[51] The Strange Study Group (3)
"My major is computational physics. Given the scale, the speeds, and the shapes involved, nothing like that could happen anywhere but in space. The numbers are just too large for something on the continent."
"But how would I dream of that? If it's psychological regression, then those memories belong to me—and I've never been to space."
"Maybe so, but memories don't require you to have been somewhere. And from here on out, this is Nade's department."
At Iruki's words, a thought suddenly surfaced in Shirone's mind.
"A perfect case…"
Nade nodded.
"Right. In the soul-transmission experiment the condemned man, while unconscious, knew about political events in other countries that would happen a month later. How is that possible? Did his soul fly around like a pigeon and overhear things? That's one possibility, but I think that's too human-centered. Eyes and ears are biological organs with defined development. A soul wouldn't have those. A soul must be a substance with peculiar properties. When it was electrically broken down, strange effects occurred. It could have combined with other information, or even transcended spacetime and traveled fast."
Iruki agreed.
"You can't both observe and precisely measure electrons at the same time. It's like plucking a guitar string—you can't pinpoint its exact position. Within its vibration it exists only as probabilities. That's quantization. If a soul was ionized, then even 'space' wouldn't matter. It becomes a world where the correlations of time and distance collapse."
Shirone nodded slowly. Nothing had been solved, but being given plausible logic and evidence eased his fear considerably.
"Hmm. I think I'm starting to get it. Thanks—fits the Paranormal Psychical Research Club, doesn't it?"
"Ha! Don't act surprised at this point. Anyway, don't worry too much. You aren't cursed. It seems tied to the Immortal Function; let's look into that."
Shirone nodded, resolved.
"All right! I'll join the Paranormal Psychical Research Club, too."
Nade had no reason to refuse. More importantly, with Shirone joining they'd be three members. The club could be officially registered again, and the grant that had been cut off a year ago would be reinstated.
"You're welcome anytime. Iruki, you agree, right?"
"Hmm. For the club's vision, Shirone is definitely a good recruit. But will the administration approve? He's so notorious—many teachers will oppose it."
"Leave that to me. I'll slip the paperwork in without the teachers noticing. Come on, let's go now!"
Nade left the lab as if he couldn't wait a moment longer, and Shirone trailed after Iruki with a smile. Just before the door closed, Shirone glanced around the lab. It was basically a storeroom, covered in dust, but thinking of it as his club room gave it a certain charm.
"But we'll need to clean it."
Shirone shut the door and flipped off the lights outside. In the dark room wrapped in silence there was no sign of life. Dust motes above the sofa slowly circled the spot where Shirone had been sitting.
Overflow (1)
The faculty office was unusually busy.
After classes, teachers usually sipped tea or chatted while waiting for the next lesson, but now every teacher had joined forces to sort paperwork.
Going through dozens of membership applications one by one, recording them on reports, and passing them to the responsible department took far more time than expected.
Shiina, who had just finished her class, silently headed to the big desk and set down the stack of documents without complaint.
"Oh my. All membership applications? There are a lot this week."
"Heh. It's the end of term. This always happens around now."
When the term ends and vacation begins, students must submit papers on free topics until the next semester.
But because those assignments can be replaced with research club presentations, students who don't normally belong to clubs have recently been joining temporarily at the end of term.
Sade, who was helping with the paperwork, said, "Kids keep getting craftier. It wasn't like this before. Clubs and assessments used to be met with enthusiasm. Nowadays they only care about efficiency."
"Haha. It's different from ten years ago. Competition's fiercer and the kids have their own stresses. The reason they open temporary clubs is to buy time for individual study, after all."
"That's true, but aren't they too obsessed with results? There's something to be said for the romance of school days."
The other teacher only smiled wryly. As he gathered the documents to hand them to the department, Shiina noticed a form on the floor under the desk.
"One's missing here."
"Oh? When did this come in? Looks like they left it during class."
"Heh. Must have been desperate."
Shiina checked the form to see what trick a student had tried. When she looked at the name she blinked in disbelief and pushed her glasses up.
"This… it really says Shirone, doesn't it?"
The teacher craned his head to peer.
"It does. Arian Shirone. I thought he wasn't interested in clubs. Well, with students pulling stunts, you can't help things."
Sade snatched the application and frowned.
"That doesn't sound right. That club is pretty famous, isn't it?"
"Let me see it."
Shiina took the application from Sade and checked which club Shirone had joined.
It was famous all right.
'Paranormal Psychical Research Club.'
The name hit like a bolt from the blue.
Even now her head ached when she remembered fighting with graduates from that club every year since she'd been appointed a teacher.
'Wait… now that I think about it…'
Weren't most of the troublemakers from the Paranormal Psychical Research Club graduates from the previous year? She vaguely recalled hearing the club's membership had dwindled and funding had been cut.
