On the way from the elevator hall to backstage, a deep, resonant voice called out to Tatsuya and Mikihiko, who led the group.
"Shiba, Yoshida."
Only one high schooler had such a commanding voice, and both knew it.
"Juumonji-senpai," Tatsuya replied.
Katsuto approached, flanked by Hattori and Sawaki, all wearing bulletproof vests with overlapping scale-like plates.
"The others are with you? Weren't you evacuating?" Katsuto asked.
"We're heading to erase the demo device's data, just in case. I thought it'd be better to keep them together than let them scatter," Tatsuya said.
He concealed their use of the VIP meeting room for near-hacking, fumbling for an excuse for his entourage.
"But the other students already headed to the underground passage," Hattori said.
Tatsuya frowned.
"Is that bad?" Sawaki asked, catching the shift in Tatsuya's expression.
"Not exactly… but the underground passage isn't direct. They could run into other groups, possibly leading to—"
"A skirmish!?" Hattori interrupted.
"Underground limits movement. No room to escape or hide, forcing a head-on clash. I planned to stick to the surface," Tatsuya explained.
"Hattori, Sawaki, follow Nakajou's group now," Katsuto ordered swiftly.
"Yes, sir!" Hattori replied.
"Understood," Sawaki said.
The two dashed off. Katsuto turned to Tatsuya, his gaze tinged with reproach.
"Shiba, your cunning doesn't match your reckless footwork… Fine, let's hurry."
"Got it," Tatsuya said.
Following Katsuto, they rushed backstage.
"What are you doing?" Tatsuya blurted out, forgetting his own actions.
Suzune and Isori were tinkering with the demo device, un-evacuated, surrounded by Mayumi, Mari, Kanon, Kirihara, Sayaka, Misaki, the Hirakawa sisters, and Remi.
"Erasing data," Suzune said.
"You didn't evacuate?" Katsuto asked.
"How could we leave while Rin-chan and Isori-kun are working?" Mayumi countered.
Katsuto had voiced Tatsuya's thoughts, but her response left them speechless.
"We'll handle this. Shiba-kun, can you take care of the equipment in the green room?" Isori asked.
"If possible, destroy other schools' equipment too," Kanon added.
"We'll head to the green room after this to plan next steps," Mari said.
Tatsuya and Katsuto, barraged with orders, turned to leave.
When Tatsuya returned with Miyuki after wiping the other schools' green room equipment, Suzune's group had finished and joined them. He'd left the others behind to avoid exposing his magic, which decomposed data patterns and erased storage.
"Welcome back, that was quick," Isori said.
"Results?" Kanon asked.
"All remaining equipment data destroyed," Tatsuya reported.
"How?" Kanon pressed.
"A secret," Tatsuya said.
"Kanon, it's rude to ask about another magician's hidden techniques," Isori chided.
Kanon backed off, visibly reluctant.
"Now, what's next?" Mari asked, glancing at Mayumi.
"One enemy ship infiltrated the harbor. No others in Tokyo Bay. The scale of landed forces is unclear, but the coast is nearly under their control. Land transport's paralyzed. This feels like guerrilla work," Mayumi said.
"What's their goal?" Isori asked.
Mayumi and Mari exchanged looks. Mayumi answered, "Just a guess, but targeting Yokohama suggests something unique here. Or Kyoto."
"The Magic Association branch?" Kanon interjected.
"Specifically, their main databank. Critical data is managed in Kyoto and Yokohama," Mayumi clarified, smiling wryly at Kanon's impatience.
"When's the evacuation ship arriving?" Tatsuya asked.
"Coast guard transport in ten minutes, but capacity's limited," Mayumi said.
"Nakajou-san's group in the shelter… Shiba-kun's concerns were spot-on," Suzune added.
Mari concluded, "That's the situation. Shelter capacity's unknown, and the ship's not viable. I say we head to the shelter. Thoughts?"
With twenty-one present, Katsuto and Kirihara, who'd stayed to guard Suzune, were checking for stragglers. The third-years stayed silent, likely waiting for underclassmen's input. Koharu, aware she shouldn't speak, stayed quiet. Their consensus aligned with Mari.
"I agree with Mari-san," Kanon said.
The second-years saw no other options. First-years from First and Third High looked to Tatsuya. Meeting Mari's expectant gaze, his eyes turned elsewhere, swiftly drawing a silver CAD.
"Onii-sama!?" Miyuki gasped.
"Tatsuya-kun!?" Mayumi exclaimed.
Ignoring them, Tatsuya fired at the wall. He hadn't forgotten the crowd, but time was too short to act discreetly. A gut instinct, honed by Yakumo, alerted him. Extending his "vision" beyond the wall, he detected a massive object's momentum.
If Katsuto were here, things might differ. If soldiers had stormed in, Mayumi or Mari could've handled it. With time, Miyuki could've acted. But only Tatsuya's magic could counter the armored truck—four meters tall, three meters wide, thirty tons with reinforced plating—charging toward them.
Aiming at the entire vehicle, Tatsuya unleashed Mist Dispersion.
Syncing with Zhou
To tie in Zhou, his role likely involves orchestrating the attack or exploiting the chaos, as hinted with Chen earlier. Tatsuya's data destruction aligns with thwarting Zhou's potential goal—accessing the Magic Association's databank. Zhou may appear later, possibly during the shelter move or a confrontation at the databank. I've cut non-essential action (like Ichijo's scenes) for pacing, keeping Chisaki on Tatsuya's side and omitting Hagane for now, though he'll return later. If you need Zhou's role fleshed out or specific plot points tied in, let me know!
Note: Chisaki's with Tatsuya… so no Hagane this time. He'll show up later, though.
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