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The Quest for Mana Crystals – Part 05

The island had a legend of a mysterious light that could be seen at night. Locals had long rumored it to be an entrance to the spirit world, and no one approached it.

“The waters around the island are rough, and small boats often capsize when trying to get close. Because of this, it became known as a creepy place,” Hino explained. “But that was only until the early Showa period. Someone landed on the island, settled there, and when a fire caused a blaze, the mysterious light disappeared.”

“A fire.”

“If such a light still existed today, it would be all over the internet, and YouTubers would flock there to film it. But that rumor has died out. Nowadays, it’s just a desolate island that even fishermen don’t visit.”

“Why don’t fishermen go there?”

“Good question. When you look into this island, all you find is zero catch, so it’s not popular. It’s officially owned by Tokyo.”

“Tokyo?”

“Yeah.”

“But the mysterious light is gone, right?”

“Yes. It might have changed due to the fire or been buried under ashes or something. But don’t you think it’s worth looking into?”

“That is… certainly true.”

Hino put away his tablet. “Well, let’s act rather than think. I’ve already arranged a boat to the island.”

So that’s why he said to meet at this station, Lavia realized. His efficiency as a reporter was impressive. She glanced at the table, seeing that her milk tea was still warm with just a few sips taken.

“If it was such a short conversation, we could have talked while walking,” Lavia said.

“Yeah, well, I’ll expense this as a work meeting.”

Hino took a distant look as he sipped his coffee. No way could he admit he just wanted to have tea with a pretty girl.

If I had brought that gorilla Tamaru along, she’d be too scared and I’d never get this chance.

Hino glanced outside and noticed a man pointing a camera at him. The man lowered the camera and glared at Hino fiercely.

“Ugh, Tamaru!”

Realizing that Tamaru was following orders from the editor, Hino knew he had to chase him before the photo reached the office. But as he rose to his seat, Tamaru lumbered straight into the café.

“Hino.”

“H-Hey there, Tamaru.”

“How could you go off by yourself, you jerk?”

Before Hino could explain that this was work-related, Lavia’s stare pierced him, a stare that castigated him for being followed.

---

Having been caught, Hino had no choice but to let Tamaru join the investigation.

“Are you sure about this, Hikari?” Hino asked reluctantly.

“It’s fine.”

“Sorry. Obviously, the fewer the people that know, the better.”

“It’s all good.”

Disheartened by Lavia’s dispassionate responses, Hino thought, She’s really mad. He then stepped on Tamaru’s foot as he walked around with a smug look.

“What are you doing?!”

“This is your fault, you idiot!”

“You only have yourself to blame!”

To Lavia, it didn’t matter as long as they didn’t bother Hazuki.

Reuniting with Hikaru is my top priority.

If revealing her identity meant she could travel to the other world, Lavia would do so without a second thought. She could handle the press without any issues. There was only one thing she needed to do right now.

Recreate the spell for crossing worlds. For that, I need a mana crystal.

Ayano Sasakura cast the spell without writing the magic diagram, displaying it in the air instead. While Lavia didn’t understand how she did it, with the diagram obtained from Ayano’s apartment, she should be able to do it.

The spell for crossing worlds required several catalysts, but Ayano Sasakura managed it with just one type of mana crystal. It was similar but slightly different from Hikaru’s version of the spell.

The sketchbook was at Hazuki’s place, but Lavia had made several copies. In the other world, she’d have to write it out by hand, but in Japan, copying was instantaneous, making it incredibly convenient.

“Damn it. Tamaru, don’t you dare take photos of Hikaru without permission!” Hino warned, and Tamaru nodded with a smile. “Do you really understand?!”

He kept nodding, seemingly just happy to be around a cute girl.

“Sorry, Hikari. He’s an idiot but he’s not a bad person.”

“It’s fine. By the way, which boat are we taking?”

“Oh, right.”

The three moved from the station to the nearby port, which was within walking distance. Lavia looked around curiously. The port looked very different from the one she had seen in Southleaf Island. Boats were moored along concrete quays. She had never seen such an orderly port before.

