The bell rang, signaling the start of class.
"Oh, in that case, I’m the expert. Let’s go to the study group together later."
"But where’s Iruki? I don’t see him anywhere."
"I’m not coming today. My renewed passion isn’t ready to deal with boring lessons. I’ll just be sleeping at the study group."
"Haha! That sounds like Iruki."
After his confrontation with Shirone, Iruki had decided to focus on his dream, but his extreme nature still hadn’t changed.
"Anyway, let’s talk later. Class is about to start."
Shirone, seeing the hallway was empty, quickly entered the classroom.
After focusing on his studies without any distractions, Shirone headed to the study group with Neid after class.
Arriving at the magic warehouse Istas, Shirone once again stared blankly.
If the form he had seen before was a structure that seemed like a colony, now it appeared as seven towers rising up into the sky.
"This building is truly amazing, even now," Shirone said in awe.
"There are 89 buildings. Looking at the pattern, it’s endless. I hope Iruki is awake," Neid replied.
As the structure changed, so did the interior, but Neid walked confidently through the maze.
"I’ve always wondered, how do you find your way around? If the shape keeps changing, marking it won’t help."
"Haha, I wouldn’t use such a simple method. I literally memorize everything. A long time ago, a senior from the research group restored the blueprints of Istas."
Shirone’s eyes widened.
"What? This complicated building? No, wait—why did you even do that? It’s not like you’re building anything new."
It seemed like a pointless task, but Neid was proud of it.
"Look up there at the ceiling. Do you see three dots? That means it’s room number 3. Now, look at the color of the iron door of the third warehouse. It’s blue, right? That’s room number 3, blue."
Shirone followed Neid’s hand and looked.
"Now, count the number of cubes. Since there are four forks, there are four cubes connected to the surrounding area. This is important. Replace the number of rooms with X, the color with Y, and the number of cubes with Z, then plug those into the equation."
"The blueprint isn’t a literal blueprint. It’s more of an equation based on the patterns of Istas. If you plug the numbers into it, you’ll get a result with two decimal places. That number helps you figure out your bearings. With this, you can never get lost in Istas. It’s like a master key."
Shirone realized that the Paranormal Psychic Research Group wasn’t ordinary at all.
Istas, which could transform infinitely, and the seniors who had established its pattern as an equation. Even though it seemed useless, the reasoning behind it was incredible.
"But if we calculate everything one by one, it’ll take forever just to get into the lab, right?"
"If you do it every day, you’ll get used to it. That’s called acquisition. You know that, right? After about three months, you’ll be able to do it without even needing to think about the equation."
Shirone nodded, impressed.
"By the way, that’s really amazing. You can get out of a maze with just one equation."
"Actually, even now, Istas is a structure full of mysteries. It only exists at Alpheus Magic School. Rumor has it that one of the first members had Servant abilities. Iruki said when he first saw this equation, he thought it was incredibly beautiful. He also said that he wasn’t sure if he could ever design an equation simpler than this one. Anyway, you must never tell anyone about this. If the master key leaks, it’ll be a huge problem."
’... ...He’s definitely a maniac.’
The place was filled with the unproductive and obsessive work of the seniors from the very beginning.
That was the supernatural psychic research group hidden in the Istas Labyrinth.
The two finally arrived at the lab.
As before, the sign was crooked, and when the door opened, a cloud of dust rose.
But this time, Shirone managed to avoid disaster by keeping his mouth shut in advance.
Iruki, who was writing a complex formula on the blackboard, noticed Shirone and smiled.
"Hey, Shirone. What’s up? I thought you’d never come back to this shabby place again."
Neid smiled, recalling the old days.
"Haha, that’s right. But now I want to join."
This time, Iruki was surprised. He put down the chalk and approached Shirone.
"That’s unexpected. This is a research group that has nothing to do with your personal studies."
"Well, I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I’ve been having some issues lately. Can I talk to you about it?"
Iruki glanced at Neid and smirked.
"The genius who defeated me is worried. Even without hearing it, I can tell it must be something serious."
Now that Shirone knew Iruki’s personality, he wasn’t offended by the twisted words.
"I feel like something has changed since the speed gun test. I’ve been having nightmares, and when I wake up, it’s really creepy. It feels like someone’s right next to me. Isn’t that related to the supernatural or psychic phenomena? You guys probably know about this kind of thing?"
Both Neid and Iruki’s eyes lit up at the same time.
Neid was interested in him as an explorer of the unknown, and Iruki as a critic of the unknown.
"Then you’ve come to the right place. Please take a seat."
Neid offered Shirone a seat, dusting off the sofa, but Shirone was disgusted by the rising dust.
’Ah, I get it now. This dust...’
It was all chalk powder that Iruki had used.
"Okay, I’ll sit down. But don’t do anything in this room. Or at least clean up after yourself."
"Come on, don’t let dust bother you! The first client of the research group, tell us what’s been going on."
Neid and Iruki sat down in chairs, crossing their legs in a professional manner.
Shirone was surprised, but began speaking like a thirsty person at a well.
"Well, lately I’ve been having this dream..."
Shirone explained the strange sensations he’d been feeling and the nightmares he had been experiencing.
"I don’t know what’s going on. Could it be that a ghost or something has entered my body? Have you heard of anyone having an experience ?"
The room fell silent.
Shirone, who expected a joke or lighthearted response, swallowed nervously as the serious atmosphere grew.
"What is it? Why are you two so nervous? Are you messing with me again?"
Neid scratched his eyebrow awkwardly.
"Well, actually... now that I think about it, it does sound like that."
"What do you mean? Tell me more."
"That feeling you had, that creepy feeling..."
"That’s right, especially at dawn."
