, I had nothing to forgive you for. So what is customary to say when you return?”

“Can I... can I come back?”

“I already said that. Welcome back".

Miyuki smiled and spread her arms to the sides.

“So be it, I'll repeat myself. Minami-chan, “Welcome back.””

Minami stopped trembling.

She ran briskly towards Miyuki, fell to her knees in front of her and grabbed her legs wrapped in a skirt.

“Excuse me! Miyuki-sama, please forgive me, please, ah...!”

Crying with tears streaming down her face, Minami continued in a teary voice and continued to apologize mixed with sobs.

“Oh... I already said that there is no need to apologize?”

Looking at Minami with a smile filled with love on her face, Miyuki gently stroked her head.

Although Miyuki smiled, tears glittered in her eyes.

(End of Rescue Arc)

(Edited by /u/blakegriffin89, light edits made by englishmuffins10) Afterword

You reading the 30th volume of the series “Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei”. Did you like it?

In this 30th volume, several new supporting characters appeared at once. But don’t worry. Even if you don't remember their names, it won't cause you any inconvenience with reading the series to the end. It will be enough for you to remember that Tatsuya and Miyuki get strong allies in America, and that the world famous Indo-Persian scientist suggested organizing the autonomy of the "race of magicians."

I think readers will remember that at the very end of the story of the Yokohama Invasion Arc, it was mentioned that “it was the day when the story of the glory and tribulations of the magician race begins”. The terms "magian" and "magist", as well as the path to becoming a global autonomy of the "magian" are nothing more than the same "story of glory and tribulations" mentioned in the Yokohama Invasion Arc. After

23 volumes (excluding SS), a return to this hidden in words hint took place. And unfortunately, in “Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei” you won't be able to fully unfold this hidden storyline. After all, this issue won't have time to be resolved before Tatsuya and Miyuki graduate from high school.

And now we move on to some behind-the-scenes moments in writing this story.

It goes without saying that all the names of ships and aircrafts mentioned in this volume are "completely fictitious and have nothing to do with the real ones." “Shangri-La” is another matter (it’s okay, it didn’t sink, right?), But I just couldn’t give it another name. I apologize if any historical parallels coincided.

Horned Owl is a member of the Strigidae family. Although, people with some English skills know that. Owls (striges) are also birds of prey, so they can be used for fighter names.

F-141 is a play on words from "one for one" (1x1). This phrase carries the meaning of

"one plane - one goal of destruction." This means that it won't lose in a one-on-one air battle. I hope that in the real future there won't be such a model number.

The “Crowned Hawk” is short for “Crowned Hawk-Eagle.” The “Crowned Hawk-Eagle,” is the largest bird of prey in Africa. Please do not pay attention to the fact that the American army uses the name of a bird that is not indigenous to the American continent.

I think many expected (hoped?) That this time the confrontation between Tatsuya and Minoru would end. However, as I once mentioned, Minoru is the "final boss." “Final”

means its storyline will hold out until the final volume. As to whether attention will be paid to him in the next volume, it is yet to be decided.

... But even though I called him the “final boss,” many probably have the feeling that it wasn’t Minoru who got in the way of Tatsuya, but, on the contrary, Tatsuya became an obstacle for Minoru.

Further more, I plan to take a break from the main series for one volume and release the third volume of the Shiba Tatsuya Assassination Plan. Afterwards, it is planned to release the next volume of the main series, which will be called "The Future".

And as a small preview of the Future Arc: the issue with Bezobrazov will finally be resolved in this arc. Besides Bezobrazov, other Strategic-Class Magicians will also act as enemies. The world will face the crisis of the Fourth World War and the First Magical

War, which will flare up around Japan. Do not miss it.

I'll meet you again in the next, 31st volume of “Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei .”

(Satou Tsutomu)