"Good morning!"
It was the afternoon of the day after I played Kamen Rider with the kids. School was over without a hitch, and I was at Section Six. My normal work schedule was back on starting today.
But maybe it's not so normal.
"Everyone, I think you've already heard."
Lined up in front of Nanoha-san were me, Subaru-san, and Tearju-san. We were the night shift members from that night.
By the way, for some reason, Claudia was standing next to Nanoha-san, smiling cheerfully.
"Starting today, you'll be helping with the investigation to find the culprit of the demon attack."
"Yes!!"
That's right. Starting today, we would be doing patrols and searches until the end of our shift instead of our usual training.
Asuna and the others had already joined the search since yesterday. I had already heard the details from them. It seemed that we wouldn't be investigating Kagetane's case after all.
Instead, Tatenashi-san wasn't at Section Six today. She must be investigating on her own.
"You'll be working in pairs. Subaru and Tearju, and Sho-kun and Claudia."
So that's how it is.
"That's right!"
Claudia said happily.
"I also happened to not be at Section Six yesterday, so I wasn't assigned to the investigation."
"Happened to, huh..."
"Sho, you're happy to be with me, right?"
"..."
This was a time to listen to Nanoha-san's instructions. I refrained from making unnecessary side comments... or so I pretended, to avoid answering Claudia's question.
"Claudia, hold on for now, okay?"
"Yes."
Even with Nanoha-san's warning, Claudia's smile didn't fade.
"Sigh... Well, there's nothing more to explain. Everyone, you can go now."
"Understood!"
We saluted and left.
---------
"Claudia, you can drive?"
"Yes. I can drive all the basic vehicles. Well, in the city, an automated vehicle is enough, though."
Even though it was a patrol, we were just driving around the city in an Administration Bureau car (like a police car). No one would attack vampires in broad daylight like this. It was more like a patrol to intimidate them.
Besides, vampires are a nocturnal species, so this time of day is like the middle of the night for them.
"So, Sho-san, what do you think about this incident?"
"What do I think?"
"Do you have any ideas?"
She glanced at me from the side while driving.
"What do you think I am, Claudia? That's a bit much to ask."
I can't make any predictions from just the clue that a vampire was attacked. It would be a different story if a named character was involved.
Besides, it could be a different story from the one I know.
"What about you, Claudia? Have you gotten any clues from your spiteful device?"
Pandora, Claudia's device, shows its owner future events in the form of nightmares. There should be some clues from that.
"Let's see."
The car stopped at a traffic light.
"Lately, I've been having the same dream."
"And you wanted to talk about that, so you made sure we were on the same team?"
"Of course, I also wanted to go on a drive with Sho."
She made a strange gesture and reached for my thigh, but I grabbed her hand and made her hold the steering wheel. The car would still move on its own even without her holding the wheel.
"The dream is about the collapse of this island."
"Again..."
This island collapses a lot.
"It's not just a matter of the island becoming a ruin. This artificial land will be unable to support its own weight and will be torn apart and collapse. I believe the keystone of this island, the Keystone Gate, will be destroyed."
"The Keystone Gate...?"
The Keystone Gate is the very keystone that supports this island. It's the gigantic tower that stands in the center of the island.
Of course, it has the best security on the island. It's where the headquarters of the Administration Bureau's Academy City branch is, and the Butei Agency is there too.
It would be destroyed by someone who breaks through all of that and destroys the keystone at the very bottom...?
"Such a big incident... When will this happen?"
"I know the date. It's in three days, including today."
"Three days?!"
What the hell?! That's too sudden!
"Does this vampire attack have anything to do with it?"
"I don't know. The dream I have always starts when the island is already collapsing and the residents are being evacuated."
"But it is a clue..."
"Yes. So, does this clue give you any ideas?"
"..."
I thought hard. At the same time, I asked Claudia,
"Have you told anyone else about this?"
"No. I've only told you."
That's what's bothering me. Why?
"Why? There's no restriction that says you can't tell anyone, right? You should be able to logically explain the contents of your premonition."
"That's right. I probably could. But you're the only one I trust."