"It’s not scientifically proven, but what you experienced is a phenomenon called supernatural powers."
"200 years ago, a scholar conducted an experiment on a death row inmate. It was called soul transfer. The idea was that if a person’s soul was made of matter, it could be broken down by electricity. Here’s what happened: The inmate was locked in a sealed, conductive metal box, and an electric current was passed through it. It was so inhumane that the experiment was stopped, but the inmate survived. The problem started when he woke up. After a month, he knew everything that had happened outside while he was unconscious."
"That’s crazy. How could that happen?"
"That’s the amazing part. The scholar hypothesized that the soul could ionize, and when it did, an electromagnetic force was generated, pulling information from the outside world into the condemned person. Of course, the academic world called the scholar crazy, and some even said the inmate bribed guards for the info to save his life."
"...There was such an experiment?"
"Although mainstream scholars don’t recognize it, it’s still a topic of interest in parapsychology. The séance, a recognized religious group, even accepts trance states. So, I believe the ionization of the soul is possible. Anyway, what you’re feeling is called a supernatural sensation in this field."
Shirone felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that something might really have happened.
"Then, it’s my turn now."
"But before I say anything, you said you started feeling strange after the speed gun test, right? Your photon output was definitely different. You don’t have to tell me if it’s a secret, but I think it’d help to understand what happened."
Shirone realized that Iruki’s point was valid. To understand the cause, they had to analyze the results.
"What happened was..."
Shirone explained his experience of reaching the Infinite Realm, from the sequence enlightenment to transcending numbers during the pressure of confrontation.
Iruki nodded. He had heard about this from his father.
"It’s an immortal function."
"I’ve heard about it since I was young. It’s an absolute function that can unlock the secrets of the world. I think it’s extremely dangerous. Everything, phenomenally, is the same as nothing."
Relating this to Ethela’s earlier words, Shirone once again realized how dangerous his actions had been.
"I only made assumptions. I never thought it would actually work. It’s an experience I never want to have again."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? To a mathematician, immortal functions are a dream. Now I get it. Well, if you beat me, you must be an immortal function. Hehehe."
Iruki, who treated the dangerous concept Ethela had warned about as a long-term boast, was eccentric, but his attitude reassured Shirone.
"Yeah, so it was an immortal function. Hmm, I think I understand it a bit better now."
"Really? Did you figure something out?"
Iruki looked back at the wall, as if writing equations in his mind.
"I don’t know much about the paranormal, since I’m not an expert. But I think I can guess what that nightmare of yours is about, and why you’re having those dreams."
Shirone clenched his fists.
"Tell me. I’m ready to hear anything."
"Well, first, dreams distort or exaggerate memories. But your dreams are probably just projections of memories. It’s called psychological regression, and it’s the same principle that makes people under hypnosis vividly recall their past. If we assume your nightmares are like that..."
"What you saw was probably space."
Shirone knew what space was. It was an unknown world outside the world. But knowledge only went so far.
For centuries, only dragons had officially ventured into space.
680 years ago, the Saint Dragon Gramish flew out of the continent into space, with representatives from each race as witnesses. However, he crashed after 13 hours, and his body was in terrible condition.
Shirone frowned, trying to make sense of this.
"What appeared in my dream was... space?"
"My major is computational physics. Given the vast scale, speed, and shape of space, it’s impossible to study such phenomena anywhere on the continent. The numbers involved are simply too large."
"But how could I have such a dream? If it’s a psychological regression, it must be from my own memory, yet I’ve never been to space."
"Maybe, but memories can exist even without having physically experienced something. At least, that’s what Neid suggests."
Neid nodded in agreement.
"Yes. In the soul transfer experiment, a death row inmate was able to know the situations of different countries while unconscious. This implies that information can be obtained without physical presence—transcending time and space. This is different from the astral projection used by psychics. If the soul could just fly around like a pigeon, it couldn’t access global information all at once. However, if electrical ionization happens, quantum phenomena come into play. That’s when the possibility of transcending time and space becomes real."
Iruki nodded in agreement.
"In the microscopic world, which is lighter than an electron, things happen that defy human logic. You can’t observe and measure something at the same time, and everything is defined only by probability. It’s like trying to figure out the exact position of a guitar string after you pluck it. If the weight of the soul is lighter than an electron, it could mean you’re able to sense the universe. It’s a place where the connection between time and distance breaks down."
As Shirone processed what his friends had said, a vague image began to form in his mind.
"Hmmm, I think I understand what you mean now. Thanks. As expected, you’re from the Paranormal Science Research Association."
Iruki laughed. "Haha! You shouldn’t be so surprised. Anyway, don’t worry too much. It’s not some weird curse or anything. Let’s focus on the part related to the immortal function."
That’s when Shirone made up his mind.
"Alright! I’ll join the Paranormal and Psychic Research Group too."
There was no reason for him to say no.
First, if Shirone joined, the group would have three members. That meant they could officially register as a research group again, and the funding that had been cut a year ago would be reinstated.
"We’d be happy to have you! Iruki, do you agree?"
"I think Shirone will definitely be a great addition to the group. But will the school approve it? With all the trouble you’ve caused, there are probably a lot of teachers who won’t be happy."
"Leave it to me. I’ll just sneak the paperwork through without the teachers noticing. Don’t worry! Let’s go!"
As Shirone followed his friends, who were gathering their membership applications, he suddenly looked back.
This is my research group now.
The place was a mess, looking more like a warehouse than a lab, but Shirone felt a sense of attachment to it now that it was his.
I guess I’ll have to do some spring cleaning soon.
With a quiet thud, the iron door slammed shut behind them.
In the dark, silent laboratory, the dust on the chair where Shirone had sat slowly spun in the still air.