Saturday, December 2nd, early morning, Raizen High School.
Murasa Reine walked down the hallway of the school building. Since it was the weekend, there were no signs of people in the classrooms. Probably because of the cold winter air, even looking out the window at the field, only a handful of students could be seen.
Sports clubs... no, probably students preparing for physical education majors.
After this guess casually surfaced in her mind, Reine calmly withdrew her gaze. Lowering her head, she readjusted the little bear plushie that looked like it was about to fall out of her breast pocket.
"..."
Walking down the stairs with unsteady steps, just looking at her was enough to make one tremble with fear. Murasa Reine gave off the impression that she could collapse at any mont, especially seeing the heavy dark circles on her face, which made one involuntarily worry about her health.
"...I'm here....."
Standing at the door of the physics prep room. Reine fumbled in her pocket and took out a key.
Opening the door, inside was exactly as the naplate stated: a classroom storing physics experint equipnt. Normally, not just students, but even teachers rarely set foot inside. Ever since she beca a physics teacher at this school, the ownership of this room practically belonged to Reine.
Closing the door behind her, Reine bypassed the dust-covered equipnt and walked to the back of the prep room.
Removing a covering gauze, underneath were several computers lined up side by side, surrounded by many other special machines for various purposes.
This was a branch of the Fraxinus, or more accurately, the communication station Kotori set up at Raizen High School. It was primarily to prevent sudden Spirit rampages within the school, as well as to secretly support Itsuka Shido in conquering Spirits. And Reine was the staff mber here.
At this ti, Shido and the Spirits naturally couldn't be at school. Everyone was currently lying in their beds at ho, sleeping soundly to recover from yesterday's fatigue.
"Hah~... Phew..."
Not knowing if it was a yawn or a deep breath, Reine sighed softly, sat down in front of the computer, turned on the power, and expertly typed on the keyboard.
[Special Report - Unbelievable Natural Phenonon. Suburban forest severely burned by lightning strike, simultaneous reports of tornado sightings...]
Reine quietly looked at the news displayed on the web search bar. It was news about Shido's rampage destroying the forest yesterday. Although the attached photos were blurry, one could still vaguely make out the figures of the Spirits and Shido.
Although it was nearing midnight at the ti and only a few people noticed the anomaly, so busybodies still managed to take photos and upload them to the internet.
And right now, Reine was dealing with the aftermath of Shido's rampage yesterday.
The destroyed forest had already been restored by colleagues to the point where nothing looked out of the ordinary. The rest was just to erase the news on the internet.
Normally, handling this kind of thing directly on the airship's computers would be the most efficient. But unfortunately, the Fraxinus had just been sent to headquarters for remodeling, and the network equipnt in the underground facility was damaged by the aftershocks of the battle between Shido and the Spirits. Left with no choice, Reine could only co to the school to handle it.
"This should do it..."
After half an hour, Reine took her hands off the keyboard.
Fortunately, the news hadn't spread too widely, so it wasn't too much trouble to deal with. She believed that before long, when those people woke up, they would find that the files and comnts, including the photos, had vanished without a trace, and even the posting history couldn't be found.
"Just treat it as a dream... lucky people..."
Staring at the computer monitor, Reine opened her mouth and spoke softly.
Itsuka Shido's rampage yesterday might have been an unimaginable disaster for Kotori and the others. But to Murasa Reine, it wasn't a major event worth worrying about.
That boy would definitely be saved, Reine was absolutely certain of this. This was an unshakable fact; the only difference was how many people around him would die.
If he, who had lost his reason, had been allowed to charge into the city area back then, it would have caused at least millions of deaths. If possible, Reine also didn't want such a human tragedy to happen.
However, if such a thing really did happen, she would probably only sigh and say, "It couldn't be helped."
Just that.
"Don't move."
Suddenly, Reine felt a cold, hard object press against the back of her head.
"Is there sothing you need... Yutsuki..."
