Although the Parasite entity had escaped, they had successfully captured their immediate enemy, Michaela Hongou. Mayumi looked visibly relieved. The others assumed this relief stemmed from the fact that the interrogation would not fall under her jurisdiction, lightening her psychological burden.
"Um... do you all need something from me?"
"Mia... do you remember what happened up until today?"
Lina, who had only been granted permission to observe, was the first to speak to Michaela. Tatsuya had judged this the most efficient approach, and Katsuto had agreed.
"Um... Why am I in Japan?"
"You don't remember anything after that?"
At Lina's prompt, Michaela answered clearly, though she shrank back in fear.
"I... I remember it was decided that I would study abroad in Japan with you, Lina. But when did we actually arrive?"
"Shiba. What do you think?"
Katsuto, having listened to Michaela's testimony, turned to Tatsuya standing beside him.
"She doesn't appear to be lying. However, I believe we should still perform a formal interrogation."
"Agreed. That was my thought as well."
Then why ask me? Tatsuya wondered, though he saw no need to voice the thought and simply nodded in silence. He also considered that Katsuto should technically be consulting Mayumi, not him. However, upon reflection, he realized Mayumi was ill-suited for interrogations. He processed that conclusion internally and left it at that.
"Say, Tatsuya-kun. Is she the person who was controlled by that Parasite?"
Seeing Katsuto take over the questioning from Lina, Mayumi slid smoothly into the spot right next to Tatsuya.
"Yes. Though regarding her background, you'd be better off asking Lina than me. They seem to be acquaintances."
"I don't really care about her background. But even if she was possessed by a Parasite that enhanced her physical and magical abilities... I still can't believe Saijou-kun lost to a woman like her."
"According to Mikihiko, she drained his astral body—his massive reserve of vitality. Even Leo can't fight if his life force is being siphoned away."
"I suppose that's true, but still..."
Seeing Mayumi standing suspiciously close to Tatsuya, the four other beautiful girls present (excluding Mizuki) directed bored, chilly glares at Tatsuya. He pretended not to notice and continued his conversation with Mayumi.
"What do you intend to do with her? She may have been possessed, but it is an undeniable fact that she attacked several magicians and drove most of them to their deaths."
"Well... I can't decide without consulting Jumonji-kun, but I believe we will be taking custody of her."
"Wait a minute. My family should have rights in this matter, too."
Erika snapped at Mayumi's statement. In the confusion of the argument, she successfully maneuvered herself into the position on Tatsuya's side opposite Mayumi.
"Erika, if your older brother were the one taking custody, that would be one thing. But I think it would be difficult for you to take custody of her personally. Even with the Chiba family name, the risk of escape is significantly lower if she is detained by the Ten Master Clans."
"But... Fine. I get it. In exchange, we get to interrogate her too."
The first half of her sentence was directed at Tatsuya, the second half at Mayumi. It seemed Erika wasn't going to give up that easily.
"By the way, Tatsuya-kun, I still don't really understand what happened. How did things turn out this way?"
"Were you not watching through the cameras... or rather, the Multi-Scope?"
"No, I was too busy operating the cameras exactly as you told me to."
An interrogation is happening right in front of us, so why is the atmosphere around me like this?
Mikihiko, the only other male present besides Tatsuya and Katsuto, found himself pondering the absurdity of the scene. Specifically, the atmosphere around Tatsuya. Since Mikihiko was currently sticking close to Tatsuya, and Tatsuya was surrounded by multiple beautiful girls, Mikihiko was technically in the middle of it too—but the distinction was palpable.
"Shiba. As expected, she seems to remember nothing."
"Is that so? Regardless, the fact remains that she attacked multiple magicians. We cannot simply let her walk free."
"True. However, with her current combat capabilities, there is little need for extreme caution."
"But her body has been possessed once. There is no guarantee she won't be possessed again. I believe placing her under surveillance is the appropriate course of action."
"If we are to place a woman under surveillance, however, there are various improprieties if you or I were to do it."
"Then why not entrust it to Saegusa-senpai? She is of the same gender, and with her unique ability, there are no blind spots."
"M-Me!?"
Mayumi jumped, startled by the sudden mention of her name. She knew from the flow of conversation that she might be involved, but she hadn't expected to be nominated so directly.
"Saegusa is certainly qualified, but I believe Shields would also be acceptable," Katsuto suggested.
"Lina lived in the room right next to her and failed to notice she was controlled by a Parasite. I believe she is unsuitable for a surveillance mission."
"Guh... Tatsuya, do you enjoy carving out my heart like that?"
"I'm not enjoying it. I'm merely stating facts."
Ruthlessly cut down by Tatsuya, Lina crouched on the floor in defeat. Ignoring the sulking agent, Tatsuya and Katsuto continued their planning.
"What about the location? It will be troublesome if the USNA military tries to interfere."
"I will handle that aspect. The power of the Ten Master Clans can manage it."
"Then I leave it to you. It seems our role in this ends here."
Truthfully, Tatsuya and Miyuki were perfectly capable of detaining and monitoring Michaela themselves. However, revealing that capability was not an option, so Tatsuya readily handed the responsibility over to Katsuto.
"Tatsuya, do you know where the escaped Parasite went?" Lina asked, looking up.
"The radar I shot was attached to her body, not the entity. I can't track the Parasite itself. For that, you're better off asking Mikihiko."
"Eh, me!?"
Mikihiko, who had been happily chatting with Mizuki thinking he was no longer involved, choked on his breath when his name was suddenly called.
"I... I couldn't actually see the entity itself. I could sense it was there, but I couldn't pinpoint its exact location..."
As he spoke, Tatsuya turned his gaze toward the window. To Miyuki, it looked as though he were tracking the escaped Parasite with his eyes.
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