{Chapter 5} Reunion with Peers
Part II
When the three of them had finished their greetings and settled down, Mizuho looked at her watch.
“I apologize for being so hasty, Domori Hiroto. I’ll now explain the situation so far and our plan for the future, and then we can plan our strategy. Okay? And also, your cheeks …….”
“Ah, umm, I’m fine! You don’t have to worry about it at all! So just know that I paid no heed to this!”
“Eh? Yeah, ……”
They were not sure what Hiroto was talking about, but Mizuho and Marion were relieved to see that Hiroto was not angry and responded cheerfully.
“Then, Mizuho-san, let’s start the conversation. I’ll make us some tea.”
Marion stood up and Hiroto expressed his gratitude to Marion.
“Thank you very much. Would you like me to help you with something?”
“Ah, it’s fine. Please sit down. Hiroto-san should listen to the story first.’
Marion, 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.
In fact, Marion was also wondering how she was feeling right now.
When she first met him, she had been so angry, but now just looking at this boy’s face made her feel better, and she even felt a sense of excitement.
Marion had always considered herself to be quite shy, but this boy didn’t make her nervous at all.
(What’s wrong with …… me? I’m so happy to see Hiroto-san.)
Marion hummed naturally as she was preparing the tea.
And Mizuho was surprised to see that Marion even hummed while preparing the tea.
“Ma-Marion?”
“Yes?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. ……”
What happened to Marion, who seemed to be in a bright mood? She was about to ask her what was going on, but …… her smile was so good that she decided to leave it alone.
Since arriving in Miramar, she hadn’t had time to relax and was rather nervous. It’s not as if they were in danger, but both Mizuho and Marion were under no small amount of stress.
That’s why she hadn’t seen Marion in such a good mood since she came here.
Even so, she was also relieved to see Hiroto sitting in front of her and feeling a sense of security.
To be honest with herself too,……, she feels good.
(What? I wonder if I am so happy that the support was dispatched,……. Even though it was only rank D that came.)
Mizuho stares at Hiroto with a strange expression.
And Hiroto was also very happy to see that Marion was making tea for him.
(It’s nice to see a girl making tea ……. Marion-san just fit the perfect picture.)
He thought. When Mizuho saw the change in Hiroto’s expression, she became irritated for some reason.
“Hey! Domori Hiroto!”
“Yes! W-What is it? Shitenji-san.”
“Nothing! Let’s start the discussion!”[TN: Damn this Tsundere]
“Ah, yes, I understand.”
Suddenly, Hiroto was startled by Mizuho’s sullen call, but since it was about work, he looked forward with a serious face.
Mizuho began by explaining what had happened so far. She began to explain the facts in chronological order.
When 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.
To some extent, they were able to find out the whereabouts of the enemy’s abilities after seeing how they were faring, and they aimed to destroy or neutralize the enemy’s abilities.
“So, did Shitenji-san and the others locate the enemy?”
“We weren’t able to find out. If we did, they wouldn’t have been able to …… get away with it. They’re clever and unusually battle-hardened!”
“…… them? The enemy is …….”
Marion, who made the tea, placed three teacups on a tray in front of each of them and took a seat next to Mizuho.
“Yes, I think there are probably more than one ability users on the enemy side. Ah, this tea is called Lapachow, and it’s a high-class tea around here. It’s quite delicious, isn’t it?”
“Thank you, Marion-san. I see. …… The enemy is not a single person.”
Mizuho frowned and crossed her arms.
“There 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 …… branch manager.”
Mizuho raised her voice as she spoke.
The 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 ……. and she had sent a request for help to the agency.
Mizuho has a tendency to get angry, but he knows that she doesn’t get annoyed for no reason.
“I see …… that’s 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.”
When Hiroto said what he honestly thought, Mizuho and Marion looked surprised.
Without noticing it, Hiroto crossed his arms, nodded his head, and continued to talk.
“But, Shitenji-san has made a very calm decision to call for backup with that. So it’s not Shitenji-san’s decision, is it? Since Marion-san is a calm person by nature, she might have thought of calling for backup, but it’s impossible to persuade a reluctant Shitenji-san.”
And then, bam! Mizuki stood up, slapping the table with her hands.
“Waa!”
Hiroto was so startled by the sudden sound that he almost fell out of his chair.
“Hey! I’m not actually in a bad mood! This time, I was just analyzing the situation and making a decision as usual! And what the hell do you think you know about me? Even Marion, if she has an opinion, she’ll share it with me! Right, Marion!”
