第１１３２堀：いきなりヒットは意外と困る (Part1)
Chapter 1132: A Sudden Hit is Surprisingly Troublesome
Side: Yuki
"How on earth is there already a reaction on the very first day of surveillance? What is going on?"
I had been feeling dejected since morning, ever since receiving the report from Kirika.
"As the report stated, it was only visible to Principal Popuri. When we reviewed the recording, none of us could see a thing."
Just as Taiki-kun said, the report indicated that Popuri had seen a ghost on Monitor 5, but she was the only one capable of perceiving it. Not only Lara, who was with her, but also Taizou-san, Zargis, Comet, Agil, and Kirika—who were all present at the time—reported seeing absolutely nothing.
I had replayed the footage from the time Popuri claimed to have seen it several times, but sure enough, there was no sign of anything resembling a figure.
"Is there a possibility it was just her imagination?"
"It's a possibility, I suppose. But she was watching it for a long time. If it had been a fleeting moment, I could write it off as a misidentification or a hallucination, but..."
"Exactly. She was interacting with the others while seeing it for nearly thirty minutes; it’s hard to dismiss that as just a trick of the mind. Shall we head to the surveillance room and check the footage thoroughly once more?"
"Yeah. And we need to hear directly from Popuri. *Sigh*... I never expected there to be activity here before we even finished conquering the Great Tree Sea."
"Huh? But wasn't it you, Yuki-san, who set up the surveillance in the first place?"
"Well, after discussing it, we decided we couldn't just ignore the possibility. You know, we have that 'Noriko' incident as a precedent."
"That was an exception, surely."
"I’d like to think so, but there’s no guarantee something like that won't happen at the Academy."
"I suppose that's true."
As we were talking about this and heading toward the gate to the Lancer Magic Academy...
"Huh?"
"...Wh-where am I?"
"Hey, don't just stand there dazed, let's move. Oh, if it isn't Yuki and Taiki."
Come to think of it, today was the day Wazfi and Nailua were coming to Weed for a level-up session disguised as an internship.
Still...
"Deryu. You're awfully early. It's only 8:00, isn't it?"
"In Weed, yes. But classes start at this time at the Academy, so I timed our arrival accordingly."
"Ah, right. I remember now."
"So, are you two here to check on yesterday's incident?"
"Yeah. It’s chilling that we got a reaction so quickly."
"I don't think Yuki would be outdone by that sort of thing, but don't push yourselves too hard. Taiki, I'm counting on you."
"Yes. Leave that to me. More importantly, will Wazfi and Nailua be alright?"
"It’s their first time in Weed; such a reaction is natural, so don't worry about it. Hey, don't make me say it twice. I'll smack you."
When Deryu said that with a menacing tone, the two who had been startled for a moment immediately turned back toward her.
"No, no. Isn't it unreasonable to expect them not to be surprised after being suddenly brought to a place like this?"
"I-I agree with Wazfi. Wh-where exactly is this..."
"I didn't say you couldn't be surprised. I just told you not to be dazed. Come, follow me. You'll have plenty of free time later."
"Really!? Yay! Nailua, let's go together later. Oh, Yuki-sama. I look forward to it."
"Y-yeah. I-I really can't believe the rumors about Weed were true. Thank you for bringing us, Yuki."
"Don't worry about it. Well, do your best with the training."
"Good luck!"
The two followed Deryu, looking excited, but...
"I just hope they have enough energy and stamina left to move their bodies once they get their free time."
"Indeed. I should ask Deryu to make sure they have a day to enjoy Weed a little."
"It wouldn't be good if they went back with a terrible impression."
"Right. And we have to consider the time limit. I hope this ghost business gets resolved quickly. I never thought a real one would actually show up."
"Yeah, if things go poorly, the investigation might be extended."
Talking like that, Taiki-kun and I passed through the gate to the Lancer Magic Academy and headed toward the surveillance room.
Since the sun had long since risen and classes had begun, the Academy was bustling with activity, making it hard to believe that a paranormal phenomenon had occurred there just last night. Well, that’s the unique atmosphere a 'school' can project.
"I assume it won't appear during the day, right?"
"Actually, it would be easier if it did."
Perhaps because Popuri wasn't with us, we didn't encounter any ghosts on the way to the surveillance room. There are some intense places where they appear even in broad daylight, but it seems this isn't one of them.
When we entered the surveillance room, most of the surveillance team seemed to be on break; Agil and Comet were sleeping soundly in sleeping bags laid out side-by-side. It’s natural for Agil, but I do wonder why Comet, who is supposed to be a lich, sleeps like that—though it’s a common occurrence, so it’s not worth pondering now.
As for those who were still awake and busily working on something...
"Oh, you've arrived. Taizou-dono."
"Hm? Oh, Yuki-kun. Taiki-kun, good morning."
Zargis and Taizou-san looked toward us, their eyes shining brightly despite the dark circles under them. It was as if they were saying, *'We may be exhausted, but we will never sleep!'* They were true mad scientists.
"Good morning. But you two definitely haven't slept since yesterday, have you?"
"Indeed. After something like that happened, there's no time to sleep. Right, Taizou-san?"
"Exactly. A phantom that only Popuri-dono could see appeared on the very first day of surveillance. We must quickly uncover the cause."
Ah, I knew it, but this is hopeless. I'll just have to wait until their batteries run out or their fervor cools down.
"Understood. But let me say one thing. Taizou-san, please get some sleep, or Hifie will complain to you later. And Zargis, you're an accomplice, so expect to be on the receiving end of her bitter grievances. Be prepared for that."
" "Ugh." "
The two were momentarily silenced by my threat. Hifie is incredibly strict about maintaining a regular, disciplined lifestyle. Well, she is one of the gods who governs healing, so it’s only natural for her to care about health—and even more so when it concerns Taizou-san.
"Now, Taizou-san. Could you show me the footage in question?"
"Yes, come over here."
Following his lead, we moved to the front of the computer Taizou-san was using. Several images were frozen on the monitor. All of them showed nothing but the dimly lit school building at night. This was the footage from the cameras installed yesterday.
"Look here. This is the footage from 1:23 AM. It’s been ten minutes since Popuri-dono contacted us."
"Eh? So, the ghost should be visible somewhere on this monitor? Oh, wait, didn't you say it wasn't visible on the footage?"
"As Taiki-kun said. Popuri-dono claimed the ghost was visible on Monitor 5."
Taizou-san pointed to the feed on Monitor 5, but there was nothing there.
"Should I zoom in?"
"Go ahead."