Chapter 140: The Guiding Hand
Several minutes later.
Breathing heavily, Touma-san and I looked down at Souji-san, who had finally been restrained by three T:GD units.
Even with Touma-san, Baba-san, and me working together, Souji-san never once thought of surrender. As expected, he was formidable—even against three opponents.
He had pieced together the traps he had originally prepared for his opening ambush, forcing us to face them all over again. With Touma-san injured—his right hand unusable—and instant death looming if we made the slightest mistake, it was only thanks to Baba-san that we had any chance at all. Honestly, without him, even a two-on-one fight would have been hopeless.
In the end, seven of the ten T:GD units were lost. But I managed to hold Souji-san down, giving Touma-san the opening to land a clean punch to his face and finally knock him out. It had been a truly brutal fight…
“…So.”
When Souji-san regained consciousness, we began the interrogation.
Baba-san had already carried out a thorough body check, so we didn’t have to worry about hidden weapons.
“So. What exactly was your goal in targeting me? Nayuta suspected you were acting under motives different from Kihara Amata.”
“Heh… and you think I’m just going to spill that?”
“… …”
A sly grin spread across Souji-san’s face as he sat on the ground, looking up at us. Reicia-chan silently turned her eyes toward Baba-san.
“As long as he doesn’t die, I don’t mind.”
“Hey, hey! Isn’t your torture tolerance way too low!?”
At Reicia-chan’s casual remark, Souji-san immediately raised his voice in surrender.
…Of course, I’d never allow bloody interrogation methods anyway. But Souji-san didn’t seem to realize that. From his perspective—as someone used to the underground—it was easy to mistake us for people willing to use darkness for our own ends.
“Well, it’s not like I’ve got much to hide. My objective isn’t exactly a secret.”
That single bluff of hers was more than enough. Souji-san gave in without much resistance.
“To start with, I never had any separate agenda from Amata-san in the first place.”
That was the first thing out of his mouth.
“…? What do you mean? Amata’s target this time was Shokuhou, wasn’t it? He ignored us entirely, went straight for Touma-san’s group, and actually succeeded in abducting Shokuhou. He even managed to retrieve Nayuta’s true body.”
“Ahhh, I see. Guess you weren’t fully informed. Without the proper context, it’s natural you’d think that. But no, that’s not it. Amata-san’s real aim isn’t the development of espers who can use Mental Out as a secondary standard.”
…What…?
Our assumptions crumbled. With a tone that dismissed everything leading up to this point, Souji-san spoke lightly, as though stating something obvious.
“Our true objective is the transcendence of magic. That’s what it’s all about.”
Science and magic.
Two worlds long held apart, now standing on the brink of collapse—the words carried the weight of a declaration of war.
Final Chapter: As If to Make the Whole World an Enemy — Are_You_Ready?
Episode 114: The Guiding Hand — Angel_or_Devil?
"…Wh-what…!? That’s impossible!"
"Recently, Academy City has seen a flood of advanced technologies, hasn’t it? Starting with the Disturbance-Powered Poltergeist, followed by the ‘AIM Angel’ and the ‘Dragon.’ Not the AIM diffusion field as a simple byproduct, but the massive layered system created by the combined output of every student in Academy City. A technology that exploits the field as one unified whole. Some members of the Kihara clan wanted to know why those technologies suddenly started surfacing."
Souji-san spoke as if it was nothing more than routine observation.
…Fair enough. When beings like Fuse=Kazakiri or the Dragon appear, it’s only natural to be suspicious. Those sorts of phenomena clearly lie in a realm far beyond ordinary science.
Esper powers might be explained through scientific frameworks, but that doesn’t mean science itself has turned into fantasy. So when something emerges that veers so far outside the established boundaries, it looks warped—even grotesque—to scientists.
And so Souji-san and Amata-san dug deeper. Into the roots of that technology. And then—
"We found it. The abnormal powers existing outside this city—what you’d call the ‘Magic Side.’"
They had uncovered it. The thing lurking behind the world’s curtain.
…In a way, wasn’t this exactly what Aleister feared most? The clean separation between science and magic—maintained by mechanisms like the Archetype Controller—collapsing entirely. Kihara and magic. Just imagining that combination was enough to make my blood run cold.
If the Kiharas added magic on top of their already monstrous scientific arsenal, they’d be unstoppable.
"But of course, the king of this city wasn’t about to let such a breach slide."
"Ahaha," Souji-san gave a strained laugh, as if the outcome were obvious.
…That figures. Which means Aleister must already be moving in the shadows. Or rather, probably Aleister’s subordinates, not Aleister directly.
"And that’s why we wanted to secure Blackguard-san as a countermeasure."
"How does that even connect?"
Souji-san tried to drag us casually into the conversation, but I couldn’t help blurting out a serious objection.
No, seriously, why!? Up until now we’ve had nothing to do with any of this, right!?
"You really don’t realize it? That you’re being treated as someone special by Aleister Crowley?"
"...Huh?"
I was left dumbfounded by Souji-san’s matter-of-fact tone. Special treatment…? What are you even talking about? We’ve never had dealings with Aleister…
"The Level 6 Shift Project."
Souji-san cut in sharply, leaving no room to dodge.
The moment he said the name of that experiment, memories stirred inside me.
"As for why Amata-san attacked you back then? If nothing had happened, you probably wouldn’t have interfered with the experiment at all. You were too distracted by other circumstances."
"That’s…"
"But thanks to Amata-san’s interference, you became sharply aware of the incident and got involved. He even said those orders came from the very top of the Board of Directors—the Board Chairman himself."
…
Put that way, it almost guaranteed Aleister had his eyes on us.
But if that’s true, why does everything around us still feel so calm? How do you explain that? Maybe, like with Touma-san, Aleister’s ‘management system’ is just surprisingly loose?
