Episode 40: Closing In on His True Identity!
Having defeated the Ibinom, Kazuma wondered what to do next.
Right now, he was the Crimson Knight due to the magic’s effect, but if he dispelled the magic, his identity would be immediately exposed.
However, he couldn’t stay like this forever. So, Kazuma was racking his brain over what to do, when he finally remembered.
That’s right, he had destroyed the surrounding electronic devices during the previous battle.
In that case, the surveillance cameras would probably be broken too, so there shouldn’t be a problem returning to the academy. Having concluded this, Kazuma temporarily vanished into the sky.
Afterward, using light magic within the clouds to vanish as if with optical camouflage, he returned to the academy. He went back into the restroom and, with an innocent look, Kazuma returned to his dorm.
◇◇◇◇
Several days had passed since the Humanoid Ibinom attack incident. The city was gradually returning to its usual peaceful atmosphere, but the biggest focus was, as expected, on the Crimson Knight, Kazuma.
The mass media was reporting on the Crimson Knight who had appeared during the Ibinom attack incident. They broadcasted videos posted on social media on TV and the internet, interviewed informants, and they were also at the Seventh Esper Academy, which was closest to the scene.
However, unfortunately, it was currently summer vacation. Most students weren’t present. Only those voluntarily using the training room or attending club activities were there, and their numbers were few. This was even more so because an Ibinom had attacked just a few days prior.
“No leads at all, huh…”
“Doesn’t look like it~. I heard all the academy’s surveillance cameras were broken too.”
“Yeah. And what’s more, the government collected all the data from before they broke! Really, they’re only quick at times like these.”
“Now, now. More importantly, what should we do? We’ve pretty much checked with everyone who was in the shelter.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t seem like we’ll get any more information, so we have no choice but to leave.”
“Understood~”
The female reporter and cameraman turned on their heels and walked away from the Seventh Esper Academy.
“Crimson Knight. I’ll definitely expose your true identity!”
She muttered this while looking at the school building as she left.
Meanwhile, the National Defense Force was holding a meeting about the Crimson Knight.
“Now then, the newly appeared Humanoid Ibinom. And the mysterious Gifted, the ‘Crimson Knight.’ Regarding the Ibinom, not even a corpse remains, so the only material we have is combat data. The same applies to the ‘Crimson Knight’…”
“Are we close to grasping his identity?”
“We are currently proceeding with the investigation, and we have narrowed down the most important person of interest.”
“Oh! Can we expect something from this?”
“That remains to be seen. We plan to summon him for questioning, but I don’t know if we’ll get results that meet your expectations.”
“Hmm. I see. Well then, could you tell us about this most important person of interest?”
“Yes. It’s detailed in the documents we’re distributing now, so I will explain based on those materials.”
Documents were distributed to the high-ranking officers gathered at the meeting. When they picked up the documents and read their contents, they found a photo and the name of the boy said to be the most important person of interest.
Satsuki Kazuma
That’s what was written.
“I believe everyone has received the documents, so I will now speak about Satsuki Kazuma-shounen as the most important person of interest related to the ‘Crimson Knight.’ First, as written in your documents, he is a first-year student in the Support Course at the Seventh Esper Academy. His Gift is Transposition. He has no particularly distinguishing features, but he was hit by a truck on the day of the entrance ceremony, delaying his enrollment by about three months.”
The man giving the explanation paused there, took a sip of water, and moistened his throat.
“It seems he hovered between life and death for a while but made a miraculous recovery. Next, regarding his family structure, he was abandoned and raised in an institution, so it’s as if he has no parents. We did investigate, and his parents have been identified. His mother is Kanou Kumiko, and his father is Sunozaki Kento. Both have relinquished their parental rights.”
Since it wasn’t directly relevant, the man didn’t go into detail about Kazuma’s parents, but the documents thoroughly described the circumstances under which the two abandoned their son.
It was nothing remarkable. They were simply scum. The two hadn’t married willingly; Kumiko had been involved in compensated dating since her student days, and Kento was a gambling addict drowning in debt.
