It was 7:00 PM. The school, which bustled with life just hours ago, was now a hushed, sepulchral expanse. Only a few lights flickered in the faculty wings. The gates were barred, and for all but a select few, the campus was a forbidden zone until morning. Deliveries—textbooks, commissary snacks, cafeteria ingredients—were strictly relegated to daylight hours via the underground tubes or the rear service entrance.
Access tonight was a privilege reserved for the night watch, security contractors, essential system engineers, and a very specific subset of students. This level of student autonomy, which bordered on the excessive, was a legacy of Mayumi Saegusa's tenure as President.
Tatsuya had returned home briefly to gather his gear. Now, with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder containing equipment he'd spent the afternoon sourcing, he stood at the service entrance. He presented a night-entry permit to the guard—authorized by the Student Council President's override code—and received three visitor ID cards in return.
He handed the second card to Miyuki, who accepted it with a satisfied, radiant smile. Originally, Tatsuya had no intention of bringing her along. However, when the time came to secure the permit, Miyuki had attached a non-negotiable condition: she was coming too.
Nominally, the authority to issue such permits rested with President Azusa Nakajou. In practice, however, the rumors that the real power in the Student Council resided with the Vice President were proven true three hours earlier. Tatsuya had failed to persuade his stubbornly resolute sister, and in that moment of tactical retreat, he had committed a second error.
He handed the third ID card to Honoka, who had joined them at the station. As he did, he reflected on his lapse in judgment.
He had intended to leave Honoka behind even more than Miyuki. But because he had discussed the permit in the Student Council room while Honoka was present, the secret was out. He couldn't reveal his true objective with Azusa and Isori within earshot, and once Honoka began her earnest pleading—and Miyuki took her side—Tatsuya found himself mathematically incapable of refusal.
The official reason on the permit was "to monitor the erratic behavior of 3H-P94." His true goal: use Pixie as live bait to draw out the Parasites.
"Honoka, did you not go home first?" Miyuki asked, noticing Honoka's attire.
Honoka was still in her school uniform. While the dress code was waived for night entry, the uniform was hardly practical for the kind of "monitoring" Tatsuya had in mind.
"Eh? Oh, no, I did go home. Is... is the uniform a problem?"
"It's not a problem, exactly," Tatsuya replied, "but it might be... inconvenient."
Honoka lived alone in an apartment closer to the school than the Shiba residence. It wasn't that she lacked the time to change; she simply didn't know what the night had in store. Tatsuya couldn't fault her for that.
"Onii-sama, why don't we stop by Honoka's apartment?" Miyuki suggested. "We can wait downstairs while she changes."
"That seems reasonable. It's too late to intrude on her home, but if Honoka doesn't mind, we'll wait for her."
"Not at all!" Honoka chirped, her eyes bright. "I don't mind if you come up, truly! If you can spare the time, please, come inside!"
By the time their conversation had looped through several layers of social misunderstanding, they reached the Robotics Club garage. The doors were locked, but a lock was a trivial barrier when one had an inside connection.
『Did you call for me, Master?』
"Open the door," Tatsuya commanded.
『At once.』
A steel door was no obstacle for telepathy. Moments later, the garage slid open to reveal a figure in a maid uniform, bowing deeply. Even with a supernatural entity inhabiting its shell, the robot's fundamental programming remained intact.
Tatsuya waited for Pixie to straighten up before reaching into his bag.
"Pixie, change into these."
He handed her a set of casual clothes. Even at night—perhaps especially at night—a girl in a maid uniform would draw unwanted attention. The school uniform was out for the same reason. Tatsuya's first priority in this operation had been securing a disguise for the bait.
To Tatsuya, dressing Pixie was a task of no more emotional weight than putting a protective cover over a motorcycle. To Miyuki and Honoka, however, it was a scandalous breach of etiquette.
"Onii-sama?! What are you doing, just standing there watching?!"
"Tatsuya-san! A girl is changing!"
"Pixie is a robot," Tatsuya stated flatly.
"She's a girl, robot or not!" Honoka insisted.
"She's an android. She doesn't even possess a biologically accurate—"
No matter how much logic Tatsuya applied, he realized he could never win this particular argument. He lacked the temperament to confuse a doll with a human, and he found nothing provocative about the process, but he knew the girls operated on a different frequency. He gave up and performed a crisp "about-face."
He didn't find the situation unfair, per se, but he certainly didn't have a burning desire to watch a machine put on a sweater. He stood patiently with his back turned until the girls gave him the all-clear.
"Tatsuya-san, it's okay now."
Tatsuya looked at the newly dressed Pixie and gave a short nod. "Pixie, follow me."
『Yes, Master.』
Pixie fell into step behind him, radiating a telepathic aura of quiet joy. Not to be outdone, Miyuki and Honoka flanked him as well.
"Right. We'll head out once Honoka has changed."
"Yes, let's," Miyuki agreed.
"Um... Tatsuya-san?"
"What is it?"
As they stepped out of the service entrance, Honoka's cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
"If you... if you really wanted to watch a girl change... you could just watch me, you know?"
Tatsuya felt a phantom headache beginning to form. "Honoka... I assure you, I do not possess such voyeuristic tendencies."
As Honoka's "bombshell" hung in the air, a familiar tableau formed: Tatsuya rubbing his temples in exasperation, Miyuki bristling with a sudden surge of sibling jealousy, and Pixie—for reasons known only to herself—telepathically projecting a protest at Tatsuya.
From the outside, it looked less like a high-stakes mission and more like a very strange, very dangerous case of a boy and his beautiful stalkers.
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