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The Quest for Mana Crystals – Part 03

“Did it work?”

“Wah?!”

A voice suddenly came from beside her when there should’ve been no one there. It was Lavia.

For security reasons, the emergency stairs didn’t allow entry to each floor, but you could exit to them. And the doors on the first and basement floors were always unlocked. You also needed to scan a key card in the elevator to access your own floor.

“Y-Yeah, it worked. You’re fast.”

“The stairs are easy to walk on.”

Even so, Hazuki’s unit was about twenty floors up. While it was easier going down, it still seemed tiring.

These are the legs tempered in another world.

Hazuki was impressed, though the real reason was Lavia had one point in Stamina on her Soul Board, which made a big difference.

“Let’s head outside from here.”

They began walking through the cold and quiet parking lot. Although the building also had a multi-story parking structure, the underground lot could hold about fifty cars. But being the New Year’s season, it was almost empty.

Hazuki glanced at the surveillance cameras on the ceiling. Since the police assumed she was still in her apartment, they wouldn’t bother checking the recording. As long as they didn’t cause any trouble outside.

They climbed the ramp leading from the first basement level to the ground level, sticking to the shadows and moving quickly to avoid attracting attention.

“Wow, all those TV cameras must be for covering the other world stuff. I can’t believe they’re working so hard even on New Year’s.”

“Man, I wanna go to the other world too.”

Hazuki flinched at the voices of the two men. Lavia pushed her from behind, stopping her from freezing up. The men glanced at them, but Hazuki pretended to be engrossed in her phone and walked on. Their gazes followed her for a moment before the men lost interest.

Phew.

Even though she wasn’t doing anything wrong, she felt extremely nervous.

“How are we getting to the apartment? By train?” Lavia asked.

Lavia, with her Stealth, looked unbothered. Moments like this made Hazuki realize that a different world actually existed.

“We would draw attention on the train. Let’s walk.”

“Sounds good. It’s nice to be outside again, though it’s a bit chilly.”

Lavia, wearing a down jacket matching Hazuki’s, smiled brightly, an adorable smile that captivated even Hazuki, a fellow girl.

Their breaths turned white in the biting cold, and Hazuki suddenly realized just how chilly it was.

“It’s a pretty long walk. About three stations away,” she said, remembering how out of shape she was.

After walking the three stations, she was completely out of breath, drenched in sweat despite the midwinter chill.

Beside her, Lavia strolled along, curiously observing the cityscape. She seemed to be enjoying the walk.

Eventually, they reached the apartment complex the Four Eastern Stars had stayed in. Although it used to be a hub for media and otherworld enthusiasts, it was now deserted since the Four Eastern Stars disappeared. They probably only moved to the apartment where Hazuki lived.

There were no patrolling police officers in sight.

Lavia unlocked the door with her key, and they went inside. They briefly considered stopping by the Four Eastern Stars’ unit but decided against it and headed upstairs instead.

“By the way, Hazuki, how are we getting into Sasakura’s room?” Lavia asked.

Their plan was to investigate Ayano Sasakura to track down Hikaru, which meant they needed to get into her unit.

“Hmm?” Hazuki paused, puzzled. They were on the landing of the stairs. “Uh, I thought maybe you had some magic to get us into her unit.”

Lavia tilted her head slightly. “There’s no such handy magic.”

“Wh-What? There isn’t?”

“Oh, right. The unit is locked.”

“Well… yeah. I was thinking we could get in with magic.”

“…”

“S-Sorry. I know this was my idea.”

After a moment of thought, Lavia said, “Let’s use magic to get in.” She started climbing the stairs.

Good, Hazuki thought, relieved. So we can just use magic.

“Speaking of which, what kind of magic can you use?” she asked, falling in beside Lavia.

“Fire magic.”

“Oh, I saw that in the video.”

Hazuki recalled the magic Lavia used against the mafia in Fujinota.

“That was a mixed magic with the holy attribute, so it wasn’t pure fire magic, but I can also cast spells that actually produce flames.”