"...The only one you trust?"
I gasped at her sudden heavy statement.
"Not Nanoha-san, Fate-san, or Hayate-san?"
"I believe in them. But I trust only you. That's why I'm telling you."
To be trusted that much, it must be...
"...Did we meet somewhere a long time ago?"
"No? The first time you and I met was definitely in that hospital room that day."
So, I didn't go back in time and do something...
"..."
I thought about it.
Not why Claudia trusts me so much, but what kind of incident could bring destruction to the island.
The current information is the contents of Claudia's nightmare, the information about the Hiruko family from Seitenshi-sama, and the vampire attack incident.
Also, I shouldn't forget about Index's memory reset. Judging by Stiyl's attitude at that time, it's definitely getting close to that time. It's not an act that would lead to destruction, but it would be troublesome if someone interfered. They were also attacked during the transport.
How do all of these connect to the destruction of the island?
I have the dots, but I don't know how they connect. Something is missing.
"...Sorry. I can't say for sure."
"...I see."
Claudia seemed a little disappointed for a moment, but then,
"Well, then we'll just have to find more clues!"
"That's right. That's all we can do!"
We only have three days left. There's no time to be depressed.
"Hehe, I know I shouldn't say this, but you really believe the contents of a dream."
Why are you asking me that now?
"You've helped me so much before."
She helped me with a perfect plan during the Sisters Arc. There's no reason to doubt her words.
"But back then, you had a hunch, so you believed it so easily, didn't you? This time, it's just me saying it, and there's no other evidence, is there?"
That's true? Wait, so...
"Were you teasing me?"
"No, it's all true."
"What was that for?!"
I got my hopes up for a second!
"Let's do our best, Sho."
"...Yeah."
I answered the unchanging Claudia, resting my cheek on my elbow rest. And when I looked out the window,
"Oh, is that..."
I spotted a very noticeable trio.
"Sho? Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, that's them."
In the direction I was pointing, there was a girl in a nun's habit like a teacup, a red-haired man with a barcode tattoo around his eyes, and a woman with a long katana at her waist. They were the members of the Anglican Church.
"Why are those guys walking around so carefree?!"
Even though they were attacked during transport. Even though they have the important task of resetting Index's memory in a few days.
"You're right. I wonder if something happened."
"Let's go check it out."
We parked the car in a suitable spot and walked toward the three of them.
The three were still in the same place we had just passed. Stiyl and Kanzaki were looking at a terminal screen.
"Hey there."
"!!"
They must have been very focused, as the two jumped and looked at us.
"You're from the Administration Bureau. Can I help you? You seem to be on duty. Or were you on a date during work hours?"
Stiyl asked, showing his vigilance. He must have said that because of my attire (I was wearing the Administration Bureau's uniform, not my school uniform).
No one is happy to be approached by a police officer.
And he also made a sarcastic remark after seeing Claudia following me.
"You looked like you were having trouble. I'm from the Administration Bureau, as you can see."
"...I'm not having any trouble."
"Is that so? Giving directions is also one of the jobs of the Administration Bureau, you know?"
Claudia said, looking at the map app on her terminal.
Magicians are bad with machines. In the original story, Index can't answer the phone, and Kanzaki filled the washing machine with a ridiculous amount of foam. Stiyl wasn't described that way as much, but this must be what it's like in reality.
"Stiyl, shouldn't you just ask them?"
"...Yeah, you're right."
At Index's words, Stiyl reluctantly nodded with a sour face.
"I want to go here."
He held out the terminal with a stiff voice.
"Hmm, hmm..."
The destination displayed on the map was a tourist and commercial facility that would probably be the first to show up if you searched for "Academy City" and "tourist spot."
Kanzaki peered over my shoulder as I operated the terminal.
"This island is amazing... the train lines are so complicated. We almost got lost on the way here."
"...Can you get back?"
"...I wonder."
Is it impossible...?
"Shouldn't you input the way back, too?"
"Besides, maybe you can't even get there by following the map?"
Claudia and I shared our opinions, and after we confirmed that there were no financial issues, we decided on a plan.
