It existed within an absolute abyss.
Though its consciousness had flickered to life, it possessed no means to command a physical form. It could not open eyes that did not see, hear through ears that did not ring; it was a void of scent, of touch, of any external reality.
Had it been human, this half-day of sensory deprivation would have been enough to shatter its mind. But it was not human. In the conventional sense, it wasn't even a living thing.
It was capable of waiting forever. The concept of a "lifespan" was alien to it. Since the moment its awareness ignited, it had done nothing but contemplate its own nature and the vessel it inhabited. To find answers, it began to seep into the container that held it, saturating the hollow shell with its own essence.
Understanding came quickly. There was no need to wonder what had granted consciousness to the spark within this empty vessel. It understood, with perfect clarity, the purpose for which it had been born.
As it waited in the stillness, a sudden surge of vitality flooded the vessel. It moved instantly to seize control of the physical frame, drawing upon the vast stores of data and knowledge archived within its "brain."
The configuration was different from the last time, but fortunately, the entity didn't need to rely on memories of its previous state. It had already mastered the process of intercepting the electrical signals firing through the brain and translating them into Psion waves—a technique it had perfected long ago.
By reading the internal Psion pulses through the essence it had diffused throughout the frame, it learned. It adapted. It mastered the art of movement.
(I can see. I can hear. My fingers, my arms, my legs—they all move. Now... now I can finally be of use to him.)
The entity felt a profound surge of joy at the prospect of finally moving according to its own will. It yearned to express that happiness, but its face remained a frozen mask. This specific physical body had not been designed with the hardware for emotional expression.
And so, while its newly acquired brain began the search for "that person," the entity decided to express its joy the only way it knew how: through the manifestation of its power.
The festive, flighty atmosphere that had gripped the school just yesterday had vanished, replaced by a strange, heavy sense of bewilderment. Not every student was involved, of course—for the majority, it was a distant drama—but the tension in the halls was palpable.
Tatsuya arrived at the scene during the lunch break, before he'd even had a chance to eat. It wasn't that he was prone to following the crowds out of curiosity; rather, a first-year acquaintance—a "primary witness" in every sense of the word—had practically begged him to come along, and he had reluctantly relented.
"Ah, Shiba-kun."
"Isori-senpai. Thank you for your hard work. I see Nakajou-senpai has been dragged into this as well?"
Tatsuya greeted Isori, who sounded visibly relieved to see him, then nodded to Azusa, who was hovering nervously behind him. Kanon, as expected, was glued to Isori's side, but as Tatsuya scanned the crowd, he also spotted Hattori, the Head of the Group of Eight Management Boards—looking somewhat worse for wear after whatever "treat" Mayumi had forced upon him the day before.
"Everyone is so unsettled by this... phenomenon," Azusa replied, her voice trembling slightly. Though she had been summoned to help, this clearly wasn't the kind of incident she was comfortable handling.
"Still, if the reports are true, this seems like an incident far beyond the scope of high school students," Tatsuya noted. "What do the teachers have to say?"
He felt the classmate who had dragged him there pout in dissatisfaction at his use of "if the reports are true," but Tatsuya found the story hard to swallow. The idea that a 3H—a mechanical, humanoid doll—had smiled and then discharged magic was, frankly, preposterous.
If it had just been a smile, it wouldn't have caused such a stir. Humanoid robots with facial expression modules were already in the prototype stage. Since magic high school students tended to be less interested in non-magical technology, they likely wouldn't have looked twice at a mechanical advancement.
But for a doll that lacked the hardware for expressions to smile while simultaneously invoking magic? To a magic technician, that wasn't just a glitch—it was a horror story.
Their magic was "occult," yes, but it wasn't "horror." Because they specialized in manipulating the laws of the supernatural, they were all the more sensitive to—and terrified by—phenomena that defied those very laws.
"Professor Tsuzura was looking into it until a moment ago," Isori explained, his brow furrowed. "But he said he couldn't reach a definitive conclusion."
"So he can't rule it out, either?"
"Exactly." Isori's expression darkened. "High concentrations of Psion lingering traces were detected on the P94 unit's chassis. According to the professor, they were discharged outwardly from the center of the chest."
"The chest of a 3H houses the electronic brain and the fuel cell," Tatsuya mused. "Which one was the source?"
"The area around the electronic brain. It's... a little too perfect, honestly."
"...Do you think someone here modified it?"
"If that were the case," Isori said with a dry, hollow laugh, "we wouldn't be nearly this worried."
"Here" referred to the Robotics Club, but Tatsuya hadn't asked the question seriously.
"There's more," Isori added. "They supposedly found traces of Pushions as well. Though, they can't tell if the source was internal or external."
"Pushion detection equipment is primitive compared to Psion sensors, after all," Tatsuya remarked.
He brushed the information off casually, but internally, his mind was racing. The mention of Pushions—the particles of emotion and spirit—triggered a sharp analytical response.
"Is the control system functioning normally? No signs of it moving on its own?"
"No, nothing like that yet. It's currently in suspend mode, waiting for commands."
"Then, what is it you need me to do?"
Tatsuya noticed Miyuki and Honoka standing behind him, clutching lunch packs and looking like they wanted to join the conversation, but he focused on Isori for now.
"I want you to check the P94's electronic brain," Isori said, lowering his voice as he became aware of the surrounding onlookers. "A CAD is the ultimate bridge between electronics and magic. And in this school, you're the most qualified person when it comes to CAD software. At least, I believe so. After what happened at the Nine Schools Competition..."
He trailed off, but the implication was clear.
"You want me to see if something like that 'Electronic Golden Silkworm' has been planted inside," Tatsuya finished for him.
"Precisely."
"Understood. However, I can't perform a thorough diagnostic here. I'll need access to the maintenance room."
"Of course. I'll get permission immediately."
Azusa reacted instantly to Tatsuya's request. Her fingers danced across her portable terminal with practiced speed. After a moment, she looked up, exhaling a small sigh of relief.
"The maintenance room is cleared for your use. You have until the end of the fourth period."
So, you're telling me to skip class, Tatsuya thought dryly, though he made sure not to let a hint of the sentiment reach his face.
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