The teacher smiled and said, "I hear Iruki is also a member of that club. Maybe they just get along."
Sade burst into a hollow laugh.
"I heard he did something spectacular during the targeting exam. But they get along surprisingly well. They don't seem like they'd mesh."
Shiina massaged her temples with a pained expression.
"Yes. That's exactly the problem."
If Iruki, who was as talented as Shirone, had enticed him, the stubborn Shirone might have been persuaded.
But Iruki—
He was the school's biggest troublemaker. Even if both were geniuses, the directions Shirone and Iruki pursued were polar opposites.
They could help each other grow, but there was also the chance one would devour the other or they'd clash and both be ruined. That would be a huge loss for the school.
'It's probably for the best. Let's cut this bad tie while we can.'
Shiina opened the file and checked who was the club president of the Paranormal Psychical Research Club.
As expected, it was Nade.
The club those two most-likely-to-be-close students—Nade and Shirone—belonged to.
Now she thought she understood why Shirone, who had avoided clubs until now, had signed up.
'Nade's supervising teacher is…'
Shiina went through the teachers' names to find the supervisor. When she saw the name she sighed and pressed her palm to her forehead.
"Sigh. Of all people…."
* * *
A training hall on the outskirts of the Academy.
Etella sat cross-legged in meditation.
The Caresis Order she belonged to was the kingdom's foremost order, with more than a thousand monk apprentices. Every year hundreds of children were brought by their parents, but only a few were recognized as talented and became monks.
Etella stood out even among such children.
She had risen ahead of many high nobles and even some royals to become the youngest bishop.
The rank of bishop isn't something attained by skill alone. Etella had been chosen by the elders because she possessed the temperament of a seeker.
She swore to live as the world's light and salt.
With that conviction she had turned away wealth and fame and accepted a position as a teacher at Alpheas School of Magic.
"Thank you. For letting today's instruction finish safely."
Because of that, Etella was different from other teachers. She came from an order, not from a school or a magic association.
If a mage looks at the world critically, a monk doesn't analyze it—she embraces it whole.
Infinite gratitude toward the nature that made her, and a mission to share that feeling, was everything that made Etella who she was.
She slowly opened her eyes. There was a striking clarity in her gaze.
Through the Spirit Zone she detected a woman approaching. She could sense, via the Spirit Zone, that a single woman was coming.
With a normal Spirit Zone it's difficult even to determine a subject's gender. But Jona was an authority on the Spirit Zone, and her scouting ability surpassed that of other mages.
If an ordinary Spirit Zone is like air, Jona's is like liquid. The medium is denser, so her synesthetic perception is much clearer.
Etella rose and waited for her guest. After a while Shiina opened the door and stepped in; Etella greeted her with a smile.
"Welcome, Shiina-sensei."
Shiina was not surprised Etella had been waiting. She knew well how sharp Jona's Spirit Zone could be.
"You were in the middle of practice. Am I interrupting?"
"No, I was just about to finish. Please, come in."
"Then excuse me."
It was rare for Shiina to visit the training hall. Sensing the conversation might be long, Etella prepared tea.
Although cushions were laid out, sitting on the wooden floor was unfamiliar to Shiina. Still, she knelt politely and accepted the tea Etella offered.
She had heard that monks observe silence until they finish the first cup as an etiquette, so Shiina didn't speak until the bitter tea was gone.
Though it was summer and the days were long, a golden sunset had already deepened. Wanting to begin before it grew dark, Shiina drained her cup more quickly.
Etella kindly broke the silence.
"For you to come all this way, it mustn't be trivial."
"No. I've come to consult about something."
"I see. What is it?"
"Nade's supervisor is you, correct?"
"Yes. He's a lively, kind student. His grades are upper-middle, but his talent is clear. He gets along well with other students."
"Do you know he's the president of the Paranormal Psychical Research Club?"
"Of course. Has Nade done something wrong?"
Shiina straightened, showing resolve.
"I intend to disband the club he leads. I thought it proper to consult the supervisor first, so I came."
Etella smiled gently and sipped her tea. After a long moment of thought she spoke.
"If it's your wish, Shiina-sensei, I'm sure it's for the students. But this time I'd like to hear your reasons."
"This club has had incidents for a long time. It was notorious even before I was appointed. It did have notable achievements, which is why the school tolerated it, but things are different now. From the records I checked, there hasn't been a single official presentation in three years. Instead, they've repeatedly done things that would warrant punishment."
"But, Shiina-sensei, isn't that all in the past? The students active now are Nade, Iruki, and Shirone. They're not kids to be underestimated. What they actually do is the key. Couldn't you watch them a little longer? Besides, the Paranormal Psychical Research Club has some tradition at Alpheas. I believe Gaold, the head of the Magic Association, is also an alumnus."