Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

The Sisters of Tragedy

December 23, 2103

Embassy of the Japanese Empire

The next day, Maebayashi also took steps to contact the girl. He went to the security office of the embassy, opened the door, and entered a dimly lit room. The interior of the room is unoccupied, and the images from the surveillance cameras installed throughout the embassy are shown on an array of displays. Security inside the embassy was managed by an AI and a security android, and in the event of an emergency requiring human assistance, it would be outsourced to a local security company.

Maebayashi sat down in front of the operating PC and has the reader read the vein and fingerprint of his index finger. Then the operating software of the embassy's security office starts up. He then recalled the time he saw the suspicious girl and picked up the camera image in front of the embassy's main gate.

"...!"

The girl was still glaring at the embassy. Maebayashi then had the AI analyze the girl's face, height, and other data. He then searched for the girl's image in the images recorded by each surveillance camera. The results showed that the girl was hanging around the vicinity of the embassy at a fixed time, although the dates were irregular.

"........."

Maebayashi grinned, exited the software, and left his seat. The image in front of the embassy's main gate at the current time showed the girl approaching the embassy from the city at this very moment.

Embassy Front Gate

During the day, when the sun was high in the sky, the girl was once again in front of the embassy. She hid herself, listening to what was going on inside. She was biting her lower lip, clenching her fists and looking frustrated.

"Sister..." the girl whispered.

But she was so preoccupied with what was going on inside that she did not notice the footsteps of a man approaching from behind. Maebayashi, who had come out of another doorway of the embassy, approached behind her step by step, making sure that the girl's attention was not on him.

"...Hello there, you come here often, what can the Japanese Embassy do for you?"

"!!"

The girl who was suddenly spoken to by a Japanese looked as if she were at the end of the world. She then tried to slip by Maebayashi, who extended his hand. But Maebayashi, reading her movements, followed the girl's every move, cutting off her retreat.

"This is an overseas diplomatic mission. You understand that this is not a place that outsiders should go near, right? So, what on earth are you doing here?"

Maebayashi asked the girl with a witty remark. The girl, thinking she was in a tight spot, kicked Maebayashi in the groin.

"Whoops!!"

Maebayashi, who could read the girl's mind, naturally avoided her kick. But the girl took advantage of the opportunity and bolted away.

"...Move!!"

The girl shoved the people on the street and disappeared into a shady alley, trying to confuse Maebayashi. But he could read the girl's actions as long as he had her in his sights, where she intended to go from the beginning, so he calmly followed her without any particular haste.

After more than ten minutes of chasing, the girl reached a certain square. It is still daytime and the sun has not yet set, but there are a few drunken people here and there in the vicinity. The girl put her hands on her knees to catch her breath, took a deep breath, and looked up at a large building standing in the middle of the square.