"Well then, I look forward to working with you from now on."
" " " "Yes!" " " "
We—I, Asuna, Erio, and Caro—received our letters of appointment from Commander Yagami.
Yukina and the hospitalized Yoh have already received their documents as candidates.
"Okay. That's the end of the formal ceremony."
Commander Yagami clapped her hands to change the atmosphere.
After leaving the Butei High School, we went straight to the barracks of Section 6. After changing into our brand new Kanrikyoku - Bureau uniforms, we were immediately led to the commander's office, where this ceremony—our joining ceremony—had been going on for about 30 minutes.
Erio and Caro apparently joined at the same time as us. It was said to be easier for various reasons.
But that was over quickly.
I don't know if they were just efficient, but when we got to the commander's office, the top brass of Section 6 (Nanoha-san and Fate-san) were already gathered there.
"Well, Hayate is not very good at those kinds of things to begin with,"
Fate-san said.
So, the troublesome procedures were over. What followed was,
"Alright! Then, let's start the welcome party for the new recruits!"
" " " "Wooooooah!!!!" " " "
With Commander Yagami's shout, glasses clinked together.
Even though we were on duty, it had turned into a full-blown party.
We were told that the formal stuff was over and were led to the cafeteria. There, dishes were already lined up, and everything was perfectly prepared.
"Well, Hayate-chan was looking forward to it,"
Nanoha-san said.
"It's... a different image than I had imagined..."
"Yeah, you're right."
Yukina, unable to keep up with the atmosphere, looked around while holding a glass of juice with both hands.
She was probably imagining something more military-like.
"Well, our commander has that kind of personality. You'll get used to it."
A man in his early 30s sat down at our table.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jagura, the head of the administration department."
"Ah, yes, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"..."
Asuna straightened her posture and bowed her head.
"...Have we met somewhere before?"
"Hmm? No, I don't think so. Maybe you saw me when you came to our place before?"
"I guess so?"
Well, I suppose that could be it.
Commander Yagami stood in front of everyone and activated a screen.
"Alright, let's have a recreation for the new recruits."
"Oh, so there's something like that too."
I thought it would just be a party the whole time.
"That would be bad, wouldn't it? We're on duty, after all. Actually, the reason this meal can be expensed is because it's a 'recreation' in name only."
"That's a clever way to do it."
"Delicious, delicious. Munch, munch."
Even so, Yoh had no reservations. He was eating everything on the table with unbelievable appetite. Maybe that's why he's considered a problem child.
While we were doing that, the commander's explanation had begun.
"First, let's start with the basics. I'll explain the origins of this Special Section 6."
Special Section 6 is a unit of the Bureau. Of course, this island also has its own Bureau branch properly established. This unit was created separately from that. Why was such a measure taken?
"It all started with a certain prophecy."
Karim Gracia, a Major General of the Time-Space Administration Bureau and a key figure in the Holy Church, had a rare skill that allowed her to foresee the future.
However, its accuracy was only at the level of a "fortune teller who is often right." It would have been quite difficult to establish a new unit in the Bureau with just that.
"But, there was a precedent."
An incident that occurred a few years ago. During the "JS Incident" led by Jail Scaglietti, a similar prophecy was made, and it came true.
Once that happened, a "fortune teller who is often right" could no longer be ignored.
"And so, Special Section 6 was created to counter that prophecy."
Ostensibly, it's a measure to strengthen security on this island, where complex and diverse crimes are rampant. It's a special team that can respond to situations more flexibly than the existing branch.
The hidden purpose is to counter or prevent that prophecy.
"Basically, Section 6 is able to intervene unconditionally if anything happens on the island. That means we have a lot of work, though."
In other words, we're the Bureau's jack-of-all-trades.
Just then,
"Good work, Shō-kun."
"How are you doing, Shō-kun? Are you having fun?"
"I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say I'm having fun during work."
Sakura and Nanoha-san came over together.
It felt like a long time since I had a proper conversation with Sakura since returning to this island.
"Were you two working?"
Nanoha-san nodded at Asuna's question.
"We were."
"Just a little bit of work with illegal traders. We handed them over to the local Bureau right after."
They said it so casually. You wouldn't think they just took down criminals. While Nanoha-san is one thing, Sakura has also gotten quite used to it.
"I see, Sakura has already been assigned for a few months now."
"That's right. She's already one of Section 6's main forces now."
"Ahaha, that's too much, you know. With Suburu-san and Tiana-san around."
And she's quite trusted. Well, Sakura is a great person. I felt that during the Land Combat tournament.
"Oh, and about that, Shō-kun."
"Hm?"
"After this welcome party is over, could you accompany me?"
"Did something happen?"
"In that case, we will too."
"Yes, it's a bit unsettling for our senior to go alone."
Hearing the conversation, Asuna and Yukina quickly came over.
"Well... um..."
"Is there a reason why it's inconvenient for us to be there?"
"Asuna-san is fine, but Yukina-chan is a bit clumsy..."
"I'm... clumsy!?"
Yukina was shocked by Sakura's assessment.
"Am I okay?"
"Yoh-san would just cause chaos, so absolutely not."
That's true.
"So? What's actually happening?"
"I think I contacted you, but my older sister is on this island. It's about that."
"Ah..."
Tohsaka Rin... So she finally came.
"She said she wants to meet you, Shō-kun. And everyone in Fuyuki, too. Oh, they aren't actually here, though. It's a video call."
"That sounds interesting."
I had heard about it, but I do want to talk to them.
"In that case, are we intruding?"
Asuna was being considerate.
"Ah. Sorry. I'll introduce you to everyone sometime. So, Sakura, after this is over then."
