Vol. 1 Chapter 7 – Magic Rehabilitation Institute

Junpei Ichinose, who was accused by Sonia of being in contact with Meryl, was taken into police custody that very day. He was fitted with special handcuffs designed to weaken magical power and transferred to a Magic Rehabilitation Institute within the city. The exterior of the institute looked no different from an ordinary juvenile detention center. What set it apart from a juvenile facility was that it was designed specifically for dealing with magic users, and that everything from detention to interrogation to trial was carried out entirely within the institute itself.

In Junpei’s case as well, he was made to wait until morning before being brought to an interrogation room on the third floor of the Magic Rehabilitation Institute. The room was cramped, with a desk placed in the center and two chairs. Junpei was made to sit in one of them, while the other chair remained empty.

—Whoever is going to interrogate me, I don’t know, but for now, if I report the slave magic and it spreads within the police, the enemy should make a move.

While thinking that, Junpei pulled and loosened the chain of his handcuffs, rattling them back and forth. Then, the interrogation room door opened, and a man in a suit stepped inside.

“Hey there, Ichinose-kun. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Okumura-sensei!”

It was Instructor Okumura, who had been dispatched from the Magic Rehabilitation Institute to the magic academy and served as the vice-advisor of Red Heart Brave.

“It’s been a while. I suppose the last time we met was the day Meryl snuck into the school, when I saw you with Kaede-kun in the Red Room. I’ll be the one handling your interrogation. We’re not complete strangers, after all.”

Saying that, Okumura sat down in the chair across from Junpei, who was still wrapped in surprise, and gave a slight smile.

“What’s wrong? You’re making a face like a pigeon that just got hit by a bean-shooter.”

“No, it’s just… I didn’t expect Okumura-sensei to be the one to come…”

“My main job is actually this, you know. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Alongside my teaching duties, my job is to secretly watch over the students attending the magic academy as a supervisor.”

That’s right, Okumura was essentially an agent from the Magic Rehabilitation Institute. Because of that, many students found him bothersome. However, it was his job, and more importantly, he was someone Kaede had even said she could respect.

Okumura-sensei straightened his posture, his smile fading as he got down to business.

“So, what exactly is going on here? I’ve heard you were in contact with Meryl. Or is this something you’d rather not tell me?”

“No…Okumura-sensei is someone that Kaede-san respects. I’ll trust you and tell you everything.”

“Oh? That makes me happy to hear.”

Junpei returned a faint smile to Okumura, who chuckled, and while keeping his past life and ero magic concealed, he skillfully explained how he met Meryl and the circumstances that led to him cooperating with her.

After hearing the story, Okumura let out a low『Hmm』, as he stroked his chin with his right hand.

“So in other words, that day at school, you met Meryl, and later she approached you, told you about magic that turns people into slaves, and out of a sense of justice, you cooperated with her and carried out undercover investigations. Although Meryl has issues with her actions, she is fundamentally a good person, and the claim that she injured Kondo-sensei is a false accusation. Then, while acting together with Meryl, you were discovered by Sonia-kun and captured, correct?”

“Yes, that’s about right.”

Now all that remained was for this testimony to reach the enemy. Once it did, the situation would begin to move on its own, and Meryl and Sonia would surely come to rescue him.

—They will come… right?

Just as Junpei began to feel a slight unease, Okumura spoke.

“Do you believe Meryl’s story?”

“I do.”

“On what grounds? Did she show you any kind of proof? I understand her logic, but isn’t it possible that she’s lying?”

“That’s…”

Why did he believe Meryl? It was because he himself was a user of ero magic, and also because Sonia had provided confirmation. But in the end, the real reason he chose to believe Meryl…wasn’t it simply because his soul had been drawn to her?

While Junpei was pondering how to explain it and whether he should even bring up ero magic, Okumura suddenly slammed his hand onto the desk and smoothly stood up from his chair.

“…Sensei?”

“No, my apologies. So you chose to believe Meryl, huh. In that case, I’ve decided on my course of action as well. There’s something I want you to see. I’ll go make the arrangements, so wait here for a bit.”

“Huh, um…”

Caught off guard by the sudden statement, Junpei widened his eyes, unable to even organize what he wanted to say. Leaving him behind just like that, Okumura exited the interrogation room.

“What the hell is going on…?”

Okumura returned about fifteen minutes later.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, stand up. Let’s go. There’s something I want to show you.”

Without any explanation of what that『something』was, Junpei followed Okumura out of the interrogation room. They walked down a long hallway and arrived in front of an elevator.

