It happened the very instant Erika finally settled down, and the three of them were about to bite into their sandwiches.
"It hurts...!"
Mizuki suddenly grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Erika dexterously snatched the sandwich that slipped from Mizuki's hand before it hit the ground, but it was purely a reflex action; both her and Mikihiko's eyes were fixed on Mizuki, who had suddenly begun to suffer.
Mizuki removed her glasses and pressed both hands against her eyes. A pained whisper leaked from her lips.
"...What... is this...? I've never seen an aura like this..."
Realizing what was happening, Mikihiko instantly produced a talisman and erected a barrier to block spiritual waves. While this technically exploited a loophole in the school rules banning CADs, there was no one present who cared about such things right now.
By directing his consciousness outward, Mikihiko sensed the wave as well.
"This is a 'Demonic' presence..."
It was a wave of Pushions—spirit particles—not Psions. That was why Erika couldn't sense it, and why Mikihiko hadn't noticed until he focused his senses.
A wave of pure "Evil" was flowing in, penetrating the barrier. If the intensity was this high, it was no wonder it overwhelmed the effect of her aura-blocking lenses and affected Mizuki's eyes directly.
"Shibata-san, put your glasses on."
However, now that the barrier had dampened the intensity, her aura-cut coating lenses should be able to block the waves. Just as Mikihiko surmised, once she put her glasses back on, Mizuki's condition stabilized.
With a moment of respite to think, Erika and Mikihiko looked at each other, their faces pale.
"Don't tell me... a Vampire in the school? In broad daylight? What on earth are they after!?"
"They've got some nerve! Miki, location?"
"Erika, calm down. First, let's go get our weapons. Even I feel uneasy with just talismans."
"...You're right. Mizuki, wait here in the classroom."
"I'm going too."
Mizuki shook her head at Erika's instruction, which seemed only natural.
"Mizuki?"
"I feel like I should go as well. I don't know why, but..."
"...All right. But do not leave my side."
"Miki?"
Erika's eyes went wide at Mikihiko's unexpected words. But his answer was well-considered, not merely swept along by the atmosphere.
"It's safer for us to be together than for you to be attacked alone. Besides, your eyes will undoubtedly be useful, Shibata-san."
"Sigh... Miki, if that's the case, you better take responsibility and protect Mizuki properly."
Deciding that any further talk was a waste of time, Erika broke into a run toward the administration office where their CADs were stored. Mikihiko followed immediately after.
He, and Mizuki as well, fully understood that this was no time to be enacting a romantic comedy or a teen drama. However, he told himself that holding her hand as they ran so she wouldn't get left behind was simply a necessity—or so Mikihiko made excuses to himself.
Since Erika was in a bad mood today, Tatsuya didn't try to force the issue of eating lunch with her group. However, with Erika, Mizuki, and Mikihiko absent, Leo in the hospital, and Shizuku studying abroad, the trio accompanying Tatsuya to the cafeteria consisted of Miyuki, Honoka, and Lina.
Miyuki and Lina were undeniably popular, but Honoka, alongside Mizuki, was also highly popular among the upperclassmen in the shadows. If he were to walk to the cafeteria with these three, Tatsuya knew he would be subjected to an intense barrage of stares before they even arrived.
Thus, Tatsuya decided to take lunch on the rooftop instead.
"It must be tough being so popular."
"The popular ones are the three of you, not me."
The moment they bought their lunch and arrived on the roof, Lina addressed Tatsuya with a tone that made no attempt to hide her amusement.
"That is not true! You are far more popular than someone like me, Brother!"
"She's right! Putting aside Miyuki and Lina, there is no way someone like me is more popular than you, Tatsuya-san!"
When Tatsuya stated the general consensus, Miyuki and Honoka denied his statement with almost zero margin of error. Miyuki, who would normally consider contradicting Tatsuya to be the height of rudeness, simply could not overlook any statement where Tatsuya denied his own worth.
"You look down on yourself too much, Brother. There are things you can do that no one else can imitate."
"Exactly! You should value yourself more highly, Tatsuya-san!"
"I see... You two, calm down a little."
Tatsuya offered a wry smile as he tried to soothe the two girls, who were heating up rapidly. Behind him, Lina was struggling to suppress her laughter. Tatsuya noticed her struggle through presence alone.
"Lina, don't just find this amusing—help me out."
"Why should I?"
"If you trace it back, you're the cause of this."
It was true, in a sense, that her teasing remark had caused Miyuki and Honoka to get fired up. But from Lina's perspective, the reason they were this passionate was entirely Tatsuya's fault.
"Calm down for a second, Miyuki, Honoka. You're troubling Tatsuya."
"My apologies, Brother."
"I'm sorry, Tatsuya-san."
Lina knew that ordinary persuasion would be useless. But simply pointing out that Tatsuya was troubled caused them to instantly regain their composure and bow deeply to him.
"Come to think of it, Lina. Wasn't an acquaintance of yours supposed to come here this afternoon?"
"Eh? ...How do you know about that, Tatsuya?"
"I have my own connections, of a sort."
Michaela Hongou—currently infiltrated into Maximilian Device—was visiting First High this afternoon for routine CAD inspections. Lina couldn't understand how Tatsuya knew about Mia.
In truth, Tatsuya didn't know Mia directly. He knew of her due to "certain circumstances," and had merely confirmed earlier that she was heading toward this location.
"Brother... I've had an unpleasant feeling for some time now..."
"As expected of you, Miyuki. To notice it already, despite the distance."
"Um, Tatsuya-san? What exactly is going on?"
"You'll understand in a moment. I really didn't want them getting inside the school, but it's too late now."
Seeing the Maximilian Device truck driving near the school gates, Tatsuya let out a small sigh. Those with high sensitivity would have already noticed, and Tatsuya himself knew it was too late to stop it now.
"Honoka, stay close to me."
"U-Understood."
"Miyuki, Lina, let's go."
"Y-Yes!"
"O-Okay, got it."
It would be too late if they waited for the incident to start, so Tatsuya began to move early. The difference between them and Erika's group was that they had no need to retrieve their CADs.
In the original work, Lina acts separately, but here...
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