The next time Lina—who had been put to sleep in front of her dormitory—opened her eyes, she was in a room in a business hotel. Checking the layout, she quickly realized it was a hotel near the Albuquerque International Sunport. It was just past noon, and her clothes had been changed from her Stars uniform to civilian attire.
"Eh, my clothes too...? Wait, my luggage..."
Lina practically leaped off the bed. On the desk, she found her valuables, passport, and everything else needed for travel, but the only thing missing was her communication terminal. Next to the desk was an attaché case, which even contained the clothes she had bought the other day.
Just then, the door opened, and Sylvie entered carrying drinks.
"Lina, are you awake?"
"Sylvie, what on earth is going on!?"
"Please calm down, Lina. I will explain everything properly."
Sylvie spoke in a soothing tone, and Lina, albeit reluctantly, agreed and sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing this, Sylvie handed her one of the drinks she had just bought and began her explanation.
"First, as I believe you have already heard from Colonel Balance, the application for Lina to become the fiancée of Tatsuya Shiba—the next head of the Yotsuba family—was initiated by your grandfather, General Kudou."
"Grandfather did? ...Come to think of it, when I spoke to His Excellency recently, he did ask about Tatsuya."
"So, General Kudou and His Excellency the President intended to send you off with wishes for your happiness. However, upon learning this, the Joint Chiefs of Staff objected. They approved your departure only on the condition that you retain your military registration as 'Angie Sirius' and carry out a mission."
"...What is that supposed to mean?"
Originally, Ken Kudou and the USNA President—Lina's two grandfathers—had solidified their resolve to send her off wishing for her "happiness as a human being." However, the Joint Chiefs, concerned about sending Angie Sirius out of the country, pushed back, resulting in her military status remaining active.
Sylvie thought it was unavoidable that Lina would grumble in bewilderment, but she continued her explanation.
"I can understand since Celia was always said to be 'uncontrollable'... but what is the order?"
"To infiltrate as a fiancée and probe the internal affairs of the Yotsuba. And if possible, the order is to investigate Tatsuya Shiba's abilities."
"They're telling me to sell out Tatsuya?! Don't screw with me! Even Celia said it was dangerous to pick a fight with Tatsuya..."
Lina had endured missions involving the assassination of deserters because they were military orders. But now, she showed her first sign of refusal, unwilling to do something like selling out the person she yearned for. Sylvie showed a glimpse of a gentle expression at this.
"I received a warning from Celia regarding that as well. With that in mind, I have been entrusted with an order from Colonel Balance."
"...'Considering her abilities, Major Angie Sirius is to detain Jiedo Heigu (Gu Jie), who plots to cause terror in Japan, based on her own judgment. Depending on the situation, cooperation with Japanese magicians is authorized'—wait, this is..."
"Yes. Colonel Balance predicts that there is a high probability the Japanese side already grasps our entire situation."
What Sylvie had told Lina moments ago was the order from the Joint Chiefs. However, what was written in the document Sylvie handed over was issued by the Office of the President—an outline of orders Balance had given to Sylvie.
Balance had judged that incurring Japan's wrath would be the greatest "loss" of all, even if it meant risking the exposure of a USNA government scandal. The order was for Lina to take on a role to avert the worst-case scenario.
Lina couldn't help but feel sympathy for Canopus, who had been made to draw the "short straw" of the Joint Chiefs' official orders.
"...I've done something terrible to Ben."
"The Major won't mind. Rather, he likely thinks he doesn't want Lina, whom he sees as a daughter, doing dirty work like assassination."
"Jeez, Ben acts like... I suppose I'll have to apologize or do something for him when this job is over. So, Sylvie. Where did you put my communication terminal?"
Having steeled herself to accept the order, Lina asked Sylvie about the whereabouts of her missing device. Sylvie replied with a smile.
"I am holding onto it. This was another warning I received from Celia. She strongly insisted that if your trip to Japan was decided, you would likely try to contact your acquaintances while still within the USNA, and there is a high probability the military would intercept that. So, she told me to hand it to you only after we arrive in Japan."
"Guh... Am I that untrustworthy!? I mean, isn't it more dangerous for you to be frequently contacting Celia!?"
"The reason is simple. We kept phone calls to daily trivialities. For anything we really wanted to discuss, we used airmail, and we wrote it in a cipher format that wouldn't be understood by outsiders."
"..."
Learning that they used such analog and elaborate means just to stay in touch, Lina felt a sensation akin to terror internally toward Sylvie and Celia, who did such things as if it were nothing.