Without the slightest fluctuation in her voice, Reine asked without turning her head.
"Oh? You recognized right away."
"You didn't intend to hide either..."
"Well~"
Reine stared at the computer. From the reflection of the brown haired girl on the screen, although she couldn't make out her expression, she could still notice the smile curving her lips.
"Network cleanup? Honestly, Reine, you could have just asked for this kind of thing. I could have solved it perfectly in less than a minute."
"...After all, you worked so hard yesterday... I felt bad bothering you..."
"Not at all. No matter how you look at it, Reine, you seem more exhausted. I'm really sorry for always troubling you."
"You're welco..."
The girl conversed with Reine in her usual tone. Just listening to the content, Reine would have thought the other party just ca over to check on her.
If she ignored the object currently pressed against her forehead, that is.
"...So, what do you need?"
Reine asked in confusion.
"Well... it's nothing major. I just wanted you to keep company while I talk to myself."
"..."
If it was just that, was there a need to threaten her with a gun? Reine didn't voice this retort, rely waiting in silence for Yutsuki to continue.
"You know, I've always been wondering what conditions Phantom relies on to choose humans to turn into Spirits," Yutsuki began. "Kotori, Miku, Origami. These three were undoubtedly turned into Spirits by her hands. So I've been pondering if there's any commonality among these three."
"...So, did you discover anything?"
"Absolutely nothing."
Yutsuki answered in a very straightforward voice.
"Although the three do have similarities, it's not to the extent of being a commonality. Moreover, considering the possibility that Phantom might have created more Spirits than just these three, the current intel isn't enough to deduce Phantom's intentions. But—"
Suddenly, Yutsuki changed the subject.
"I do have a vague idea about the conditions to turn a human into a Spirit."
Five years ago, on Kotori's birthday, when she had no family by her side, hating loneliness, she made a wish to change herself.
A year ago, abandoned by her fans due to a baseless scandal, Miku, who fell into a slump and couldn't sing, cried out her desire to sing.
A month ago, bound by powerlessness, Origami sought the power to kill Spirits without any bottom line in order to avenge her parents.
"When Phantom appeared, it was exactly when they had an unfulfilled wish, or rather, when they wanted power. Then, thinking about it conversely, did Phantom deliberately aim for these timings to appear? In other words—"
"...To turn a human into a Spirit, the other party's consent is necessary... Is that what you're trying to say?"
"As expected of Reine, arriving at the exact sa conclusion as ."
Hearing Reine's answer, a satisfied voice ca from Yutsuki behind her.
"I see... This possibility is indeed very high... But even so, what's the problem?"
"Well, at first I also thought it was just an insignificant detail. But, until the Origami of this world was also turned into a Spirit, my thoughts changed."
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Reine's brow twitched slightly.
"The Origami of this world... are you talking about what you ntioned before, changing history together with Shido?"
"Accurately speaking, the one who changed history was Shido. I just provided a little insurance. Anyway, back to the topic—"
After slightly correcting Reine's words, Yutsuki continued,
"Why, after history changed, did Phantom still choose Origami?"
"..."
"Well, actually this isn't sothing that can't be explained. It seems five years ago, Phantom had already fought with the Origami who had turned into a Spirit. Even if she was influenced by the realization that 'her future self will give the Sephira Crystal to Tobiichi Origami, it would be a matter of course. The real problem is, how on earth did Phantom turn the Origami of this world into a Spirit?"
Unlike the Origami of the previous world, Tobiichi Origami hadn't ford a blood feud of patricide with Spirits, and her life could be considered quite fulfilling. Logically speaking, she had no reason to accept a Sephira Crystal and beco a Spirit.
If one were to discuss the best ti to strike, Yutsuki actually felt that appearing four years ago when Origami's parents died in a car crash would be the most suitable. At that ti, Origami was obviously at her most depressed, and her mind was immature.
