[63] The Unseen (3)
A near-manic obsession—and exhilaration.
Shirone felt a chill. For days they had all but forgotten sleep, throwing themselves into the work. By his calculations, their average daily sleep was only about an hour and forty minutes.
Even when Shirone had been studying hard before, he hadn't kept up this pace. Strangely, though, he didn't feel more tired than usual. It was as if the pain had been numbed.
"They always slacked off, but when it mattered, they really go all out."
Watching them devote every spare second to their field—to the point that even sleep seemed a waste—Shirone felt an unfamiliar surge of accomplishment.
"Nade, are you tired?"
"Nope. Not at all. Wait—am I? Honestly, I don't know. My head feels clear."
"Same here. Iruki's working on the device, so let's start with the script. We also need copy for the poster. Little things like that take time once you actually start."
"Oh, right. Then let's at least put the posters up tomorrow."
"You sure? We're not even at the stage to estimate workload."
"You'll have to take the risk. It's better to announce as soon as possible. We don't want to look desperate. This is psychological warfare—we should think about those things."
"True. I'll draft the poster text. You think about the design."
They spread paper across the table and began working. Even late at night, their minds stayed bright.
The next day.
Around the end of lunch, posters went up on the bulletin board. It was an announcement for the Supernatural Psychical Science Research Society's presentation. Most students were puzzled. The shadowy research club hadn't done anything official, so the name itself was unfamiliar. The poster was almost laughably tasteless—distorting scenes of the magic school into a bleak tableau, more like a circus troupe flyer.
Supernatural Psychical Science Research Society — Sudden Presentation!
Shocking Exposé! Those who wish to know the true nature of spirits, gather at Lecture Hall 7.
"Psychical science? What's that? You mean ghosts and stuff?"
"Huh, I didn't know a group like that existed. They must have nothing better to do. Who joined this stupid club?"
"Hey, look at this."
A girl pointed to the bottom of the poster. Eyes widened when students read the members' names.
"Isn't that Shirone senior? How did that happen? Is there someone with the same name?"
"Of course not. That's really Shirone. And next to him are Merkodain Iruki and Nade senior."
"But only three members? Is this for a class project? Even so, this feels over the top. Why would they start a club like this?"
"When's the presentation? Should we go?"
"I want to see it. Since Shirone's there, it's interesting. Maybe they actually uncovered what ghosts are."
"We'll see. Heh heh—this should be fun."
The students drifted off without much thought. It had the air of going to a play rather than an academic lecture. Those who usually worked in the shadows—those who knew of the Supernatural Psychical Science Research Society—couldn't hide their curiosity. Huddled to avoid attention, they whispered.
"What? The Psychical Researchers holding a presentation?"
"Rumor says they're at odds with Teacher Shiina. Maybe it's a showdown. But it's not the old Psychical Research Society. Their glory days are over."
"You can't be so sure. Iruki's a servant, and Nade's knack is no joke. New member Shirone also once dismantled the Black Magisher. I don't think this will fizzle out."
"Heh heh heh. The Black Magisher was for the low-level kids anyway. Let's watch. If the Psychical Research Society disappears, there'll be a fight for Istas' second seat."
"It won't be easy. The Female Human Anatomy Research Group's been eyeing it for a while. The Economic Research Club 'Gold Coin Wheel' is readying a black market. Plenty to gain."
"Hmph. Our Doll Collectors Guild isn't to be underestimated. I swear on my dear Poco. The 'upper echelon' of Istas will be ours."
Their eyes burned as they imagined the legendary upper echelon of Istas. Some knew the Supernatural Psychical Science Research Society; some didn't. Each had their own stake, but everyone expected the presentation to draw a crowd.
The participants themselves had no time for such things. Only one thought filled their minds.
Why does a day only have twenty-four hours?
If a day were two hundred hours—no, even forty-eight hours would be enough to produce a perfect result.
They weren't foolish enough to waste time on fantasies. The three of them split the day into as many pieces as possible and kept working.
Having succeeded in developing a prototype, Nade held a demonstration for Shirone and Iruki. The hologram device looked like a hemispherical machine—an inverted rice bowl—with output terminals dotted around its rim. While Iruki set up the device's functions, Shirone gripped a fiber-optic crystal bead and waited.
"Shirone, cast the photon output."
"Is it okay? It's not perfect yet."
"Same for us. We need a demonstration to find what to fix."
"Okay."
Shirone took two crystal beads, one in each hand, and unleashed a powerful photon output. Electricity sparked from the device's terminals, and a translucent human figure materialized. Electrical clarity had its limits, but Nade preferred that—this was how students imagined a ghost.
"So that's a hologram."
The ghost appeared as a soldier in ancient armor. Its face was horribly disfigured, and bones showed through in places.