"In short, you’re a hostage against the Board Chairman. If we held Reicia Blackguard, Aleister wouldn’t dare make a reckless move. So in principle, my reasoning isn’t all that different from Amata-san’s."
Ahh… I see.
《…But if that’s the case, couldn’t Touma-san have been the target too? He’s supposed to be one of Aleister’s ‘favorites’ in the main plan, right? Even the Kiharas should know that much…》
《Silly Shiren. Half of this is just a pretext. This guy is definitely personally fixated on us.》
《…Eh…?》
Reicia-chan, don’t you think that sounds way too much like romance-brain talking? He’s from the Kihara clan, for crying out loud. I can’t imagine personal whims being part of their judgment.
《Just watch. Even the Kiharas fall in love. They’ve got plenty of relatives, after all.》
Lowering herself gracefully, Reicia-chan leaned in until her eyes met Souji-san’s.
Right in front of me, Souji-san’s blank expression filled my vision. …Uh, isn’t that a little too close? Honestly, I don’t think it’s smart to lean in like that with a guy like him—especially not in front of Touma-san…
"You could’ve targeted Touma instead. In fact, if anything, he would’ve been the better fit for your plan. And yet you chose me. Which means… you like me, don’t you?"
《Wh-wha—Reicia-chan, are you insane!?!?!》
…Please, someone applaud my self-control. I deserve a medal for not screaming that out loud.
Seriously, what the hell is she saying!? And in this situation!? What’s even the point of asking that now!?
"...I don’t like you. I chose you simply because we’d fought once before, and I already had a read on your abilities—making the odds of victory higher. Meanwhile, Kamijou-san introduces too many unknown variables in battle, so avoiding him was the smarter option. The calculations were clear: Blackguard-san, who relies on a single ability, can have her entire hand sealed by cutting off that origin point. Compared to facing a powerless individual full of uncertainties, you were the more stable, higher-probability choice."
…See? Flat-out denied. Now she just looks like she was overthinking things, and I’m dying of secondhand embarrassment.
"My, my. You’re awfully desperate to deny it, aren’t you?"
"...!!"
…Wait, what? Why does it feel like Reicia-chan has seized the upper hand here? How is this conversation still going after such a blunt rejection…?
"Well… I’ll admit I was intrigued by you as a research subject after our previous fight. Securing you would’ve been too good an opportunity to pass up. But that’s all. Nothing more."
"Hmmm…?"
…??? No, seriously, why does it look like Reicia-chan is the one winning here? What’s going on…?
"Souji."
Leaving me a lap behind, Reicia-chan pressed forward on her own.
"Why not defect to our side? If you’re willing to cooperate, we’ll allow limited collaboration on light experiments. If your goal really is to study me, then even under restrictions, you’d still achieve that. All in all, not such a bad deal, wouldn’t you say?"
A sly grin curved across her lips as she made her pitch.
…Ahh, I see. By making it sound like his true objective is us, she’s steering him into a position where cooperation benefits him. Clever.
"And besides… since you’ve already failed to capture me or Touma, it’s only a matter of time before Aleister’s hand comes down on Kihara Amata. Better to jump ship now, before you sink with him."
As she spoke, Reicia-chan lifted a finger and lightly pressed it against Souji-san’s neck.
"You’ll accept, won’t you?"
"...Doesn’t really feel like I’ve got a choice, does it?"
Perhaps from the thrill of being this close to his ‘research subject,’ Souji-san’s cheeks flushed slightly. His words carried an unspoken yes.
…As expected of Reicia-chan. When it comes to adjusting human relations—or rather, negotiating interests—she really is on another level. Honestly, having Souji-san’s cooperation is a huge relief. Science-side tech without esper powers involved is a nightmare match-up for Touma-san.
《…Ugh. I know I did it myself, but I feel kind of disgusted right now.》
《? But this negotiation was necessary, wasn’t it? You even lowered the risks for everyone. If anything, you should be proud.》
《You clueless, flower-brained, hopeless virgin.》
…Excuse me!? Where the hell did that come from!? That had absolutely nothing to do with romance just now! Don’t you dare make that my go-to insult!!
《Anyway, we’ve managed to strengthen our side before facing the big boss, Amata Kihara. To keep the balance, let’s check in with Touma for a bit, ……》
And then.
When we stood up and turned around toward Touma and Baba, who should’ve been watching the negotiations from behind us, we were struck speechless.
Nobody was there.
Touma was gone. And so was the last remaining T:GD unit not used to restrain Souji. The space was completely empty, like a shell.
"—!"
"Wait!! It wasn’t me!!"
Startled, we reflexively deployed the Fissure and spun around defensively, but Souji, still bound by the T:GD, hurried to explain.
…True enough. If he’d had the ability to act, he would’ve gone after us first—we’d been wide open while talking.
…No, wait. Baba’s piloting is all remote. If something had happened to Touma, he would’ve contacted us immediately, right?
"…Mm, ah. Done talking? About Imagine Breaker—right around when you started negotiating, he ran into a certain woman. She led him off somewhere. I sent a T:GD with them, and with Jagged Edge’s mobility, I figured you could catch up quickly enough, so I kept quiet…"
"……Next time, please whisper that to me immediately."
Seriously, that nearly gave me a heart attack.
But wait, a certain woman? At this timing, she has to be connected to all this… but still, a brand-new character entering here? This is getting more and more incomprehensible…
"By the way."
Baba added, almost offhandedly,
"As for that woman’s identity—hard to pin down, but she called herself something like ‘the original manuscript of a grimoire.’ She even said you might understand. Ring any bells?"
………………………………………………………………………….
…Yeeeeaaahhh… nope, I’ve got absolutely no idea about that one…
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