When the three of them had finished their greetings and settled down, Mizuho looked at her watch.\n
âI apologize for being so hasty, Domori Hiroto. Iâll now explain the situation so far and our plan for the future, and then we can plan our strategy. Okay?ăAnd also, your cheeks âŠâŠ.â\n
âAh, umm, Iâm fine!ăYou donât have to worry about it at all!ăSo just know that I paid no heed to this!â\n
âEh?ăYeah, âŠâŠâ\n
ăThey were not sure what Hiroto was talking about, but Mizuho and Marion were relieved to see that Hiroto was not angry and responded cheerfully.\n
âThen, Mizuho-san, letâs start the conversation. Iâll make us some tea.â\n
ăMarion stood up and Hiroto expressed his gratitude to Marion.\n
âThank you very much. Would you like me to help you with something?â\n
âAh, itâs fine. Please sit down. Hiroto-san should listen to the story first.â\n
ăMarion, who said that and started preparing the tea, was clearly in a good mood, unlike before. Hiroto was nervous about the change, but at any rate, he was relieved looking as she responded with a smile and a friendly expression.\n
ăIn fact, Marion was also wondering how she was feeling right now.\n
ăWhen she first met him, she had been so angry, but now just looking at this boyâs face made her feel better, and she even felt a sense of excitement.\n
ăMarion had always considered herself to be quite shy, but this boy didnât make her nervous at all.\n
(Whatâs wrong with âŠâŠ me? Iâm so happy to see Hiroto-san.)\n
ăMarion hummed naturally as she was preparing the tea.\n
ăAnd Mizuho was surprised to see that Marion even hummed while preparing the tea.\n
âMa-Marion?â\n
âYes?â\n
âN-no, itâs nothing. âŠâŠâ\n
ăWhat happened to Marion, who seemed to be in a bright mood?ăShe was about to ask her what was going on, but âŠâŠ her smile was so good that she decided to leave it alone.\n
ăSince arriving in Miramar, she hadnât had time to relax and was rather nervous. Itâs not as if they were in danger, but both Mizuho and Marion were under no small amount of stress.\n
ăThatâs why she hadnât seen Marion in such a good mood since she came here.\n
ăEven so, she was also relieved to see Hiroto sitting in front of her and feeling a sense of security.\n
ăTo be honest with herself too,âŠâŠ, she feels good.\n
(What?ăI wonder if I am so happy that the support was dispatched,âŠâŠ. Even though it was only rank D that came.)\n
ăMizuho stares at Hiroto with a strange expression.\n
ăAnd Hiroto was also very happy to see that Marion was making tea for him.\n
(Itâs nice to see a girl making tea âŠâŠ. Marion-san just fit the perfect picture.)\n
ăHe thought. When Mizuho saw the change in Hirotoâs expression, she became irritated for some reason.\n
âHey!ăDomori Hiroto!â\n
âYes!ăW-What is it?ăShitenji-san.â\n
âNothing!ăLetâs start the discussion!â[TN: Damn this Tsundere]\n
âAh, yes, I understand.â\n
ăSuddenly, Hiroto was startled by Mizuhoâs sullen call, but since it was about work, he looked forward with a serious face.\n
ăMizuho began by explaining what had happened so far. She began to explain the facts in chronological order.\n
ăWhen they first arrived, Mizuho and Marion thought that the mission would not be too difficult, as the military government had hired an ability user to assassinate General Mathew.\n
ăTo some extent, they were able to find out the whereabouts of the enemyâs abilities after seeing how they were faring, and they aimed to destroy or neutralize the enemyâs abilities.\n
âSo, did Shitenji-san and the others locate the enemy?â\n
âWe werenât able to find out. If we did, they wouldnât have been able to âŠâŠ get away with it. Theyâre clever and unusually battle-hardened!â\n
ââŠâŠ them?ăThe enemy is âŠâŠ.â\n
ăMarion, who made the tea, placed three teacups on a tray in front of each of them and took a seat next to Mizuho.\n
âYes, I think there are probably more than one ability users on the enemy side. Ah, this tea is called Lapachow, and itâs a high-class tea around here. Itâs quite delicious, isnât it?â\n
âThank you, Marion-san. I see. âŠâŠ The enemy is not a single person.â\n
ăMizuho frowned and crossed her arms.\n
âThere is a high probability that there are at least two of them, if not more. Otherwise, Marion and I would not have sent out a request for backup to the âŠâŠ branch manager.â\n
ăMizuho raised her voice as she spoke.\n
ăThe reason why she seemed to be in a bad mood earlier was that her pride was hurt by the fact that there were two people with rank A abilities âŠâŠ. and she had sent a request for help to the agency.\n
ăMizuho has a tendency to get angry, but he knows that she doesnât get annoyed for no reason.\n