As for why she didn't act, the only explanation was probably that Phantom judged that the Origami she fought back then was older.
"However, things can't be generalized. No matter how strong a person is, there are always monts when their heart shows vulnerability. The possibility of the Origami of this world being coaxed by Phantom into accepting the Sephira Crystal isn't non-existent. But, to achieve this, wouldn't Phantom have to monitor Origami 24/7 without a break? Or rather, she would have to stay within a range where she could quickly notice any anomalies in Origami."
At Yutsuki's deduction, Reine fell into deep thought. After a mont of silence, she asked sowhat uncertainly.
"Are you saying... she has always stayed in Tengu City?"
"Just yesterday, Phantom appeared. She helped when I almost failed, and then left these few sentences."
Ignoring Reine's question, Yutsuki jumped to the next topic on her own.
[That's fine. I didn't need your thanks anyway. After all, I originally planned to step in when the satellite launched its attack. I just didn't expect you to resolve the danger with your own power.]
[Afterwards, it was just a sudden whim. That person was definitely going to be saved, but I suddenly got curious to see just how far you and my child could go.]
"'Child's... she's referring to Tohka and the others, right."
"Judging from the situation at the ti, that should be correct. Although this is also concerning, the important part right now is the previous sentence."
"...?"
Under Reine's puzzled expression, Yutsuki asked in a deep voice,
"Why did Phantom know about the existence of ?"
"..."
"From Phantom's tone at the ti, it seems she already knew this satellite would attack Shido and had prepared defenses in advance. But in reality, the number of people who know the true purpose of that satellite is very few."
That satellite started construction only after Kotori was sealed. The designers of Ratatoskr fragnted the blueprints into several scattered parts, distributed them to branches around the world to manufacture the components, and finally, after assembly, launched it into space under the pretext of climate observation. It could be said that even most employees within Ratatoskr didn't know its true purpose.
Even Yutsuki herself only found out after hacking into Ratatoskr's database.
"Well... although I could draw a conclusion right here. But just to be safe, I'll be cautious and take a step back in my guess. Phantom, or an accomplice of Phantom, is within Ratatoskr. Then, combining that with your guess from earlier, Reine, Phantom is in Tengu City—"
Tengu City.
Ratatoskr.
If you were to take the scope covered by just one of them to investigate, the difficulty would undoubtedly be like finding a needle in a haystack. However, the number of personnel who possess both of these conditions is surprisingly small.
"Phantom... is inside the Fraxinus..."
Arriving at this conclusion, even Reine couldn't help but look solemn.
"Hmph... This is what they call 'it's darkest under the lamp.' Fortunately, long ago, I investigated the backgrounds of everyone on the airship. The ordinary staff naturally go without saying, and I even naturally investigated Kannazuki and the others. Although everyone's pasts are full of points to mock, they are undoubtedly real. Even Kannazuki left a solid school record before becoming the AST ace. Only you, Reine."
At this point, Yutsuki's voice grew even colder.
A true identity and a fabricated false identity eventually have a certain gap.
Birthplace, personal household register, family composition, upbringing. If it's a true identity, then when investigating these, various trivial pieces of information will also be uncovered along the way. For example, when they were unemployed, the number of divorce records, the frequency of visiting a certain specific shop every month, or a criminal record left during a certain specific period.
In fabricated identity profiles, these things usually don't appear. Only the minimum information necessary for a person's reasonable existence in society is recorded.
As long as you dig deep enough, the difference between the two can easily be determined.
"Only you. The identity record before you entered the Fraxinus is forged."
—Click!
At the sa ti, a sound ca from behind. Reine knew that was the sound of a firearm's safety catch being released.
"...I am Phantom... Is that what you're trying to say?"
As always, Murasa Reine asked in a slow, sleepy voice.
"...Let ask you a few questions."
Once again ignoring Reine's question, Yutsuki changed the subject again.
