01x02 - Enrollment Part II

[bunniefuu]

JANUARY 13, 2096

Another incompatible one?

No good.

This time, after implanting the copy,

I tried completely blocking the connection.

However, like with the others,

it absorbed Psions from the sample's blood,
but then returned instead of remaining stable inside.

Then, even with the right attributes, if they lack
strong desires, they can't become like us.

Are there people who have no desires?

Are you saying there's another factor?

We need more samples
to get to the bottom of that.

Bizarre m*rder incident?

I hear the bodies are drained of blood.

Are we sure they weren't just anemic?

It's rare to see you yawn, Leo.

Yeah, I was up late last night.

Hey, Tatsuya!

Did you see the news yesterday?

News? About the vampire?

Yeah. I think it's a professional crime organization
of blood traffickers instead of organ traffickers.

10% of the victims' blood is gone, right?

My question is why is only 10°/o taken?

m*rder probably isn't the intention.

They most likely want to keep the victims alive
and use them as blood factories.

If that's the case, they wouldn't have abandoned
the bodies in town.

Besides, there are no wounds on any of the bodies
where blood was taken from.

I see.

You're right. It is strange
that the bodies have no such marks.

Maybe an occult being did it
like they're saying on TV.

An occult being...

Mikihiko...

Do you think a supernatural creature
or some kind of monster is responsible?

I don't believe a normal human is behind it,
but I can't rule it out.

Speaking of the occult,

that's what magic was considered to be
until just 100 years ago.

Tatsuya, do you think a magician
is committing these crimes?

We can't discount that possibility, either.

Please, not that.

Like with the humanists, there's this trending idea
to expunge magicians from society,

and I don't want it to gain any popularity.

I don't see Lina here.

No, Brother.

She had some emergency at home,
so she's absent today.

That reminds me...

I wonder how Shizuku is doing.

Well...

I talked to her on the phone
again for a bit last night...

and she was surprised
by the vampire serial m*rder news, too.

She said something similar
is happening in America, too.

Really?

Yeah. Not on the West Coast where Shizuku is,
but in the Dallas area, in the South.

That's the first I've heard of it.

She didn't see it on the news.
Another exchange student told her about it.

I see.

JANUARY 15, 2096

Silvia here.

Hunter Q, Hunter R, report.

Currently tracking,
heading toward West Shibuya.

Hold on. I'm picking up a response.

The subject is in an empty lot
500 meters ahead of you.

I'm showing one person.
Use the pincer movement.

- Roger.
- Roger.

I'll take the right.

Roger.

The military pursuit team is closing in.

I know.

Just two Stardust members.
They're taking me lightly.

That's because they only know
your previous self.

That makes sense.

If they only know me
as a Satellite-Class magician,

then I can imagine
what they're going to try with me.

I don't need any backup.

Deimos Second, wanted deserter...

Put your hands up
with your fingers apart.

We were told to eliminate you
as soon as we found you.

But we are authorized to bring you in
with a lower punishment by one degree

if you provide us information
on the other fugitives.

We'll give you ten seconds
to think about it.

No, that isn't necessary.

You two cannot k*ll me.

Trajectory Distortion Spell?

The Cast Jammer isn't working?

Well, there's nothing wrong
with the Cast Jammer. It's just that...

I no longer need a CAD.

You can change
the trajectory of my knife?

How can you use
powerful magic like that?

You can't fathom it?
I'm not the man I was before.

Bull!

Die!

Vector Reflection Spell? This strength...

Angie Sirius?

This Psionic wave pattern...

HEY, are you okay?

That hurt!

Are you wearing carbon armor
under that coat?

Makes all the difference.

Panzer!

What the... I'm losing my strength...

Dammit! Take this!

That one punch was effective.

But...

it wasn't a decisive blow.

Cast Jamming? No, this is...

Major, what's wrong?

I lost sight of the subject.

VISITOR ARC II

JANUARY 16, 2096

Everyone got here early, huh?

You guys saw me at my lamest.

You were put through the wringer.

I mean, you don't look physically injured...

so what happened?

I don't really know.

We were slugging it out, and then,
all of a sudden, I was weak as a kitten.

Luckily, Erika's big brother, the police chief,
found me passed out on the ground.

And you weren't poisoned, right?

Nope. The blood test came back negative.

Did you get a good look
at your opponent?

I saw, but I wouldn't say
I got a good look.

There was a hat pulled down low,
a totally white mask, a long coat,

and under that, hardened body armor.

So, I can't tell you anything
about looks or body type.

Except...

I had a feeling it was a woman.

A woman held her own
against you in a fistfight?

Well, it's not like that's impossible.

Even an elementary school girl could strangle
a big man to death if she drugged him first.

True.

But it's also possible
that she wasn't a normal human.

Do you know something about it?

I think Leo ran into a parasite.

Parasite... Like a worm?

Paranormal parasite. A supernatural bug.

Or just "parasite" for short.

Specter, evil spirit, jinn, demon...

Things that are ascribed various names
in countries all over the world, but essentially,

they're things with magical properties
that latch on to people

and turn them into something
other than human.

Is that what a vampire really is?

Leo...

Yeah?

Can I take a look at your ethereal body?

Ethereal body?

The ethereal body is spirit energy.
In other words, a bundle of life force.

It's thought that...

monsters that eat human flesh
absorb spirit energy through the blood and meat...

and nourish themselves.

Vampires drink blood,

but is it really the spirit energy
they absorb with it that they need?