"The frame's fine. Iruki, your turn."
Iruki activated the controller Nade had made. There were only four buttons, but combinations produced dozens of patterns. Each press made the soldier hologram perform different motions. Watching the soldier walk through a storeroom, Iruki looked satisfied.
"The functions seem sound. We could go with this. Shirone's the last piece. You ready? There'll be a ton more devices on the day."
Shirone, who had tried it himself, felt worried. Power could be restored by Nade's electrical output, but the problem was information transmission. Even activating a single hologram device left him exhausted.
"I'll do my best. At least the maintenance time has been increasing—that's hopeful. Nade, start mass production. Iruki, are you done?"
"No, I still have plenty to refine. If we account for psychological shifts, analysis could take a year. I'm treating anything above five percent as an actual variable. But we can hit the deadline."
"Now that I have a prototype, I need to make a bold move starting today. No rehearsal time. Let's each stick to our roles for the remaining hours."
They said that, but everyone knew the heaviest burden fell on Shirone. Even if a few devices broke or Iruki's functions were slightly off, the operation would proceed. But if Shirone's output weakened, the plan wouldn't even get off the ground—and they'd be mocked by the students.
'Limit: ten minutes. If I don't reach that, the presentation's pointless.'
Back in the storeroom, Shirone reviewed his training. Mental strengthening progressed in rebounds. It rarely increased gradually. It zigzagged—falls and rises. Moreover, the greater the fall, the larger the rebound.
"The further you push your mind to the limit, the greater the strengthening."
That was Shirone's conclusion. Applied to physical training his body would break within a month, but the mind had elasticity to endure extreme stress. For Shirone, whose endurance was a strength, there was no better training.
Drive himself to the point just before consciousness shatters.
It would come with great pain, but it was the only solution to overcome their current hurdle.
"I have to hammer my mind harder!"
The light reflected on the wall grew larger and larger.
* * *
It was the last day he'd promised his friends.
Time neared midnight. The storeroom where Shirone trained was as bright as day from the photon output. Firing photons with both hands, Shirone squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. His body twisted, his legs writhed. Consciousness seemed to melt away. At this rate he might lose his mind.
"Aaaaargh!"
Shirone poured every last scrap of mental strength into the effort. The next moment, the light vanished as if someone had turned off a tap. In the darkened storeroom, the sound of someone collapsing to their knees thudded.
"Huff! Huff!"
Shirone crawled to the cogwheel pocket watch, slammed the button, and checked the time.
10 minutes 32 seconds.
"Heh... hahaha—"
A hollow laugh escaped—an outcome almost too unbelievable to accept.
He had sustained the photon output for over ten minutes. It was thanks to thousands of mental rebounds over the short span of a month. His Spirit Zone had grown dramatically, and along with it his signature magic's power had been raised to above Class Five.
The iron door opened and Nade, whom Shirone hadn't seen for days, came in. Having had to move about the school under an invisibility cloak, his face looked worse than before.
"Shirone, training's done. Time to rehearse."
Knowing how high Shirone's target had been, Nade intentionally didn't ask for details. Shirone, sweating, tossed the cogwheel pocket watch. Nade caught it; his eyes widened—10 minutes 32 seconds was a shocking figure.
"You... you actually pulled it off?"
Shirone gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
"Target met. Let's make it spectacular."
* * *
Alpheas School of Magic — Lecture Hall 7.
The presentation was scheduled for 5 p.m., but an hour early the hall was already packed. Word had spread; most students had come to witness the Supernatural Psychical Science Research Society.
"Wow! So many people. I've never heard of that group. Stars really pull a crowd, huh?"
Seriel admired the line. Having passed her Speed Gun exam and advanced to the graduation class, she didn't know much about the new society.
Amy looked surprised too. It was remarkable that a Class Five—and a society with only three members—could draw such a crowd.
"They must've caused a stir. Turnout's a success."
"I didn't expect Shirone to be close with Iruki. One minute they're at each other's throats, next they're inseparable."
As the two joined the queue, upperclass students murmured. Graduating seniors had come. Just seeing the Class Three badge on their collars inspired awe.
"Whoa. It's Amy senior. Does this crappy presentation really deserve graduating seniors' attention?"
"Idiot. Shirone's partner is Amy senior, remember? Seriel used to stick to her in upperclass too."
"Still... then who are those seniors over there?"
Many students' gazes focused on a spot. Amy and Seriel turned and were surprised.
"Oh my. Amy, look—Kaden's here?"
Kaden of Class Two stood with his hands in his pockets. Around him were Richard of Alchemy, the Electric Monster Lycan, Hershi of Sona—several formidable names from Class Two revered by the advanced students.