"Do you know a girl nad 'Mio'? This is a na Mana heard from the berserk Shido. It seems to be an old acquaintance of Shido's."
"...I don't know."
"Do you think that girl nad 'Mio' and Phantom are the sa person?"
"...I don't know."
"I see..."
Looking at Murasa Reine's unperturbed face on the screen, Yutsuki pursed her lips. After hesitating for a mont, she finally asked.
"Then, why do you call Shido by the nickna 'Shin' instead of his real na? Even though you never mistake my na or Kotori's and the others'."
"..."
"No comnt... huh? Forget it, I have no intention getting to the bottom of the matter regarding soone else's privacy. Then, the last question."
Yutsuki stared intently at Reine and asked.
"Is Murasa Reine an enemy to Itsuka Shido?"
"..."
Silence. Another long silence. Only this ti, it wasn't a refusal to answer. Seemingly struggling with sothing, after a long while, Reine finally gave an answer.
"Right now... no..."
"...Right now? You an... only right now?"
After repeating Reine's words a few tis, a trace of killing intent seeped into Yutsuki's voice.
Reine couldn't help but admire Yutsuki's ability to always grasp the crux of the problem.
But, it was just admiration.
"Then there's no helping it. I can't leave such a danger by Shido's side..."
Aiming the muzzle straight at the back of Reine's head, Ryougi Yutsuki pulled the trigger without any hesitation.
—Pop~
Hm?
It was slightly different from the expected sound. An almost negligible impact transmitted from the back of her head, making Reine tilt her head in confusion.
"...A BB pellet?"
Seeing the plastic pellet roll to her feet, Reine couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered.
"Pfft—Hahahahahaha!"
At the sa ti, the oppressive, heavy killing intent from behind suddenly vanished. Reine turned her head and saw Ryougi Yutsuki clutching her stomach and laughing heartily.
"Yahoo—Operation massive success! Getting to see an expression like that from you really makes this worth it. This is an FN57. The secondary weapon used by the protagonist of Sword Art *BEEP* in the second season. I specially custom-ordered it from a specialty model shop. How about it? It looks exactly the sa as in the original work, right!"
"This is..."
Looking at Yutsuki smugly bringing the model gun to her face to show off, Reine looked troubled.
"Ah? The topic just now? I totally made it all up, obviously~ By the way, you really got into character, Reine. You being Phantom or whatever—I never actually said that from beginning to end."
"..."
"At the end of the day, I'm a realistic person. I wouldn't jump to conclusions so hastily without solid evidence. And taking a step back, anyone who thinks they can kill a Spirit with an unknown background like Phantom just by holding a handgun is an absolute idiot."
Twirling the model gun in her hand, Yutsuki spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
Suddenly, an ani the song started playing from Yutsuki's pocket.
"Ah, sorry, let take this call."
Making an apologetic gesture to Reine, Yutsuki took a few steps back, turned around with her back to Reine, and pressed the answer button.
Reine's complexion wasn't good. Yutsuki's explanation of it being a "prank" didn't make her relax. Or rather, for the first ti, she looked at Yutsuki with a gaze full of wariness.
Seemingly muttering sothing, Reine's lips slightly parted and closed.
"...Ein—"
"Ah? Hello, Shido?"
"—!?"
"Eh? Where am I now? At the school's physics prep room, I'm with Reine. I accidentally left the textbook I need for howork in the classroom so I ca to get it. Plus, I brought the model gun I just bought intending to scare soone. —Ah, it's fine, it's fine. I'm heading back now. I'm really looking forward to breakfast."
"..."
Hanging up the phone in her hand, Yutsuki said,
"Sorry. Shido is calling back to eat. Sorry for bothering you, Reine."
"No... it's fine."
Slowly shaking her head, Reine stared at Ryougi Yutsuki and sighed with emotion.
"You... are really amazing."
"Thank you."
Yutsuki accepted the words as a complint without any humility.
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