âI see âŠâŠ thatâs why Shitenji-san is in a bad mood. Shitenji-san, with her great pride, does not like to ask for support. Marion-san is probably not like that.â\n
ăWhen Hiroto said what he honestly thought, Mizuho and Marion looked surprised.\n
ăWithout noticing it, Hiroto crossed his arms, nodded his head, and continued to talk.\n
âBut, Shitenji-san has made a very calm decision to call for backup with that. So itâs not Shitenji-sanâs decision, is it?ăSince Marion-san is a calm person by nature, she might have thought of calling for backup, but itâs impossible to persuade a reluctant Shitenji-san.â\n
ăAnd then, bam!ăMizuki stood up, slapping the table with her hands.\n
âWaa!â\n
ăHiroto was so startled by the sudden sound that he almost fell out of his chair.\n
âHey!ăIâm not actually in a bad mood!ăThis time, I was just analyzing the situation and making a decision as usual!ăAnd what the hell do you think you know about me?ăEven Marion, if she has an opinion, sheâll share it with me!ăRight, Marion!â\n
ăMizuho stood up and pointed a finger at Hiroto while panicking. Hiroto panicked as he remembered he spoke his thoughts and said, âOops!â.\n
ăMarion, who was suddenly asked to speak, was equally flustered.\n
âWhat!ăMarion!ăWhy are you questioning it?â\n
âI-Iâm sorry!ăI didnât mean it like that!â\n
ăHiroto and Marion managed to quiet Mizuho down and continued to talk.\n
âBut how did you find out that there are more than one?ăThe initial information from the agency did not say that there were more than one, right?â\n
ăWhen Hiroto asked this question, Mizuho and Marion also became serious, and Marion answered.\n
âIn fact, as soon as we arrived, we engaged in combat with demons and lower-ranked demons summoned by the enemy, and since it was demons that were summoned, it naturally became clear that they were magical summoners. But during some battles, âŠâŠâ\n
ăWhen he had heard that much, Hiroto nodded.\n
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript></noscript></figure>\nâI see âŠâŠ, and besides that, you sensed the presence of a spiritual power ability user who might be an enemy?\n
ăMizuho and Marion were a little surprised to see that Hiroto understood immediately.\n
ăHiroto mentioned that it is common knowledge that people with abilities always have either spiritual power or magical power in their bodies.\n
ăIt is said that the relationship between spiritual power and magical power is like that between water and oil, light and shadow, and the source of their power is different. And as a characteristic, it is known that when spiritual power and magical power touch each other, they repel each other very much.\n
ăTherefore, there is no one who can handle both spiritual power and magical power in one individual.\n
ăIn other words, when a summoner with magical powers attacked and Mizuho and the others were convinced that there were multiple enemies, Hiroto imagined that they sensed the presence of a person with spiritual powers.\n
âYes, it was faint, but I could feel the spiritual power. It was an unpleasant spiritual power, like being stroked by something rough. However, during the battle, no spiritual power ability use ever appeared. Thatâs why it was reported as probably âŠâŠ multiple.â\n
ăMizuho said unpleasantly that she felt sick just remembering it.\n
âItâs kind of strange âŠâŠ. There are multiple ability users, and their assassination target, General Mathew, is there, but all of them are not attacking âŠâŠ.â\n
ăMarion nodded to Hirotoâs question.\n
âThatâs right. And thatâs not the only thing thatâs strange. Even in the attacks so far, there is something âŠâŠ about them that suggests they are not serious.â\n
âEh?ăIs that âŠâŠ?â\n
âI donât know. But these guys have always been ahead of us. Itâs kind of annoying. Iâm pretty sure theyâve got all our information, too. And theyâve been coming at us relentlessly. In spite of this, âŠâŠâ\n
ăMizuho sipped on the tea that Marion had made.\n
â âŠâŠ When it gets a little tricky, they back off easily. Itâs as if this was predetermined from the start.â\n
ăHiroto also frowned. Itâs certainly a strange feeling.\n
ăAccording to the preliminary information, the enemy ability user does not have the luxury of time to do so. The purpose of this is to prevent General Mathew from giving a speech at the United Nations a week later.\n
âIn other words, the assassins on the other side should have a deadline for achieving their goal, and it is usually the enemy who should be in a hurry, but rather, they seem to be taking their time âŠâŠ?â\n