Japan sure is something. From their skyscrapers to organized coasts. But the smell of the sea is the same. It’s strange.

Hino and Tamaru, mistaking Lavia for a Japanese person, walked ahead.

“Hey, pops! Mind giving us a ride?”

“Oh, if it isn’t Hino. I thought you were joking about taking a boat in the middle of winter.”

A suntanned man of about fifty, who seemed to know Hino, came out of a port-facing boathouse bearing a sign that read Faithful Sea. He patted Hino on the shoulder.

“So, you’re heading out for a story today and not fishing?”

“That’s right. We want to go to Shirokiji Island.”

“Shirokiji Island? Why? Nobody goes there even for winter camping.”

“We’re looking into some World War II relics.”

“Relics, huh? Aren’t you from the society department?” the boatman muttered as he headed for the boat.

“So, it’s you and the photographer over there, right? Wear your life jackets.”

“Uh.”

Hino turned around to find no one there. He tried to call for Hikari’s name.

“You don’t need to mention me.”

It felt to Hino as if the girl had emerged from thin air. This was the effect of Stealth. He couldn’t hide his surprise.

“The fewer people know about me, the better.”

“R-Right.”

“All right, we’re setting sail!”

The fishing boat belched smoke that blended with the smell of the sea. The winter sea was rough, splashing waves as the boat sped onward. The January wind cut like a knife, driving the three to seek shelter at the stern, away from its bite.

Shirokiji Island in Tokyo Bay loomed clearly from the harbor. About a hundred meters at its widest, it was a brief ten-minute stroll around its perimeter.

After a twenty-minute boat ride, they reached Shirokiji Island. There was no sandy beach, only open land suitable for summer camping. However, fires and fireworks were strictly prohibited.

They docked at the only pier, constructed over half a century ago and beginning to show its age. With no regular ferries to the island, they relied on a fishing boat like this one.

Lavia leaped from the boat onto the pier, gazing at the island.

“Call me when you’re ready to return.”

“Thanks! I’ll give you a call.”

It wasn’t that far from the port, so there was cellphone reception. But the island lacked electricity and running water.

A rugged path cut through rocky terrain, leading into a dense, overgrown forest. With only about a hundred visitors annually, the paths were neglected.

After seeing off the boat, Hino and Tamaru scanned the area.

“Hikari? Where are you?”

“Over here.”

Lavia was already at the forest entrance, moving down the path.

I can’t sense magical energy.

Elemental magic stones right in front of her or high-concentration mana crystals like those in Mt. Midori were one thing, but without abilities like Hikaru’s Mana Detection, she couldn’t detect magical energies from a distance.

But if there are magical residues here, I should be able to find them.

Luckily, the island wasn’t big. If there were mana crystals, they would likely be on the surface, given reports of mysterious lights visible from the port town.

“Hikari! Do you know where to start?” Hino asked as he caught up.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to search the whole island.”

“I see. There are remnants from World War II here, so it might be worth checking those out too.”

“Remnants? You mentioned that earlier.”

“Yeah, relics from the Pacific War era. This place used to be a military base.”

Lavia was studying Japanese history, so she was familiar with World War II. Feeling the weight of this world’s past, she stopped in her tracks.

“This path leads to a clearing at the top of the island,” Hino explained. “There’s a former communication station there. On the opposite side of the island, there’s a tunnel reinforced with concrete that apparently housed anti-aircraft guns.”

“I see.”

“What’s the matter?”

Lavia suddenly started running.

“H-Hikari!”

Lavia realized something. Shirokiji Island had suffered a wildfire, but that was in the early Showa period. If it had been a military base during World War II, that meant the ground had been disturbed. Mana crystals buried due to the fire would have been unearthed during excavation.

Maybe there are no mana crystals left.

The island’s clearing was small, mostly grassy with enough space for about five campsites. One area showed a concrete foundation, likely the ruins of the communication station.