"Well, I've called an automated taxi for you. Card payment is fine, right?"
"Yes. Thank you. Please use this."
"The way back is also inputted, so when you call a taxi, just activate this app and press here."
"...Yes. I understand."
I'm a little worried. Her voice tone sounded so uneasy.
By the way, it was Kanzaki who was dealing with us.
"If you're worried, you can call this number."
I wrote down the phone number and handed it to her. I wrote it down on a memo because I thought she might not be able to call it if she saved it in her phone's contacts.
"Thank you very much."
"Let's try calling a taxi."
Kanzaki operated the terminal as I instructed.
"It's surprisingly easy."
"Please do it this way next time, too. The taxi will arrive in about five minutes."
And for the five minutes until the taxi arrived, there was no conversation.
Stiyl stood between us and them to protect Index and didn't say a word. Kanzaki was restless. She seemed nervous about whether the taxi would actually arrive.
The taxi arrived, and the three got in. Kanzaki sat in the front passenger seat, and Stiyl and Index sat in the back.
"See you later."
"Take care."
The taxi drove away.
"I wonder if they'll be alright."
"Well, even if they get lost, they can just ask someone for help. As long as they can operate the app, the taxi will arrive."
"No, I don't mean that. The transport plane was attacked, right? Is it really okay for them to be out like this?"
"It's overkill, no matter how you look at it."
Just Kanzaki is enough. I pity the person who would try to attack them. Even the Hiruko family wouldn't be able to do anything.
"If that's the case, should we go?"
We returned to our patrol.
We didn't find anything that day. At least, on our side.
---------
"It's gotten late."
"It has."
This was the investigation team of Yukina and Vita. When Yukina first met Vita, she was a little doubtful of Vita's abilities because of her appearance, but now she had no such feelings. She treated her with respect as a reliable superior.
Vita also highly valued the serious Yukina.
It had been two days since they had been paired up. Today, they had been walking around some of the slightly dangerous back alleys that Vita knew.
At that moment,
"!!"
They felt a dense amount of magical power swelling up. And there were two of them. The moment they appeared, they collided, and the sparking magical power stimulated their senses.
The clashing magical power started to damage the surrounding buildings.
"Let's go, Yukina!!"
"Yes!!"
As members of the Administration Bureau, they couldn't just leave that situation alone. They immediately ran toward the source.
Using their magically-enhanced physical abilities, it wouldn't take even a minute to get to the source of the magical power. Along the way,
"Vita-san, look at that!!"
"What?! ...That's...!"
Above the destroyed building, a burning monster bird spread its wings. It wasn't a magical beast wrapped in magical power, but magical power itself. A mass of magical power with its own will.
"A vampire's Familiar...?"
"That's right. Ah!"
A pale blue arm stretched out from below and grabbed the burning monster bird that was flying in the sky. The monster bird struggled in pain, but it soon lost its strength and assimilated—was absorbed—into the arm.
"Let's hurry!!"
Without waiting for Yukina's reply, Vita ran. Her Administration Bureau uniform changed into her barrier jacket. She held a long-handled hammer-type device, Graf Eisen.
Yukina also took out a folded spear from her guitar case. She swung it once, and it transformed into its combat form.
The two of them stepped into the scene of the crime.
"Stop right there, you!!"
"This is the Administration Bureau! Please stop fighting!!"
The two, holding their weapons, issued their standard warnings (Vita just told them to stop in a rude way).
But the battle was already over.
A large man in black clothes stood with his back to them, and a young blonde man lay on the ground. The blonde man was drooling from his mouth and was completely unconscious.
The large man in black clothes, Rudolph Eustach, slowly turned around at Yukina's and Vita's warning.
"So, the Administration Bureau has finally found me..."
His eye with a monocle was directed at the two of them.
"That's right. Put your hands up. You've been using magic in the middle of the city. We caught you red-handed."
"I can't do that. I'm still halfway through my work—Astarte."
The man in black—Rudolph Eustach—gave a command to the girl behind him.
"Command accepted. Execute, Rose's Fingertips."
Pale blue arms, like wings, sprouted from Astarte's back.
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