Up to this point, Junpei still had the handcuffs on, but there was no waist rope restraining him, nor were any other staff members accompanying them besides Okumura.

Before long, there was that familiar sound of the elevator arriving, and the doors opened, revealing a man. He glanced at Okumura with a slight widening of his eyes, and Okumura, in turn, straightened his posture and spoke.

“Good afternoon, Deputy Director Hijikata.”

“Hijikata? That means… could it be…?”

Junpei couldn’t help but interject, but Okumura turned back toward him, gave a small nod, and said,

“That’s right, I told you before, didn’t I? Kaede-kun’s father is the deputy director of the Magic Rehabilitation Institute. This is him. The head of the Hijikata family, a master of both swordsmanship and magic. Hijikata Toshisaburou-san.”

Hearing that, Junpei ended up staring rather rudely at Toshisaburou. He was a tall man in his early forties, and even through his suit, his muscular build was evident. However, his facial expression seemed somewhat absent-minded, giving him the air of a worn-out gentle man.

—He doesn’t really resemble Kaede-san much.

That Toshisaburou, while looking at Junpei, spoke to Okumura.

“Okumura-kun. This kid is the one…?”

“Yes, well. I’m about to take him down to the underground.”

“I see.”

After giving a brief acknowledgment, Toshisaburou left without saying a single word to Junpei.『So I’m just getting ignored, huh…』Junpei felt a little hurt, but he boarded the elevator with Okumura. As they waited for it to start descending, he spoke up.

“Some time ago, Kaede-san mentioned it. That during summer break, she stays in the student dorm the whole time because she doesn’t get along with her family. I just remembered that now.”

“I see. Well, that parent and child have quite a few issues between them.”

What kind of issues, exactly? Junpei was curious, but before he could ask further, the elevator arrived at the third basement level, and the doors opened. In the elevator hall ahead, a well-built man in a prison guard’s uniform stood waiting. Okumura spoke to him.

“I’ve brought a new Number. Please guide him to his room.”

The guard gave a single nod, turned on his heel, and began walking down the corridor ahead. Okumura followed, so Junpei had no choice but to follow behind as well.

In the somewhat quiet and heavy atmosphere, only the clack, clack of footsteps echoed.

If he stayed silent, it felt like the oppressive mood would crush him, so Junpei forced a lighter tone and asked Okumura,

“Um, Sensei. What do you mean by『Number』?”

“As of today, you are Number Eighty-One. You are required to remember this number.”

Caught off guard by the sudden statement, Junpei was still reeling when the guard walking ahead came to a stop and opened a door. Instinctively sensing something unpleasant, Junpei halted, but Okumura suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him inside.

It was a narrow room with no windows, containing only a bed, a sink, and a Western-style toilet without even a partition.

“Is this… solitary confinement?”

“It is, but not exactly.”

As he said that, Okumura gestured something to the guard with his hand. The guard stepped outside the room and locked the door from the outside. Junpei flinched in shock, but Okumura continued speaking.

“Ichinose-kun, this third basement level is a special rehabilitation facility within the Magic Rehabilitation Institute. Naturally, the kids sent here are all different. Some are good at heart, while others are completely uncontrollable delinquents. Those rebellious types, or ones infected with dangerous ideologies, can’t be handled through normal rehabilitation programs. They require something more… special. A firm, uncompromising approach.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense, but…”

As he answered, Junpei took half a step back. Alarm bells were ringing loudly in the back of his head.

Looking down at him coldly, Okumura said,

“I have determined that you are someone with dangerous thoughts who sympathized with Meryl. You will undergo a special rehabilitation program here.”

He had expected it, but hearing it stated so clearly made everything go pitch black with despair.

“Sensei, please believe me! What I said wasn’t a lie! The magic that turns people into slaves exists! Meryl is just trying to get rid of it!”

“Yeah, I know. That kind of domination magic does exist. I learned it from Master Trixie. That was ten years ago.”

“No, that’s what I’m saying… huh?”

He had raised his voice intending to persuade a stubborn teacher, yet Okumura said something completely different from what he had expected. As Junpei stood there dumbfounded, Okumura let out a sneer.

“Domination magic does exist. But it’s a very good kind of magic, and Meryl, who seeks to eliminate it, is the bad one. That’s why you need to be rehabilitated.”

From shock to understanding, from blank disbelief to sheer astonishment, Junpei felt his mind swing violently.

