Fujibayashi contacted Tatsuya on Sunday morning.
“Specialist Ooguro,” she announced, “due to our joint-use agreement, we have received official notice from the USNA military that a transport plane from Hawaii will arrive at Zama Base tomorrow night.”
“That means we can’t be overtly aggressive,” Tatsuya mused.
Fujibayashi nodded sternly, “It’s fair to say this is exactly the behavior we expected.”
She and Tatsuya had anticipated that the Stars would use the joint-use agreement to send reinforcements to the base. At the same time, this very fact suggested that the parasites were gaining influence in the USNA military. Fujibayashi’s anxious expression was undoubtedly connected to this troubling reality.
“As we agreed, I’ll leave the surveillance to you,” Tatsuya said.
“Specialist Ooguro—no…Tatsuya,” Fujibayashi began. “Are you really planning to go in alone?”
“I might be going to the base alone, but I’m not the only one who will be fighting,” Tatsuya replied.
Fujibayashi looked mildly surprised.
“Will you have support from the Yotsuba family? Or perhaps some friends from school?”
“The family is focusing their efforts on Minoru.”
Tatsuya’s ambiguous answer suggested that he planned to rely on his friends from First High. He didn’t really want to do this, but with Sealing Sphere still a work in progress, he needed someone capable of sealing parasites away.
Luckily, Fujibayashi didn’t object. As long as his efforts were targeted toward Minoru’s capture, there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Instead, she asked, “When will you carry out the plan?”
“The sooner the better,” Tatsuya said. “I’m aiming for tomorrow night, right after the military arrives at the base.”
“I see…” Fujibayashi paused before continuing. “Be careful out there, Tatsuya. Major Yanagi will be assisting with surveillance, so contact him if anything happens.”
“I will,” Tatsuya agreed with a slight bow. “If things get out of control, I’ll gladly accept your help.”
“Please do. Although I hope it will not come to that,” Fujibayashi said.
Even through the visiphone screen, she knew what Tatsuya was thinking all too well. Despite what he said, he would never actually rely on the National Defense Force.
Fujibayashi had no intention of leaving things to chance. As the deputy battalion commander, she was determined to proactively put her efforts into ensuring the mission’s success.
Still, she couldn’t help putting her prayers into words.
✦ ✦ ✦
After ending the call with Fujibayashi, Tatsuya turned around. Even before he saw her, he knew Miyuki was standing behind him with an expression filled with concern.
“Tatsuya…what should I do tomorrow?” she asked.
Half a year ago, Miyuki wouldn’t have asked what she should do. She would have insisted on going with him. But now she understood that she could be a liability. She had always been aware of this, of course. It was only recently that she had come to accept it.
“Stay with Minami,” Tatsuya instructed.
He had already decided he would not take Miyuki into his fight against the Stars. It wasn’t that he doubted Miyuki’s abilities. He was confident she could hold her own against the most elite Stars members. What he didn’t want was for her to be in harm’s way.
An attack was always inevitably met with retaliation. Getting caught up in the danger was part of the game.
If Minoru managed to kidnap Minami, it would be unreasonable to expect Miyuki not to intervene. Tatsuya had already resigned himself to this. Dealing with the parasite-infected Stars members, on the other hand, was something Miyuki didn’t need to be part of.
“Since we can’t track Minoru’s movements, I need you to keep a close watch on Minami while I’m tied up in other fights,” Tatsuya explained.
This wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, either. Luckily, Miyuki understood that her brother didn’t want to expose her to unnecessary danger.
“…All right,” she promised. “I will do as you wish.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After leaving Regulus and Raymond at the Hachioji hideout, Minoru arrived in Nara alone. Even here, Gongjin Zhou’s network was still going strong.
Ironically, Minoru had helped Tatsuya dismantle part of the network the previous autumn. But Gongjin’s power had lingered in the lives of even ordinary folk with no ties to magic. The house in which Minoru found himself staying now belonged to one such ordinary person.
“Gongjin was truly a terrifying enemy…” Minoru unconsciously muttered aloud.
The extent of the former Chinatown ringleader’s influence demonstrated that he had been far more formidable than Minoru had once thought. Yet now, Minoru’s ability to move freely across the country was all thanks to Gongjin’s efforts.
That said, Nara was as far as the safety net extended. From here on, Minoru would have to plunge into the lion’s den: the Kudou family’s territory.
His destination was the Ninth Magic Development Research Institute—the heart of the former Lab Nine, the stronghold of magicians bearing the number nine in their name. Minoru’s plan was to steal the sealed Parasidolls from there.
After fighting the Saegusa-Juumonji alliance and Katsuto in particular, Minoru had realized the limitations of working alone. He had agreed to help Regulus and Raymond with the ulterior motive of gaining their support in exchange. But the two of them alone weren’t enough. Besides, Regulus and Raymond had their own business to handle.
Minoru needed more backup to be his hands and feet in the upcoming struggle.
But he couldn’t rely on the ancient magic practitioners from Kansai who had supported Gongjin. They had long been in opposition to Lab Nine. It didn’t help that Minoru himself was directly connected to the Kudou family, making him a magician with the number nine in his name. Unlike the Gongjin followers in Tokyo, he doubted their Kansai counterparts would side with him.
This was where the Parasidolls came into play. Although their development had officially been stopped, they were already complete in terms of performance. The only reason they weren’t being used was due to ethical concerns.
Most importantly, the core of the Parasidolls, as their name implied, was a parasite. Since he himself was a parasite, Minoru believed he could utilize Parasidolls more effectively than a human magician could.
The specimens that had been damaged during operating tests had been repaired and sealed in the former Lab Nine’s warehouse. If Minoru could sneak in and reboot them, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to escape with their own combat skills.
The biggest problem was that the former Lab Nine fell under the Kudou family’s jurisdiction. This hadn’t changed even after the Kudou family left the Ten Master Clans. Even if Minoru’s family didn’t expect him to go after the Parasidolls, strict security measures were definitely in place at the former Lab Nine.
Then, there was also the chance that Minoru’s grandfather, Retsu Kudou, might be lying in wait.
✦ ✦ ✦
But as the saying went: “You can’t catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den.”