ăMizuho chuckled at the speed with which Hiroto comprehended the situation and raised her assessment of Hiroto a notch.\n
âYouâre right. For a rank D, youâre pretty quick on the uptake. Well, thatâs not the same thing as combat ability.â\n
âAh, Thanks, âŠâŠ.â\n
âMizuho-san, you see, Hiroto-sanâs judgment is A. âŠâŠâ\n
âAhhh, that ability chart the agency sent you?ăIâve never seen that. How could it have such a biased ability? I indeed wanted someone with excellent close-quarters combat skills, but âŠâŠ are you okay with that?ăAnd Iâm not sure I can count on you.â\n
âAhahaha âŠâŠ Iâll do my best.â\n
ăMizuho told him straightforwardly, Hiroto laughed bitterly, and Marion was careful to change the subject at his appearance.\n
âB-By the way, Hiroto-san, âŠâŠ was also the same batch as ours, right?â\n
âAh, yes. Thatâs right.â\n
ăMizuho crossed her arms and looked at Hiroto suspiciously.\n
âI am talking about the rookie exam, but neither Marion nor I have any memory of you. We canât even remember you now that weâve met you. Naturally, you would know about us, but âŠâŠ well since you are the lowest rank D in the exam, this might be the case, and your presence seems to be a bit overshadowed.â\n
âWait, Mizuho-san.â\n
âHahaha âŠâŠ Thatâs right. The two of you were rank A, so âŠâŠ Iâm rank D and my presence is overshadowed, haha âŠâŠ.â\n
(He said it before I could finish it. âŠâŠ)\n
ăMarion looks embarrassed at Hirotoâs dry laugh.\n
âWell, thatâs fine. Letâs get back to the topic at hand, âŠâŠ you are one of the ability users and you know that this request is of course a real battle. If youâre not careful, you could lose your life. Just because you have a rank of D doesnât mean theyâre going to go easy on you, okay?â[TN: Is it just me whoâs hating Mizuho?â\n
ăMizuhoâs words made both Hirotoâs and Marionâs faces tense up.\n
âUmm. I know.â\n
ăAs Hiroto nodded, Mizuho also nodded.\n
âThen letâs discuss the future strategy. To put it simply, I want you to stall for time âŠâŠ.â\n
âStalling?â\n
âYes. Thatâs right, âŠâŠ until Iâm ready to attack.â\n
âFumu âŠâŠ. So you want me to keep the enemy away from âŠâŠ you until you are ready to make your big move to get rid of them?â\n
âThatâs what Iâm saying.â\n
âUmmm⊠âŠâŠâ\n
ăHiroto crossed his arms and tilted his head lightly.\n
ăThe point is that Mizuho is concerned with destroying the enemy as soon as it detects their location.\n
ăIf she does that, she will have accomplished her request.\n
ăHowever, from what he said earlier, it seems that this operation will not be easy.\n
âWhatâŠâŠ are you dissatisfied with it?ăDomori Hiroto.â\n
ăMizuho asks unhappily at Hirotoâs reaction.\n
âNo, itâs not a complaint. âŠâŠ In the end, itâs fine. âŠâŠâ\n
âThen what!â\n
âUmm, in that case, there are certain assumptions, right?ăYou need to know exactly where the enemy is. But, as you said earlier, itâs not going so well, is it?ăThatâs why I think we should look for a way to figure out the enemyâs location first.â\n
âWe got as far as we could last time!ăBoth Marion and I were able to detect their location. The only problem is that when I was trying to perform the technique, I was interrupted!ăAnd if I can calm down a bit, I can create a better exploration wind and locate the enemy summoner more precisely than before.â\n
âU-Umm âŠâŠ, but the enemy summoner seemed like a pretty experienced fighter, right?â\n
âSo what!â\n
ăMizuho seems to be annoyed by the fact that Hiroto did not agree with her. She must have been under quite a bit of stress over the enemy.\n
ăMarion asked Hiroto while calming down Mizuho.\n
âIs there something bothering you, Hiroto-san?â\n
âAhh, no, not really. Itâs just that I think that we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves in our thinking. First of all, the most important thing for a summoner is to be careful not to let people know where you are. But at the same time, you must always be aware of the whereabouts of your enemies, right?â\n
âYes, because a summoner needs a great deal of concentration to summon, and there is even a possibility that the summon will be canceled when he is attacked.â\n
ăMizuho turned to the side with an attitude of, âHow dare you to speak so highly of something so obvious!â And rested her cheek on the table.\n
âUm, youâre right. Thatâs why most people who become summoners also have to learn how to hide their whereabouts and appearance from others. I believe it is important to unravel this method.â\n
ăMarion nodded at Hirotoâs words.\n