Mizuho stood up and pointed a finger at Hiroto while panicking. Hiroto panicked as he remembered he spoke his thoughts and said, “Oops!”.
Marion, who was suddenly asked to speak, was equally flustered.
“Eh!? Well, yes, ……, t-that’s right, isn’t it?”
“What! Marion! Why are you questioning it?”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!”
Hiroto and Marion managed to quiet Mizuho down and continued to talk.
“But how did you find out that there are more than one? The initial information from the agency did not say that there were more than one, right?”
When Hiroto asked this question, Mizuho and Marion also became serious, and Marion answered.
“In 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, ……”
When he had heard that much, Hiroto nodded.
“I see ……, and besides that, you sensed the presence of a spiritual power ability user who might be an enemy?
Mizuho and Marion were a little surprised to see that Hiroto understood immediately.
Hiroto mentioned that it is common knowledge that people with abilities always have either spiritual power or magical power in their bodies.
It 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.
Therefore, there is no one who can handle both spiritual power and magical power in one individual.
In 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.
“Yes, 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. That’s why it was reported as probably …… multiple.”
Mizuho said unpleasantly that she felt sick just remembering it.
“It’s kind of strange ……. There are multiple ability users, and their assassination target, General Mathew, is there, but all of them are not attacking …….”
Marion nodded to Hiroto’s question.
“That’s right. And that’s not the only thing that’s strange. Even in the attacks so far, there is something …… about them that suggests they are not serious.”
“Eh? Is that ……?”
“I don’t know. But these guys have always been ahead of us. It’s kind of annoying. I’m pretty sure they’ve got all our information, too. And they’ve been coming at us relentlessly. In spite of this, ……”
Mizuho sipped on the tea that Marion had made.
” …… When it gets a little tricky, they back off easily. It’s as if this was predetermined from the start.”
Hiroto also frowned. It’s certainly a strange feeling.
According 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.
“In 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 ……?”
Mizuho chuckled at the speed with which Hiroto comprehended the situation and raised her assessment of Hiroto a notch.
“You’re right. For a rank D, you’re pretty quick on the uptake. Well, that’s not the same thing as combat ability.”
“Ah, Thanks, …….”
“Mizuho-san, you see, Hiroto-san’s judgment is A. ……”
“Ahhh, that ability chart the agency sent you? I’ve never seen that. How could it have such a biased ability? I indeed wanted someone with excellent close-quarters combat skills, but …… are you okay with that? And I’m not sure I can count on you.”
“Ahahaha …… I’ll do my best.”
Mizuho told him straightforwardly, Hiroto laughed bitterly, and Marion was careful to change the subject at his appearance.
“B-By the way, Hiroto-san, …… was also the same batch as ours, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Mizuho crossed her arms and looked at Hiroto suspiciously.
“I am talking about the rookie exam, but neither Marion nor I have any memory of you. We can’t even remember you now that we’ve met you. Naturally, you would know about us, but …… 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.”
“Wait, Mizuho-san.”
“Hahaha …… That’s right. The two of you were rank A, so …… I’m rank D and my presence is overshadowed, haha …….”
(He said it before I could finish it. ……)
Marion looks embarrassed at Hiroto’s dry laugh.
“Well, that’s fine. Let’s get back to the topic at hand, …… you are one of the ability users and you know that this request is of course a real battle. If you’re not careful, you could lose your life. Just because you have a rank of D doesn’t mean they’re going to go easy on you, okay?”[TN: Is it just me who’s hating Mizuho?”
Mizuho’s words made both Hiroto’s and Marion’s faces tense up.
“Umm. I know.”
As Hiroto nodded, Mizuho also nodded.
“Then let’s discuss the future strategy. To put it simply, I want you to stall for time …….”
“Stalling?”
“Yes. That’s right, …… until I’m ready to attack.”
“Fumu ……. So you want me to keep the enemy away from …… you until you are ready to make your big move to get rid of them?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Ummm… ……”
Hiroto crossed his arms and tilted his head lightly.
The point is that Mizuho is concerned with destroying the enemy as soon as it detects their location.
If she does that, she will have accomplished her request.
However, from what he said earlier, it seems that this operation will not be easy.
“What…… are you dissatisfied with it? Domori Hiroto.”
Mizuho asks unhappily at Hiroto’s reaction.