Flying via a commercial airliner from Albuquerque International Sunport through Los Angeles International Airport, Lina arrived at the Tokyo Bay Offshore International Airport (also called New Haneda Airport or Haneda) in Japan at 20:00 Japan Standard Time on January 29th.
The room used during the Parasite Incident had not been vacated; the lease had been taken over by Celia for her solo living arrangements. When Lina and Sylvie contacted Celia, she had no reason to refuse, so they headed straight to the house where Celia lived.
When Lina rang the doorbell, Celia opened the door, dressed in casual clothes.
"L-Long time no see, Celia."
"...It's not like I'm going to eat you. Anyway, long time no see, Big Sis. You too, Sylvie."
"Yes, it has been a long time, Celia."
They had lived together as fellow soldiers before, but Lina was a little nervous about sharing a roof with Celia—not as "Polaris," but as a Magic High School student living a normal life.
The rooms they had used were cleaned spotless. When the two came into the living room, Celia offered them freshly poured tea. Perhaps a remnant of her days supporting the two, Sylvie looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Celia. Normally, this is something I should be doing."
"It's fine, Sylvie. I'm not a Stars soldier anymore, and you two must be tired from the long trip. So, Big Sis, what face are you wearing coming to Japan?"
"W-What face...? You should know my circumstances, Celia!"
Indeed, Celia grasped the rough reasons for Lina coming to Japan. She naturally understood that there were "military secrets" Lina couldn't discuss with the discharged Celia. However, due to the connection between Lina and Celia—who easily synchronized on a magical level—Celia "grasped" the information Lina held through the wavelength of Psions she felt from her.
"Well, mostly. But listen, Big Sis. What does it mean to trust information just because the source is 'The Seven Sages'? Did you report to Colonel Balance after properly verifying the background?"
"...No, I didn't."
"Sigh... How much have you heard, Sylvie?"
"I cannot say it too loudly, but roughly the same extent as the information Lina conveyed to Colonel Balance."
From that response, Celia recognized that the information Sylvie had was about the same as Lina's. With that established, she asked Lina.
"Hey, Big Sis. It seems the email listed incidents you weren't involved in... but those are all incidents involving Jiedo Heigu."
"Eh? But most of those incidents happened in Japan. I don't remember being involved in most of them."
"Even if you weren't involved, they are incidents involving Tatsuya—the person you proposed engagement to—and Oni... cough, Yugen."
There had been several occasions before where Celia instantly shared information regarding events Lina had seen—such as Blanche, No Head Dragon, and matters related to Zhou Gongjin. So, Sylvie listened without particular surprise. However, both Lina and Sylvie were shocked by the information Celia conveyed. Celia had nearly called Yugen "Onii-chan" as usual but managed to cover it up by clearing her throat.
Then, Celia asked Lina the most important question.
"This is the most critical point... Big Sis, in what format and to where was that email sent?"
"Format? ...It was sent to my private room in the dorms as a Special Encrypted Email. Is that a problem?"
"It's a huge problem, you idiot!!"
"Hiek!?"
Unlike Lina, who handled the combat side, Celia, who had supported Lina by handling information and communications, had been strictly taught the standards and handling of Special Encrypted Emails.
Originally, sending a Special Encrypted Email directly to a private dorm room is forbidden to ensure confidentiality, no matter if it is addressed to the Commander of Stars. Although private rooms have decoders for analysis, this rule exists to prevent discrepancies in operational conduct caused by such emails.
Under standard procedure, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are obligated to send an encrypted deployment request with the Special Encrypted Email attached to the Base Commander where Stars is stationed. The Base Commander then instructs the Commander-in-Chief and Captains to receive it at a dedicated communication facility within the base that houses the analysis machines.
Even for communication between the Commander-in-Chief and Captains, the use of Special Encrypted Emails via individual terminals is prohibited except during combat operations. Rules mandate using the communication facilities within the base.
This is intended to prevent rebellion by ensuring coordination among Stars Captains. After the recent desertion incident, security rules had become even stricter, naturally including the handling of Special Encrypted Emails.
Although she had received them before, sending them had always been left to Celia, so it wasn't unreasonable that Lina didn't realize she had "broken the rules." Still, Celia raised her voice in rebuke, causing Lina to flinch.
Since matters regarding Special Encrypted Emails are basically only known to Captain-class officers and the Joint Chiefs, it was understandable that Sylvie didn't question that part.
"Breaking the rules is one thing, but the fact that the 'Seven Sages' can use Stars' encrypted communication implies the 'Seven Sages' are essentially inside the USNA... Why didn't Colonel Balance realize this...?"
"Eh? Why?"