“Sensei… you…”

“I’ll tell you. I have three faces. One is a mathematics teacher at the magic academy. Another is a staff member of the Magic Rehabilitation Institute. And the last one… is a researcher aiming to revive slave magic.”

“Wha…!”

Junpei was stunned. Completely stunned. But to begin with, Meryl had detected the reaction of the ring from the high school division of the magic academy. When Kondo-sensei was attacked, Okumura had also been at the scene. And Meryl had said that the one she suspected as the ring’s owner was someone connected to the police, but Okumura, who had been dispatched from the Magic Rehabilitation Institute to the academy, was both a school official and connected to the police. As everything fell into place, Junpei shouted at Okumura with his whole body.

“Why!? Are you trying to conquer the world in Master Trixie’s place!?”

“Don’t misunderstand. What I inherited from Master Trixie was only the research. I didn’t inherit her ideology. Ten years ago, Master Trixie deceived us. She said it was research for humans to manage magic users, but in reality, we were being made accomplices in her plan to conquer the world. But I’m different. I’m conducting research for one reason only, so that ordinary humans like me, who don’t possess magical power, can manage magic users.”

“Manage…?”

“Because you people are monsters, aren’t you? Creatures dangerous enough to burn down a city with a single incantation, walking around freely without chains… that’s absurd. You should be controlled. Even if it means branding you with the mark of a slave!”

“That’s just—!”

Junpei lunged at Okumura. Since he was in handcuffs, he couldn’t throw a punch, but he thought he could at least crash into him and knock him down. However, Okumura swung his long leg and delivered a kick straight into Junpei’s stomach.『Guh—!』Junpei let out a choked sound as he fell onto his backside.

“How barbaric.”

Muttering that, Okumura looked down at him. Junpei glared back at him bitterly and said,

“Kaede-san said that magic users have duties and responsibilities they must fulfill. Wasn’t Red Heart Brave also working to earn society’s trust? Even I had finally… just taken my first step as a magic user…!”

“No good. I can’t trust you. Magic users are monsters. They need to be controlled.”

At that moment, Junpei felt something like a wall coming from Okumura. Magic users stood on the other side of that wall, and no matter what he said or how he tried to appeal, it would be useless.

—Are you really that afraid of magic users?

【They’re scary! Monsters! Stay away! Get out of our world!】

There were countless stories of magic users who, treated like that, came to hate people or abandoned the world altogether.

Feeling the same kind of loneliness they must have endured, Junpei glared at Okumura.

“…Is that the will of the organization you belong to?”

“Organization? No, that’s not it. I’m acting on my own. Well, to be precise, I do have one assistant, and it’s true I’m maneuvering by making use of my position as a staff member of the Magic Rehabilitation Institute, but for the most part, I’m an individual.”

“An individual? You’re saying you’re doing this alone!? Don’t be ridiculous! You’re not even a magic user, and you don’t have any Demon King relics, how could someone like you possibly revive the slave mark!?”

“And yet, I possess both the ring and the mark.”

“Both…? What do you mean by that…?”

“I mean exactly that. Domination magic consists of the ring and the mark. So I analyzed the mark and had a certain magic tool craftsman create a magic device that performs the same function as the mark. This right here.”

Saying that, Okumura took out a plain black leather collar from the inner pocket of his jacket and showed it off proudly.

“This collar has a copy of the slave mark engraved into it. Anyone who wears it will be in the same state as someone who has been branded with the slave mark. By the way, the craftsman who made this collar for me has been rendered unconscious, just like the others. He’s no longer of any use and I can’t trust him.”

“Wha…!”

“Well, unlike the real mark, it’s not carved directly into the body, so there is the issue that removing the collar ends it all. But I was just thinking it would be a good time to test the performance of this collar on someone. And then, conveniently enough, you came right to me. Under the pretense of rehabilitating you, I thought it might be interesting to try various things.”

At those words, Junpei realized that he was about to be turned into a test subject for slave magic. Overcome once more by surging fear and anger, he tried to stand up.

“You bastard, you’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Angry, are you? But that anger will soon disappear. You’ll do exactly as I say!”

Saying that, Okumura sneered and kicked Junpei in the shoulder, easily knocking him down. If not for the handcuffs, he probably wouldn’t have been toppled so easily. He hadn’t realized just how difficult it was to keep his balance when his arms were restricted.

But if he gave up here, he really would be forced into that collar and reduced to a slave.

—No way… like hell I’ll let that happen!

“Damn it!”