The two met when Kento, who had coincidentally won big, solicited Kumiko. Kazuma was conceived at that time. Of course, Kumiko had been taking birth control pills, but whether by bad luck or good luck, she became pregnant.
Naturally, she decided to have an abortion, but she had no money. So, she pursued Kento, the father, for responsibility and pressed him to cover the costs, but he, of course, had none and refused.
At a loss, the mother, Kumiko, decided to give birth. After Kazuma was born, she decided to abandon him, but a final shred of conscience remained, and she left him in front of an institution.
As a result, the mother was caught on surveillance cameras, so the police acted quickly, and they also identified the father through Kazuma’s DNA.
Afterward, the two were arrested, and Kazuma was raised in an institution.
Currently, as his Transposition Gift has awakened, he receives subsidies and support funds from the government and lives in a dorm.
“Now, let’s continue. This Satsuki Kazuma-shounen has been involved in two incidents after enrolling in the Seventh Esper Academy. The first was the terrorist incident by the Ivera Church. And the second is the recent Ibinom attack incident. If it were only these, he would probably be dismissed with the label of an unlucky boy, but there are several inexplicable points.”
“Hmm. Not mentioned in the documents, are they?”
“Yes. We will now play surveillance camera footage recorded at the Seventh Esper Academy, so please take a look.”
The room darkened, and footage began to play from a projector. It showed Kazuma acting suspiciously in the club building during the Ibinom attack incident, then rushing into a restroom.
“Wh-!?”
“Do you understand now? Merely tens of seconds after he entered the restroom, the ‘Crimson Knight’ emerged.”
“Doesn’t this confirm it’s him?”
“This alone isn’t enough to definitively identify him, but as you all may recall, during the first incident, the Grand One occupation by the Ivera Church, there was a suspicious individual claiming to be from the National Defense Force.”
“You don’t mean to say he’s the same person as the ‘Crimson Knight’?”
“That possibility is high. At the time of the incident, the surveillance cameras were destroyed by the Ivera Church, but based on eyewitness testimonies, it is believed that the ‘Crimson Knight’ and the man who impersonated a National Defense Force spy are one and the same.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a possibility that this individual is him, Satsuki Kazuma-shounen?”
“Yes. That is correct. And finally, as a supplement, after Satsuki Kazuma-shounen was discharged from the hospital, an Ibinom infiltrated the academy. Due to poor management, the footage from that time was obstructed and didn’t capture anything. However, from the testimony of the student attacked by the Ibinom, it has been established that the perpetrator was a young male, and it is highly probable that he is a student within the academy.”
“He’s looking more and more suspicious.”
“We have already notified the academy to summon Satsuki Kazuma-shounen.”
“I see. Well then, we’ll look forward to future reports.”
And so, it was decided that Kazuma would be summoned by the National Defense Force. Will the National Defense Force be able to see through Kazuma’s identity?
◇◇◇◇
It was the middle of summer vacation, and Kazuma was watching videos in his air-conditioned room.
“Hmm. My video is really going viral.”
Kazuma was watching his own battle scene. Numerous comments were pouring in about his overwhelming an Ibinom. Of course, not just from within the country, but from overseas as well. His popularity was astounding, and merchandise was already being sold.
“I don’t remember giving permission for this…”
There were also multiple fake accounts, and it had become a sort of boom. If asked whether he was happy or not, he was happy, but it felt like it was going a bit too far.
“Oh well. As long as they don’t find out it’s me, I don’t really care.”
Saying that, Kazuma placed his phone on the desk and collapsed onto his bed. Enveloped by the fluffy futon, he was lured into the world of dreams.
“Oh man, so sleepy…”
Kazuma, who had yawned, couldn’t fight the encroaching sleepiness and drifted off to sleep.
After Kazuma fell asleep, a notification appeared on his phone.
It was an email from the academy. The content: come to the academy immediately.
He was being summoned through the academy. By the National Defense Force.
It had finally come to this, but Kazuma was just sleeping peacefully.