"...Lina, Sylvie. What I'm about to say is a fact only I know. When I was active as 'Polaris,' I received an email from someone claiming to be the 'Seven Sages.' And they sent me something strange."
A few weeks after she started acting as Stars' "Celia Polaris," Celia had received a Special Encrypted Email that was a clear breach of custom. It was similar to when Lina received hers, but the content was a detailed profile of Celia's identity that made her suspect a stalker. Three days later, she was sent a VR (Virtual Reality) HMD (Head-Mounted Display).
What Celia received was a terminal for Hliðskjálf, a backdoor system for Echelon III.
"Wait, is that the machine you personally own?"
"Yes. Though I tinkered with it so much it does things far nastier than its original functions."
Knowing the "original story" and learning of Hliðskjálf's existence through the "Seven Sages" email instructions, Celia had used Stars and military technology to heavily modify the Hliðskjálf terminal, partly out of spite. She figured even if she broke it, that would be its own form of retaliation against the sender.
As a result, she could not only easily falsify the search records that inevitably remained on Hliðskjálf but also gained access to Echelon III itself. This was a secret Celia kept only to herself.
"Putting that aside, the method used on Lina and the method used on me were exactly the same. There's a time lag of about three years, but the only ones who should possess the annually updated communication system for Special Encrypted Emails are the Stars Captain-class and the Joint Chiefs. If there's anyone else, it would be the government agency managing the encryption system for Special Encrypted Emails within the USNA."
"...You don't mean to say the 'Seven Sages' who sent the encrypted mail is someone related to a government agency?"
"At the very least, that's what I think. Especially after that desertion incident, right? If someone from the Joint Chiefs committed a scandal like breaking encryption protocol, it would be grounds for immediate dismissal. I can only think it was sent by someone who doesn't know those regulations."
With tensions high due to the recent desertion incident, if the Joint Chiefs made such a mistake, they would be subject to dismissal the moment it reached the President's ears.
Since there was currently no evidence the Joint Chiefs sent it, Celia suspected the only person who could be a government insider with access to Special Encrypted Email security—and a thrill-seeker who completely ignored military regulations—was Raymond Clark, the only one who takes the name of the "Seven Sages."
"I will absolutely never forget the grudge of having my private life laid bare... Ah, does anyone want a refill?"
"T-Then, I will have some."
"I-I'll have some too!"
Incidentally, at that time, she received a confession of love from Raymond saying, "I love you. Please go out with me." But feeling that someone who would expose a person's private life just to know their character was no different from the adults who sucked up to her in her previous life, Celia stopped reading all subsequent emails from the "Seven Sages." In fact, she deleted them all.
Furthermore, Celia had gained the opportunity to be with the person she had loved in her past life. She surmised that Raymond might be holding a grudge over this, which is why he provided information not only about Tatsuya but also about Yugen.
From Celia's perspective, a person who tramples into someone's private life with muddy shoes just because they want to know them was indistinguishable from the sycophants of her past.
The next day—January 30th. To fulfill Lina's wish, a meeting with Tatsuya was arranged. After considering the location, they consulted Tatsuya, anticipating that the Shiba home would ensure sufficient confidentiality. Since the guest was Lina, he agreed. However, since Yugen and the others had school as usual, the meeting was set to start at 18:00.
"H-Hello, Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Yugen. It's been a while since South Tate Island."
"It has been a while, Lina. So, for 'Angie Sirius' to come all the way to Japan, I assume you've chased a terrorist here?"
Tatsuya had received information on Jiedo Heigu—Gu Jie—beforehand, so he asked, suspecting that if Lina came all this way, that case was the most likely reason. Lina answered with a gesture that said, "I surrender."
"No, Tatsuya, you should know that kind of infiltration stuff is impossible for me. By the way, Miyuki, haven't you become much more beautiful since before?"
"Do you think so? Speaking of which, Lina, haven't you lost weight? Is work busy?"
"My weight has actually gone up. Maybe I gained muscle."
"Hmm, so you've shaped up."
Facing Miyuki, who seemed to glare at her somewhat resentfully, Lina internally retorted, "No, when Miyuki says that, it sounds like pure sarcasm." She felt slightly overwhelmed by Miyuki's radiance, which had only increased in terms of femininity.
"By the way, I heard you got engaged to Yugen. Congratulations, Miyuki."
"Thank you, Lina. You certainly have sharp ears."
"It is the engagement of that 'Yotsuba' Princess. I can't help but be interested."
By bringing up the topic involving Yugen, Miyuki's radiance seemed to increase even further. Due to the "pressure" of that invisible, sparkling brilliance, Lina felt as though the distance between them had grown vast, even though she was supposed to be sitting right there on the sofa.
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