"Yes, thank you! I'll go contact her now."
She took out her terminal and walked away.
As I watched her go, something came to mind.
"Come to think of it."
"Hmm?"
"Oh, it's not related to the current Section 6, but I was wondering what the old Section 6 was like."
"The old one?"
That's right. This Special Section 6 was created by reassembling the members of Mobile Section 6.
The problem is the operations team. Erio and Caro couldn't participate in Mobile Section 6 due to age issues. If that's the case, the members would have been fewer compared to the original story. How were those gaps filled?
"Ah, I see what you mean. It's true that not all the previous members came back together. The administrative staff too. Especially the operations team, just as you said."
"So there were other members after all."
"Yes, before, we also had help from Butei members."
"If you heard who was there before, your eyes would pop out."
Jagura-san also joined the conversation.
"Was there someone that famous?"
Yukina seemed interested as well.
"Yes. Do you know of the 'Witch of the Void'? She's quite famous, but we hired her at a bargain price through a connection with the Holy Church. I heard that after Section 6 was disbanded, she became a teacher at the Butei High School on Academy Island."
I've heard of her.
I talked to her right before I came here.
"The Witch of the Void... The witch who massacred demons all over Europe more than 10 years ago, right? It makes me tremble to hear that such a fearsome person was here."
"Nyahaha, but when you actually see her, she's not scary at all. She's more like... cute."
"Huh? I see?"
Jagura-san tilted his head at Nanoha-san's words.
Certainly, if you knew that the Witch of the Void was a gothic lolita girl, you might think she's cute.
"Senpai, the Witch of the Void is..."
"Ah, it's Minamiya-sensei."
"I knew it..."
The three of us, me, Yukina, and Asuna, all nodded in unison.
So that's why she warned me on the rooftop. That makes sense. With her, the gaps left by Erio and Caro would be more than filled.
"And..."
"Yes? Oh, there was someone else?"
I thought that one person was more than enough, but from the way this is going...
"Yes. In fact, this one was more of a problem, you could say..."
One single member?
"It was also related to the current state of affairs."
"Ah. It's said that we're in an era where magic's superiority is fading."
"Magic, superiority?"
What is that? Is it some kind of dangerous ideology like 'magic is supreme, everything else is crap!'?
"No, no, it's not like that."
"It's the idea that the more magic you can use, the more advantageous you are."
Hmm?
"Shō-kun, didn't you learn about this in school?"
"No, I didn't."
"Senpai? What about in history class?"
"Hmm..."
I have a perfect memory, so I can't have forgotten.
"Is it possible that you just weren't listening? ... Maybe you were asleep."
"That's a possibility."
If I don't listen, my memory is useless.
"Really, you have to listen carefully in class."
"You should complain to the incidents instead."
I shrugged at Nanoha-san's words.
Incidents don't wait for me.
"Well then, we'll tell you not to recklessly get involved in incidents, okay?"
"And also to stop dragging girls into things from somewhere else?"
Asuna and Yukina said with a smile. I can't promise that either...
"Let's get back to the topic."
"Save your lover's quarrels for when you get home."
"Yes."
The topic returned to normal.
"So, you were talking about how magic's superiority is fading?"
"That's right. Magic is a very versatile supernatural ability, isn't it?"
That's true. It covers shooting, slashing, striking, defense, healing, movement... not just in combat, but most things can be done with it. That's why many abilities in other works are classified as 'magic.'
It's a power with a wide scope. The more you can use it, the more advantageous you are.
"That superiority was shaken because of the JS Incident."
"AMF?"
"You know that one now."
Only from the original story.
AMF stands for Anti-Magilink-Field. It's a type of magic that interferes with the link of magical energy. In a way, it's like fighting fire with fire.
And in the JS Incident, those weak gadget drones used that AMF. Because of that, mid-level mages couldn't use their magic properly and were useless in combat.
By the way, high-level mages like Nanoha-san and her friends can add a countermeasure to AMF when they use their magic, which allows them to ignore its effects to a certain extent.
I know that.
"The problem was the gadget drones. The AMF generators built into them."
"...I see."
The story was starting to make sense.
"In the final stages of the JS Incident, gadget drones appeared all over the world... The mastermind was eventually captured, but the defunct drones were abandoned all over the world."
Who cleaned that up? Well, a lot of people would have, right? I don't know the situation back then, but it probably wasn't just the Bureau; maybe Butei, the police, and volunteers were there too.
"Scaglietti herself used the drones as disposable pawns, but the technology was truly amazing. To be able to miniaturize an AMF generator with such precision and mass-produce it."
It was far beyond the latest technology of the time. That led to a technological revolution.
They must have understood the danger. However, it was impossible for a public organization to manage everything.
"The miniaturized AMF technology that spread throughout the world turned most mid-level mages into 'just people'."
Aria's heroic tales include capturing 99 criminals in one raid.
This was largely due to the fact that criminals could also easily obtain AMF generators, making it an environment where magic couldn't be as effective as it used to be.
Mages who can ignore AMF like Nanoha-san and her friends are very limited. Probably less than 10% of the total. So, it's easy to imagine that the environment changed.
"...And? I feel like the story is getting off track..."
The topic was supposed to be about the members of Section 6, but it's turning into a discussion about world affairs. I get that the JS Incident was massive, but...
"No, no, that's why..."
Nanoha-san sounded as if she were saying, "You're so slow on the uptake."
"There was someone in the old Mobile Section 6. The person who was with that Shinonono Tabane-san and wore the very first IS, the 'White Knight,' Orimura Chifuyu-san."
"...Seriously?"
My jaw dropped in surprise.
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