“No, it’s not a complaint. …… In the end, it’s fine. ……”
“Then what!”
“Umm, in that case, there are certain assumptions, right? You need to know exactly where the enemy is. But, as you said earlier, it’s not going so well, is it? That’s why I think we should look for a way to figure out the enemy’s location first.”
“We got as far as we could last time! Both 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! And if I can calm down a bit, I can create a better exploration wind and locate the enemy summoner more precisely than before.”
“U-Umm ……, but the enemy summoner seemed like a pretty experienced fighter, right?”
“So what!”
Mizuho 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.
Marion asked Hiroto while calming down Mizuho.
“Is there something bothering you, Hiroto-san?”
“Ahh, no, not really. It’s 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?”
“Yes, 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.”
Mizuho turned to the side with an attitude of, “How dare you to speak so highly of something so obvious!” And rested her cheek on the table.
“Um, you’re right. That’s 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.”
Marion nodded at Hiroto’s words.
“Of course, that’s what we were thinking, too. But when it comes to covert techniques, the main thing is to identify with your surroundings. I’m 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. That’s how I was able to detect the enemy last time.”
Mizuho also loosened her cheekbones and looked forward.
“Yes, they summoned so many of them. If the summoner is too far away, their magic range won’t be able to reach them. That’s why I will send a scouting wind around, looking for spaces that will block the wind.”
Hiroto considered their answers. Apparently, there was something about summoners that were unknown, rather than various misconceptions.
(Sure, it’s as basic as it sounds, but …… I see what they are saying.)
“First of all, let me tell you that stealth isn’t just about assimilating with your surroundings, okay? Some people change their appearance to look like the demon they are summoning, while others place dummies of their own. So it’s possible that the last time you were able to detect it, it was caught by a dummy.”
“Eh?”
Mizuho and Marion widened their eyes.
“And stealth isn’t always completed by one person. It’s often done by multiple ability users. Moreover, if you are a very advanced summoner, you can summon while moving.”
“No way!”
“Really!?”
Mizuho 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.
( The summoners I met in the demon world were like that, but …… is it different here?)
“You’re not just saying random things, are you? The 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.”
Marion continued with Mizuho’s words.
“Yes, so after summoning, no other skills can be activated, so I’ve 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 like…… what Hiroto-san said.”
“I’m not sure where you two get your knowledge of these summoners from.”
“What!? This is common knowledge!”
“Ah, yes. I read it mostly in the Vatican archives.”
“Rank D, what the hell are you talking about ……, where do you come from?”
“Ah, um, yeah. ……”
(This is a problem. …… they won’t believe me if I tell them I’ve fought those guys, and then it’s too much trouble to explain. …… Hmm? Ah! Come to think of it, there was a …… examiner at the newcomer’s exam.)
Hiroto began to explain to Mizuho, who was glaring at him, and to Marion, who was waiting for him to explain.
“Fu, do you two remember the summoner named Dora who was the examiner for the rookie exam?”
“Eh? Yes, ……, the examiner for the …… “Perfection of Law and Ability” exam.”
“Yes, that one! Do you remember that person was moving freely after being summoned? I think she’s a pretty good summoner, but …… even after summoning she just sat there randomly, yawning and eating sweets and stuff, right?”
“Ah, …….”
“Speaking of which, ……”
“And there are people who are as good as Shitenji-san and Marion-san, and I think since …… it’s not too difficult for a good summoner. If so, it’s quite possible.”
“…………”
Mizuho and Marion gradually began to accept what Hiroto said. And felt that Hiroto’s words were backed up.
However, Mizuho and Marion did not just start accepting Hiroto’s story because it was convincing …….
At this point, a strange feeling came over them as well.
It was as if the two of them had a sense of déjà vu in this situation where they were listening to this boy’s explanation. ……
Hiroto noticed their feelings, and with a serious face, told them what was bothering him about Mizuho and Marion’s story.
“So the only thing I can’t get over is the existence of the other ability user who …… 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.”
Mizuho and Marion were already listening to what Hiroto had to say.
Hiroto put strength in his eyes and asked them for a favor.
“Can you explain to me in detail about the last attack? If possible, a simple map would be appreciated. ……”
Mizuho and Marion looked at each other …… and nodded in response to Hiroto’s question.
–Part II end—
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Geez man Mizuho was getting annoying the way she was acting hopefully she changes damn tsundere lol. Thanks for the chapter man 👍