“Uh-huh. What else?”

“What do you mean what else?”

“Well, we’re going to use magic to get into Sasakura’s room, right?”

“We are!”

“Good energy. So, which magic are you going to use?”

“Fire magic.”

It was Hazuki’s turn to tilt her head. “Is there any fire magic that can help us get in?”

“I can burn through a metal door.”

Hazuki plopped down, holding her head. It was a far more violent solution than she had imagined.

“I-I’ll control the output so I don’t destroy the building.”

“So you’re saying your magic can destroy this place.” Hazuki’s cheeks twitched. “Well, I’d rather not go with a violent solution. Serika lives here, and if we leave strange traces, people will think it’s the work of magic. If they see magic as dangerous, the friendly vibe we’ve had might disappear, and there might be calls to control otherworlders.”

“That’s a good point. But what should we do, then?”

After folding her arms and thinking, Hazuki said, “This is the perfect time to use some good old Japanese cunning.”

“Cunning?”

“Follow me.”

She led the way. Ayano Sasakura’s unit was at the end of the hallway.

Hazuki stopped in front of the door. “If you lived alone and lost your key, what would you do?”

“Um, I’d be in trouble.”

“Exactly, you’d be in trouble. So, people often hide a spare key somewhere. For example, behind the mailbox.”

They checked the mailbox near the front door’s auto-lock, but there was no key there.

“Or maybe on top of the electric meter.”

The electric meter was also near the mailbox, but there was no key there either.

“There aren’t many places to hide a key, are there?”

They returned to the fourth floor. There was nowhere to stash a key.

Hazuki’s so-called cunning quickly turned into disappointment. “Maybe it was too much to expect a high school student to mimic a burglar.”

They had spent a lot of effort getting here, boldly escaping the high-rise apartment, then walking three stations away.

“Oh. The door is unlocked.”

“What?!”

When Lavia turned the doorknob, the door opened easily.

“Was all my effort for nothing?”

“Shh.”

As Hazuki was about to collapse in shock, Lavia raised a finger to her lips.

“Someone’s inside.”

Lavia’s eyes were sharp, carefully watching the interior.

If someone was inside, did that mean Ayano Sasakura had returned? And what about Hikaru? Questions filled Hazuki’s mind, but she couldn’t voice them.

Lavia muttered something, and unfamiliar particles of light flickered around her. Magic. She was reciting an incantation, ready to cast a spell if necessary.

Lavia slowly opened the door wide enough to slip inside, and Hazuki quickly followed.

Hazuki looked down in surprise. At the austere entrance were a pair of men’s leather shoes. This ruled out the possibility of Ayano Sasakura being home. Lavia advanced, her magical energy still surrounding her—without bothering to take off her shoes, of course.

The room ahead had its curtains drawn and the lights on.

Someone was tinkering with a computer, his back to them. A man, as Hazuki thought. He was in a suit and had a solid build. He hadn’t noticed Hazuki and Lavia. Frustrated about something, he scratched his head.

Lavia’s magical energy flared, visible through a glowing light.

“Huh?”

But the next moment, the light vanished. Since Lavia made a sound, Hazuki panicked and pulled her arm. Naturally, the man heard her.

Oh no.

The man whirled around. “Who’s there?!”

“It’s me,” Lavia said.

“Hikari?!”

It was Hino from Nitto Shimbun.

---

When Hino asked the general affairs department for Ayano Sasakura’s address, he not only got the address but also learned she hadn’t resigned yet. Additionally, they had told him to ask her about her personal belongings. Apparently, her personal items were being kept by the general affairs department since she had left them at the office during her long hospital stay.

Among her personal items was a pouch containing a spare key to the apartment. Borrowing the spare key temporarily to track down otherworlders was a minor issue for Hino. If Ayano was there, great; if not, he planned to search the place.

This was something Hino wouldn’t do to a regular person. But to a colleague, he had no reservations. The fact that Ayano hadn’t resigned was a clear green light for him.