It was early evening on Saturday, January 28th, on the American West Coast. Shizuku stood amidst the venue of a house party hosted at the residence where she was boarding.
"Tia!"
"Ray."
Shizuku turned toward the voice calling out from the din behind her. Spotting a man—or rather, a boy—waving with exaggerated enthusiasm, she responded with a small, reserved wave of her own.
His name was Raymond S. Clark. He was the first male student to speak to her after she arrived for her exchange program, and ever since, this white classmate of hers had found every excuse to stick by her side.
"That's a lovely dress, Tia. You look even more charming than usual."
"Is that so?"
Shizuku didn't answer coldly to Ray's beaming, unabashed praise; she simply tilted her head in genuine puzzlement. She had bought the dress on the shop assistant's recommendation, but she still didn't quite understand what was so good about it.
"It suits you too, Ray."
She returned the compliment as a matter of social etiquette. While Raymond's tuxedo style seemed a bit dated to her sensibilities, it fit his princely looks well enough that she felt no resistance in flattering him.
"Thank you! I'm honored to hear you say that, Tia."
Seeing Raymond rejoice so theatrically, Shizuku thought he looked remarkably young, despite being her age.
(No... Ray isn't young. It's Tatsuya-san who is too grown-up. The reason other boys in Japan looked childish was simply because Tatsuya-san had become my standard.)
With Tatsuya as the benchmark for boys her age, almost any male would appear childish. Realizing this, Shizuku looked at Raymond with fresh eyes.
"Are you alone?"
"I have no intention of escorting any lady other than you, Tia."
"I wasn't asking about girls."
"Eh? Oh, right... well, in that sense, I guess I am alone? Um... Tia, about that matter you asked me to look into..."
"Ray. Let's go somewhere else."
Sensing the mood shift, Raymond awkwardly tried to change the subject. It was exactly what Shizuku wanted, but this wasn't the place for it. When she called his name firmly, he shut his mouth and nodded vigorously at her suggestion.
"Home party" was a modest term; this was the residence the Kitayama family had chosen for their daughter's stay. It was far more luxurious than your average hotel venue. The garden was open to guests, but given the season, few people were out there.
Shizuku draped a wool stole over her dress and stepped out under the winter starlight. Manipulating her CAD from inside her handbag, she generated a thermal field around herself, extending it to include Ray. The field also served to block sound.
"Thank you, Tia... I didn't realize magic could be so convenient."
"This level of interference shouldn't be unusual."
"You just arrived in this country, Tia, so you might not have noticed, but for us, magic isn't used for helpful things like this. You almost never see magic applied to daily life here. Magic is for displaying power, displaying knowledge, and displaying status."
"You mean they hoard it?"
"Hahaha... Well, I suppose so."
Raymond doubled over laughing at her blunt assessment, though his laughter sounded slightly twisted.
"Magic research in the States creates a dichotomy: if it's not military, it's pure fundamental research. Civilian use or daily application is looked down upon as 'low class'—unless, of course, it turns a massive profit. That's why... no, sorry. That's not what we're here to talk about. Let's get to the point."
When Raymond looked up, his expression had sharpened, looking like a different person entirely.
"First off: the 'Vampire' outbreaks are real."
The "well-informed student" she had vaguely mentioned to Tatsuya—her promised source—was Raymond.
"The cause is officially unknown, but I've secured information that I believe is connected."
"Tell me."
"Of course. It's under heavy information suppression, but in November, a micro-black hole generation and evaporation experiment based on Extra Dimension Theory was conducted in Dallas."
"Extra Dimension Theory?"
"Sorry, I don't understand the details myself."
(If I ask Tatsuya-san, would he understand the details?) "No matter. And then?"
"Details on the experiment are unclear, but the 'Vampire' appearances were observed immediately following it."
Shizuku thought for about five seconds before speaking.
"So, Ray, you believe there is a causal relationship between that experiment and the Vampires?"
"I said 'cause unknown' earlier, but personally? I am convinced that black hole experiment summoned the Vampires."
"...I see. Thank you."
"You're welcome. It was a request from you, Tia, after all. If I can be of use, just ask anytime."
To Shizuku, it didn't matter if Raymond gathered this information through personal means or organizational power. What mattered was that his information was credible.
On the other hand, while Raymond's romantic approach was obvious to any third party, Shizuku merely thought, He's just interested because I'm a novelty right now.
Whether this density was innate or something she caught from her recent circle of friends, no one knew.
"Well then, I'll be going."
"Huh? The party is still going on, and aren't you the guest of honor, Tia? It might be bad form if you leave now."
"But people keep offering me alcohol."
"Wouldn't a little bit be fine? Besides, I feel like I'd like to see a tipsy Tia."
Shizuku looked genuinely troubled by Raymond's teasing remark. It was true that as the guest of honor, she couldn't just slip away, but as a minor, drinking wasn't exactly praiseworthy either.
Above all, she wanted to convey this information to Tatsuya immediately. However, Shizuku was spotted by the host, and consequently, ended up eating and drinking various things recommended to her.
His affection was laid bare, yet for Shizuku, there was only Tatsuya...
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