At the very moment Junpei roared from the bottom of his heart, it happened. With a thunderous crash, the door was kicked in from the outside, and a blonde woman clad in blue knight armor rushed inside.

“Junpei-san!”

“Sonia!”

Junpei’s face lit up instantly. Sonia stepped in between him and the frozen Okumura, pointing the holy sword Aurora Spark in her hand straight at Okumura.

“If you do not release that collar immediately, I will cut off your right hand along with it! Three, two, one!”

A flash of silver streaked through the air. With a startled cry, Okumura dropped the collar and staggered backward. Sonia glared at the collar lying on the ground as if it were something filthy, then aimed the tip of her sword at it and declared.

“Crimson Fire!”

At once, multiple red spheres of heat appeared in midair, and from them, several blazing beams burst forth simultaneously, reducing the slave collar to dust in an instant. Okumura stared at it in stunned disbelief and groaned,

“M-My one and only prototype…”

“Oh? So you hadn’t mass-produced it? That is most fortunate, truly. Hohoho.”

Just as Sonia let out a classic aristocratic laugh, a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl dressed like an evil female executive from a tokusatsu show stepped into the room. Her outfit exposed a lot of skin, and her avant-garde hairstyle, split into two coiled sections, looked just like demon horns.

“Yohoo, Junpei. I came to save you like I promised. Perfect timing, right?”

“Meryl! Y-you really came to save me…?”

“Of course I did. Sonia-chan and I snuck in here together, took control of the security, kept an eye on things and listened in on everything just now. I had somewhere to stop by, so I ended up arriving later than Sonia-chan, but I still made it, didn’t I?”

As Meryl said that and flashed Junpei a V-sign, Okumura began to chuckle quietly.

“Well now, I had considered the possibility that Meryl might come to rescue Ichinose-kun, but I didn’t expect Sonia-kun to be with you. Were you working together with Meryl? If so, was handing Ichinose-kun over from the start all part of a plan to lure me out?”

At that, Sonia spoke in a displeased tone.

“Okumura-sensei, I am deeply disappointed in you. In your fear of magic users, you have turned yourself into a monster. You were the one who attacked the people connected to the incident from ten years ago, one after another, weren’t you?”

“Well now, who can say?”

That evasive answer, along with his completely unapologetic attitude, seemed to grate on Sonia’s nerves and she stepped forward menacingly toward Okumura.

“You were the one who injured Kondo-sensei?”

“Ah, I do feel bad about that. Sending him to the hospital even though he had nothing to do with it… I truly apologize. But I didn’t take his life, so it’s fine, right?”

“You—!”

Sonia was about to explode, but Meryl stopped her.

“Wait. I’ve got something to talk about with this guy, so Sonia-chan, go ahead and take off Junpei’s handcuffs.”

At that, Sonia let out a deep breath, overcoming the great wave of anger, then turned on her heel and walked over to Junpei. With a single flash of her sword, she sliced through the chain of his handcuffs.

“Th-thanks… you saved me.”

He hadn’t realized just how much the handcuffs had restricted his body. Rising to his feet with a sense of freedom, Junpei looked at Sonia and smiled.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Even though she had only cut the chain of the handcuffs, Sonia looked unmistakably proud. Meanwhile, Meryl had taken Sonia’s place and now stood facing Okumura. The moment he saw her, Okumura spoke with clear resentment.

“It’s been a while, Meryl.”

“Has it?”

“…Ten years ago, you bent my elbow the wrong way!”

“Sorry, I don’t remember. And besides, you changed your face and name, didn’t you? That’s why it was such a pain to track you down. There’s no way I’d recognize you.”

“No, I changed my name, but I didn’t go as far as plastic surgery. I just lost weight.”

At those words, Meryl fell silent in shock, clearly taken aback. Watching her, Junpei spoke with a somewhat disappointed look.

“Hey, Meryl… you…”

“Tehe.”

Sticking out her tongue cutely, Meryl gave a small cough, then continued.

“More importantly! From what you said earlier to Junpei, you’re acting alone, not as part of an organization, right? Well, considering you’ve been knocking out not only your enemies from ten years ago but even your former colleagues, I already profiled you as someone who doesn’t trust others at all. But if that’s the case, then there’s something I don’t quite understand.”

Hearing that, Junpei, who had been listening nearby, tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean, Meryl?”

“Well, you see, the people who’ve had their consciousness taken and are lying bedridden in the hospital, starting with Y-chan, were all attacked using magic. Not drugs, but magic. But this guy isn’t a magic user. Which means he either has some kind of magic tool that even non-magic users can operate, or—”

“That he has a magic user accomplice, correct?”