Yes. But if we're talking non-physical creatures,
all they should need is just the spirit energy itself.

I see.

So, it wouldn't be crazy to have vampires
that only absorb spirit energy.

If Leo lets me examine his ethereal body,
I should be able to see what was done to him.

To be honest,

right from the beginning, I didn't think
these vampire slayings were just bizarre crimes.

That's what my intuition
as an old caster told me.

It's just that I didn't have any proof until now,
so I didn't bring the parasites up.

But because of my reluctance,
Leo was attacked...

Go ahead.

Do it, Mikihiko.

Are you sure?

Yeah!

Investigate all you like!

Did you find anything?

Leo, are you...

really human?

Hey, that's a fine response.

I mean, if a normal caster
had this much spirit energy stolen...

they'd be comatose right now.

But the fact that you can sit up and talk
just goes to show your high level of endurance.

What can I say?
My body's made of strong stuff. So...

we're saying I lost my strength last night because
the masked woman leeched my spirit energy?

I think so.

But...

if she could absorb your spirit energy
just through touching you alone,

there should've been no need for her
to steal your blood, too.

Why did this parasite
go to the trouble of taking blood?

Will Leo be all right?

I'm worried.

I hope he recovers soon.

Mikihiko...

I forgot to ask you this before,
but are these parasites really that common?

No. They appear very rarely.

But this real demon is responsible
for the vampire murders, right?

I believe so.

Do you think it's a coincidence?

Certainly, historically,
the closer to the modern age you go,

the frequency of recorded observations
of demons decreases.

It's a stretch to think
these are just random murders.

Well, I know the truth.

You're a real trouper.

A genuine compliment from you...
I'll take it.

I gave you a genuine compliment.

Brother!

You were listening to that, weren't you?

It was fascinating.

So, if Yoshida's second son's hypothesis
is right, what are you going to do?

In a situation like this,
it doesn't matter whether he's right or wrong.

Even if it's only for a short time, anyone
who steps through the Chiba gate is our pupil.

And I'm the one who taught
the basics of that technique.

We're talking about my pupil here,
so I can't just do nothing!

- Such a cold reason.
- It doesn't need to be anything else.

I don't know if this vampire is a man or a woman,
but if it wants a fight, I'll give it one!

MAXIMILLIAN DEVICES - TOKYO BRANCH OFFICE

Report, please.

Yes, ma'am.

After cornering Deimos Second,
we used a Cast Jammer to block his CAD.

But it didn't work on him.

The Cast Jammer wasn't working?

No, it operated normally.

Deimos Second claimed...

that he didn't need a CAD anymore.

He doesn't need a CAD anymore...

Are you saying
Sergeant Sullivan became psychic?

Affirmative.

But his Psionic wave properties
didn't change, right?

We would've recognized it if they had.

While I was pursuing Sergeant Sullivan,

I came into contact with someone
who appeared to be his partner.

Weren't you able to measure
that person's Psionic wave properties?

I'm sorry.

We were only able to recognize
the Psionic waves of Deimos Second and yours.

I see.

Going forward,
when we're tracking down a fugitive,

try to refrain from engaging with them.

I'll deal with that part.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, ma'am.

The chasers weren't able to identify
White Mask's Psi-waves.

Really?

It seems the fugitives
have all gained various abilities.

I wish I could just stay like this.

It's easier to maintain Parade
than hide my magic use.

Anyway...

I wonder why they're attacking
Japanese people.

Why?

They're being pursued.

You'd think they would want
to stay underground as much as possible.

I don't have the answer to that.

But...

But what?

I have a feeling it's related
to the strange ability they've gained.

Strange ability...

You mean the vampire power,
stealing blood without leaving a wound?

I don't know if "vampire"
is the right word, but...

Lina? I'm going to draw the curtain.

What are you doing?

Oh, this is just...

FIRST HIGH SCHOOL
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
FEDERATION HEADQUARTERS

Now, someone from our school
has fallen victim to the vampire incident.

It's Leonhard Saijo of Class 1-E.

Yes, I've heard.

As far as my family
has been able to determine,

the vampire has left 24 victims so far
including Saijo.

Three times what the media has reported.

Were all of them in Tokyo and the suburbs?

Just the Tokyo metro area
and concentrated in the inner city.

The police aren't aware of all the victims,
but the Saegusa Family is...

Is one of the victims
related to your family?

You're half-right.

The victims that the police don't know about
are all magicians who have helped us.

Apparently, all the other victims
were either magicians or had magic potential.

Are you saying the k*ller is hunting magicians?

Jumonji, you're scaring me.

Sorry.

Anyway, I think we can say
the vampire is targeting magicians.

If the k*ller has the ability
to harm Saegusa magicians,

then it's most likely a super soldier
or another magician.

And odds are the k*ller is a foreigner.

Have any suspicious foreigners entered
the country around the time the killings started?

Good question.

There are quite a few overseas magician students
and magic technicians from the USNA in Japan.

We have one exchange student
here at our school, too, but...

do you think she's suspicious, Jumonji?

Suspicious, yes, but not the k*ller.

I have a feeling
she's got something to do with it,

but for now, I think
we can put her on the back burner.

Jumonji, I have a message from my father,

or rather, Koichi Saegusa,
the head of the Saegusa Family.

The Saegusa Family wishes to have
an alliance with the Jumonji Family.

After having our discussion,

I realized that this is not a situation
the Jumonji Family can ignore, either.

We will cooperate with you.

VISITOR ARC III