âOf course, thatâs what we were thinking, too. But when it comes to covert techniques, the main thing is to identify with your surroundings. Iâm sure the summoner is not that far away, so we devised a method of searching for the summoner that would allow us to locate him if we searched for the source of his magic power without relying on sight. Thatâs how I was able to detect the enemy last time.â\n
ăMizuho also loosened her cheekbones and looked forward.\n
âYes, they summoned so many of them. If the summoner is too far away, their magic range wonât be able to reach them. Thatâs why I will send a scouting wind around, looking for spaces that will block the wind.â\n
ăHiroto considered their answers. Apparently, there was something about summoners that were unknown, rather than various misconceptions.\n
(Sure, itâs as basic as it sounds, but âŠâŠ I see what they are saying.)\n
âFirst of all, let me tell you that stealth isnât just about assimilating with your surroundings, okay?ăSome people change their appearance to look like the demon they are summoning, while others place dummies of their own. So itâs possible that the last time you were able to detect it, it was caught by a dummy.â\n
âEh?â\n
ăMizuho and Marion widened their eyes.\n
âAnd stealth isnât always completed by one person. Itâs often done by multiple ability users. Moreover, if you are a very advanced summoner, you can summon while moving.â\n
âNo way!â\n
âReally!?â\n
ăMizuho shouted out involuntarily, and Marion also put her hand to her mouth, but Mizuho looked skeptical about what Hiroto said. Marion also looks a little incredulous.\n
( The summoners I met in the demon world were like that, but âŠâŠ is it different here?)\n
âYouâre not just saying random things, are you?ăThe first thing you need to know is that the summoner, who needs extreme concentration, will not move on the spot as long as their magical or spiritual power lasts, and will always remain focused so as not to lose their concentration.â\n
ăMarion continued with Mizuhoâs words.\n
âYes, so after summoning, no other skills can be activated, so Iâve heard that they always use the art of stealth to hide before summoning. It is true that summoners are very rare as ability users, so there is little information about them and their actual skills are not well known, but I have never heard of anything likeâŠâŠ what Hiroto-san said.â\n
âIâm not sure where you two get your knowledge of these summoners from.â\n
âWhat!?ăThis is common knowledge!â\n
âAh, yes. I read it mostly in the Vatican archives.â\n
âRank D, what the hell are you talking about âŠâŠ, where do you come from?â\n
âAh, um, yeah. âŠâŠâ\n
(This is a problem. âŠâŠ they wonât believe me if I tell them Iâve fought those guys, and then itâs too much trouble to explain. âŠâŠ Hmm?ăAh!ăCome to think of it, there was a âŠâŠ examiner at the newcomerâs exam.)\n
ăHiroto began to explain to Mizuho, who was glaring at him, and to Marion, who was waiting for him to explain.\n
âFu, do you two remember the summoner named Dora who was the examiner for the rookie exam?â\n
âEh?ăYes, âŠâŠ, the examiner for the âŠâŠ âPerfection of Law and Abilityâ exam.â\n
âYes, that one!ăDo you remember that person was moving freely after being summoned?ăI think sheâs a pretty good summoner, but âŠâŠ even after summoning she just sat there randomly, yawning and eating sweets and stuff, right?â\n
âAh, âŠâŠ.â\n
âSpeaking of which, âŠâŠâ\n
âAnd there are people who are as good as Shitenji-san and Marion-san, and I think since âŠâŠ itâs not too difficult for a good summoner. If so, itâs quite possible.â\n
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ\n
ăMizuho and Marion gradually began to accept what Hiroto said. And felt that Hirotoâs words were backed up.\n
ăHowever, Mizuho and Marion did not just start accepting Hirotoâs story because it was convincing âŠâŠ.\n
ăAt this point, a strange feeling came over them as well.\n
ăHiroto noticed their feelings, and with a serious face, told them what was bothering him about Mizuho and Marionâs story.\n
âSo the only thing I canât get over is the existence of the other ability user who âŠâŠ the two of you mentioned. The spiritual ability user who does not appear on the scene may be playing a role against the summoner who is the core of the attack.â\n
ăMizuho and Marion were already listening to what Hiroto had to say.\n
ăHiroto put strength in his eyes and asked them for a favor.\n
âCan you explain to me in detail about the last attack?ăIf possible, a simple map would be appreciated. âŠâŠâ\n
ăMizuho and Marion looked at each other âŠâŠ and nodded in response to Hirotoâs question.\n
âPart II endâ\n
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