Hearing Sonia’s words, Junpei sharply inhaled.

“Come to think of it, he did say he had one assistant.”

“To begin with, is it really true that you’re acting alone without any organizational support? After all, this is the Magic Rehabilitation Institute, isn’t it?”

As Sonia pressed him with that accusation, Okumura sneered.

“I am an individual. That’s precisely why it took me ten years to gather the scattered research results of Master Trixie, silence those who knew about the past and complete the slave collar that you just burned to ashes. Honestly, if I didn’t still have the collar’s data stored in my head, even I might have gone mad with anger. As for the Magic Rehabilitation Institute, this is actually the first time I’ve tried using one of the kids undergoing rehabilitation here as a test subject. It’s not something the institute as a whole is involved in. That kind of thing wouldn’t be possible in Japan.”

“If that’s really the case, then we could just crush you here and be done with it. By the way, you still haven’t answered Meryl’s question, have you? How did you take the consciousness of so many people? So far there haven’t been any deaths, and if you talk nicely, Meryl will settle this peacefully, you know?”

In response, Okumura silently shrugged his shoulders. It seemed he had no intention of answering. Realizing that, Junpei whispered to Meryl.

“Hey, Meryl… if we take too long…”

“Yeah, security guards and stuff will show up, right? So for now, let’s just do this!”

With the air of a villainous female executive, Meryl swung her arm, and the scenery of the cell distorted.

Her figure blurred into three images, each tinted red, green, and blue, before merging back together again.

When they realized it, the four of them were no longer in the original cell. Before they knew it, they had been transported into a mysterious space. The sky was a purple hue just after sunset, and the ground was covered in a blue haze. The surroundings seemed both infinitely vast and strangely confined at the same time.

“W-where is this…?”

“This is Meryl’s mysterious barrier,【Twilight Zone】. No one can enter, no one can see us, and we can go all out without any problems. A very convenient place.”

That was why she had appeared dressed like a villainous female executive today, in order to use this magic.

“You can’t escape now, okay? So tell us everything. And I’d like you to hand over that ring too.”

Even when Meryl said that, the smile didn’t leave Okumura’s lips. That made it all the more suspicious.

“…How strange. Why do you seem so composed? You’re trapped here alone, and yet there are three magic users on our side. Why is that?”

At Sonia’s question, Okumura let out a low chuckle.

“Heh, heh, heh. That’s right, I’m an individual. But I do have one assistant. A very capable assistant. Before bringing Ichinose-kun here, I stepped away for a moment. Do you know what I was doing? I was contacting that assistant. I had them track my presence from afar using magic, and I already told them to come rescue me if anything unusual happened.”

“Even so, for them to break through this sealed barrier and come to your rescue…”

Saying that much, Sonia suddenly gasped.

“You’re expecting them to break this barrier and save you, aren’t you! In that case—”

She would subdue him by force without further delay. The moment Sonia reached that conclusion, cracks spread across the dusky space at the same time.

Seeing that, Okumura smiled, as if both relieved and triumphant.

“It’s too late.”

Saying that, Okumura took out a golden ring from his pocket and slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand. Meryl’s eyes widened when she saw it.

“Found it. That’s the gold ring.”

Facing the ring, Okumura whispered as if in prayer.

“Now then, I’m right here. Come quickly. And protect me.”

As he said that, the crack in space widened, and through it, the outside scenery became visible. To Junpei, it was a familiar sight.

“This is… the high school building of the magic academy! Why from there…?”

“To tear through space itself and even break a barrier… this is dimensional severance! A heretical magic!”

Not matter, but space itself being cut. That was the highest level of cutting magic, a technique that had reached the domain of heresy. And there was one person who had once boasted to Junpei that she could use such magic. She had said.

—If I wield a wooden sword, I can even cut diamond, and I can sever only a person’s consciousness without harming their body. And if I hold a real blade… I can even slice through space itself. Would you believe that?

Recalling those words, Junpei felt a shock close to terror.

Sever only a person’s consciousness without harming their body?

Wouldn’t that mean… a magic that steals a person’s consciousness?

If so, then what did that imply?

Before the frozen Junpei, a single girl now stepped into the Twilight Zone through the rift in space. Her high-tied black hair and school uniform were familiar sights but now she carried a Japanese sword in her right hand. Seeing her, Junpei cried out in stunned disbelief.

“Kaede-san!”